There are 76 land grants with a total area exceeding 9,000 hectares made to 67 settlers on the Central Coast. Prospects for farming are limited due to the rocky nature of the land; it is more profitable to cut timber and gather shells from Aboriginal middens for burning into lime to make mortar for Sydney buildings. Aboriginal burials are sometimes hidden in middens. No regard is taken of these sites and desecration takes place at the settlers’ will.