Doctor Cowcher was to have settled in South Africa, but on advice he decided to come and try his luck at Swan River. When he arrived at Fremantle, he applied for a doctor's position with the Colony in Fremantle - this was not successful. He then went to Guildford to live and was granted 1700 acres on the assessment of the value of articles that were brought to the Colony. The allotments offered were: 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 situated on the Helena River. Lot No 75 was swapped for Lot 15 which was situated on the Swan River. This was used to run a ferry service across the Swan River. With this ferry service, Dr Cowcher was given the rights to operate the Guildford Ferry and to receive ferry tolls for a period of twelve months from May 1831. As a concession to his reduced circumstances he was not required to pay rent for the ferry licence. The service was put into operation about the end of June 1831, it travelled between a landing on the riverbank at the end of Bridge Street, Guildford to the opposite bank below James Dodd's House. On the 8 April 1831, Dr GSF Cowcher wrote a letter for permission to build a hotel in Market St., Guildford - called the 'Guildford Hotel'. It was facing the river with French windows at both sides (it had seven rooms). After about three years in 1834 Dr Cowcher and family moved to Fremantle to live, where they remained until his death on 16 May 1840 - he was buried at Alma Street, Cemetery. His wife Sarah carried on until her death on 2 December 1876 and was buried at Skinner Street Cemetery in Fremantle. The boys then moved onto Pinjarra and then to the Williams district as farmers.