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Thomas Simpson HallPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates Thomas Simpson Hall (1808-1870) of 'Dartbrook' Station in the Hunter Valley, who was a cattleman and stock breeder. His Hall`s Heeler cattle dogs became the famous Australian cattle dog, the Blue Heeler.
Thomas Hall`s parents arrived in the Coromandel in 1802 with four children, as members of a small group of Presbyterian immigrants who settled on the Hawkesbury and founded at Ebenezer the chapel which is the oldest church on the mainland of Australia. George Hall, whose family had been tenant farmers of the Dukes of Northumberland, built Percy Place in Windsor, became a substantial farmer and encouraged his sons to search for new grazing land. They were among the first settlers in the Upper Hunter district and selected land in biblical fashion with Archibald Bell of Richmond. By 1828 the Hall family held 4700 acres (1902 ha) at Dartbrook and at Gungal and employed nine convicts, eight of them Protestant.
Thomas managed the Dartbrook property for the family partnership and later inherited it. He bred station horses, Durham cattle and merino sheep. He responded to the urgent need for good cattle-dogs and imported a pair of wall-eyed blue 'merles', a cross between the Scottish collie and Italian greyhound. In 1840 he produced a merle-dingo cross that combined the speed and silence of the dingo with the collie's intelligent obedience. 'Hall's Heelers' became famous among Hunter Valley cattle-men and were in much demand for station work. After 1870 a pair were taken to Sydney where the breed was improved, chiefly by the Bagust brothers, who 'bred a lot and drowned a lot' until by 1890 the blue cattle-dog bred true.
Location
| Address: | Coromandel Road, Ebenezer Church, Ebenezer, 2756 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.536666 Long: 150.890661 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
Dedication
Commemorating
George & Mary Hall`s 5th Son
THOMAS SIMPSON HALL
Of 'Dartbrook' Station, Hunter Valley, NSW
1808 - 1870
Pioneer Cattleman & Stock Breeder
Whose Hall`s Heeler Cattle Dogs
Became Famous As
THE BLUE HEELER
(Australian Cattle Dog)
