The tree-covered ridges provided cover for raiding parties, while the narrow width of the valleys made it possible for them to cross the cleared ground and reach farm houses before settlers could react.

The valleys also isolated each settler from their neighbour over the ridge, enabling Aboriginal raiding parties to create a local numerical superiority against a particular farm.

[5] The first Europeans to live in the area were shepherds, or stockmen, overseeing livestock belonging to owners who mainly resided in Hobart Town or in the New Norfolk district.

[8] Also in 1823, an even larger grant of 2,000 acres was issued to siblings Sarah and Joseph Bradbury, who had arrived from London the previous year with their mother.

The Bradbury's eventually occupied the land grant later in the 1820s, and by 1832 had constructed a substantial two-storey sandstone home, later known as 'Strathborough' and now known simply as 'Hollow Tree House'.

[9] In August 1828, the largest parcel of land to be granted at Hollow tree was issued to retired Royal Navy Lieutenant Henry Boden Torlesse, who received 2,460 acres which he named 'Rathmore'.

In 1830, Torlesse asked to exchange his land grant for one closer to the protection of the town of Hamilton, after being raided by members of the indigenous Big River nation.

Hollow Tree has several architecturally and historically significant buildings, in Georgian and Gothic revival styles dating from the 19th century.

[9] Captain William Langdon established a single storey, slate roofed, sandstone homestead which he named 'Montacute' after the village where he was born in Somerset.

The paintings capture vividly the isolation of the properties, surrounded by wilderness, while also suggesting the success of their owners running them productively.

[16] Art curator and author David Hansen has written of these three paintings show what was a theme in Glover's works: "the triumph of colonial order in the unruly antipodean Paradise" and are among his most beautiful depictions of the Australian countryside.

[28][29][3] The house has a hipped iron roof and impressive front door with sidelights and arched fanlight set into the three bay north-west facing facade, which looks up along the adjacent river.

[30][31][32] The house was described by Michael Sharland in his 1952 book Stones of a Century: "It was difficult to account for his (John Sherwin) taste so far as it concerned the situation of his home.

Here was a stately house hidden in the depths of a narrow valley, almost in the nature of a gulch, on the edge of a river subject to flooding, and with access presenting difficulties for the transport of the day ...

But if, like Langdon, he expected the fertile valley to bring further settlement and neighbours, he was disappointed, for Sherwood has remained isolated and concealed by the folded hills for nearly 120 years.

"[33]In March 1843, bushranger Martin Cash, along with two accomplices, occupied and robbed Sherwood during a robbery spree in the Hamilton area, tying up all the occupants, including George Sherwin and three visitors in one room while they searched the property for valuables.

[34][35] Cash's own account of the incident refers to the house as a garrison and gives an indication of the number of people required to run and maintain the property: "While luxuriating in our present encampment we resolved upon paying a friendly visit to Mr. Sherwin, of Sherwood, whom we considered able, if not willing, to contribute to the funds; and intending if possible to secure one of the men in his employment, in order to ascertain the strength of the enemy, we fixed upon a convenient place, where, with the assistance of a good field telescope I could see the most vulnerable part of the garrison, and thereby arrange the plan of attack."

"[36] In 1845, John Sherwin's other son Isaac returned to Sherwood from Launceston and directed the construction of one of the first irrigation systems in Tasmania, a 137m long tunnel cut by hand with pick and shovel through sandstone.

From at least 1883 to William Sprackett Hallet leased the Strathborough, he then purchased the property with his brothers Frederick and Isaac in 1911, they already owned Llanberis and Montacute.