Chapter:

Dr. James Murdoch M.D. of Craigow 1785-1848
Early Pioneer of Medicine in Van Diemens Land

9.

By September, 1822 Dr Murdoch had moved to Collins Street. In the Gazette of 21st September, 1922 Mr. John Dunn announced that he had just arrived from London by the ship HEROINE and had for sale at the residence of Dr Murdoch, Collins Street, a new edition of the Encyclopaedia in 20 volumes. On 12th October an announcement from Dunn invited ladies and gentlemen to view his choice selection of goods, to be seen at Dr Murdoch's residence, 16 Collins Street. It included drapery and ironmongery, children's spelling books, a few pots of real Scotch marmalade, Stackhouse's History of the Bible, copies of the Times newspaper from 1st January to 1st May, and a new edition of Gifford's the English Lawyer.

In the Gazette of 12th October, Dr Murdoch announced that he would undertake for land holders of the Colony the analysis of the mineral and vegetable productions of the island also the mineralogical survey of properties with a view to discovering useful minerals, such as coal, lime, metallic ores, etc. He would also give directions for the most advantageous methods of cropping various soils. His notice added: "NB refined Epsom and Cheltenham Salts, also Gardner's Tooth Powder".

Not content with establishing himself in an extensive and profitable town practice, Dr Murdoch took up a grant of land of 800 acres in 1822 in the district of Cambridge, situated about eight miles from the village of Kangaroo Point, as Bellerive was then known, and five miles from the well-settled town of Richmond. The grant for this land was given by His Excellency, Sir Thomas Brisbane from Sydney, N.S.W. on June 20, 1823. At that time Van Diemen's Land was still under the jurisdiction of N.S.W., and the land was described as:

"…all those eight hundred acres of land situate, lying and being in the District of Cambridge, Van Diemen's Land bounded on the north east side by the Coal River Road to Pigeon Hole Creek, commencing on the south side of Merrick's farm afterward by grants to Fleming Belbin and Anson on the east side by a small drain, on the south west side by a line bearing north 33 degrees west one hundred and forty chains and on the north west side by a line bearing north sixty degrees east and Merrick's grant".

The conditions under which he received the grant were:

• To hold the land free for 5 years and thereafter pay 16/- annually to the Crown forever.

• Not to sell the land for 5 years.

• To have assigned to his service 8 transported convicts and to victual and clothe them until the expiration or remission of their terms of transportation.

To his newly-acquired property he gave the title of the old family estate, and Craigow it has remained to this day.