 From the initial years of colonisation the region of Parramatta was a much sought-after area due to the rich soil in the area and its promising potential for farming and growing crops.On 22 February 1791 Robert Webb, a seaman who arrived in Sydney on the "Sirius" with the First Fleet in 1788, was granted 60 acres on the north side of the Parramatta River by Governor Phillip, which included the location of the current Macarthur House.This was the first land grant on the river's north side and only the second land grant issued in Australia, the other being James Ruse's "Experiment Farm" grant on the opposite side of the river, which Phillip made on the same day.