In November 1835 , Captain Robson Coltish , of the barque Norval sailed from Launceston , with a cargo of 500 sheep and 50 Hereford cattle . In November 1835 , Captain Robson Coltish , master of the barque Norval sailed from Launceston , then crossing Bass Strait with a cargo of 500 sheep and 50 Hereford cattle which had been consigned by Dr. Alexander Thomson .