Squattocracy - life on the run!

The first Europeans to settle on the plains surrounding the Barwon River and its tributaries were squatters and many of their names would still be familiar to us today: names such as Armytage, Roadknight, Russell, Swanston, Austin, Learmonth, Fisher, Bell, Mercer and Morrison to name a few.

And they are with us still! Street signs from the
suburbs of Geelong, Geelong West, Manifold
Heights, Belmont  Newtown and Corio.

They can be found in the names of our streets, parks and suburbs and towns. In addition to the above street names (and a few besides such as Highett Road, Highton and Clyde Road Bannockburn, McLeod and Read Streets, Meredith), the suburbs of Manifold Heights, Newcomb, Thomson, Highton, and the towns of Drysdale, Batesford, Bells Beach, Bellbrae, Stieglitz, Pollocksford and Sutherlands Creek are all named for original squatters in the district as are Point Roadknight near Anglesea, Cowies Creek, Austin Park, Stead Park and then of course, Fyansford - named for Captain Foster Fyans who arrived in the district as police magistrate at the request of these squatters and himself tried his hand as a squatter in the coming years.
These first settlers arrived in the region in 1836 following John Batman, keen to find pasturage for their stock. With this in mind, various groups set out to investigate the area - in particular the explorer and surveyor John Helder Wedge and the ill-fated Hesse and Gellibrand. From early 1836, stock was landed at Williamstown, Point Henry and Indented Head and left in the care of shepherds, whilst the squatters made their own explorative journeys in search of suitable runs. At the same time, some travelled overland with their flocks from New South Wales.
Amongst the very earliest settlers were representatives of the Derwent Company. Formed from the remains of John Batman's Port Phillip Association they were a group of Tasmanian settlers who had set out in 1835 to acquire land in the Port Phillip district from the indigenous occupants. Despite the government in New South Wales declaring Batman's transaction with the Wurundjeri people invalid, they came anyway.
By the late 1830s the Derwent Co. held 26,000 acres of land extending across the "Portland Bay" region including the Barwon, Moorabool and Leigh Rivers. Its members included Captain Charles Swanston, Major William Drumond Mercer and his son George Duncan Mercer, Thomas Learmonth, George Armytage and David Fisher.

"Barwon Falls" 1848 as painted by Charles Norton, artist, civil servant and
squatter on the Barwon River. Image held by the State Library of Victoria

Another group of investors formed the Clyde Co. which was established in 1838 by seven Scottish investors. They selected land along the Leigh and Moorabool Rivers, which was managed first by Philip Russell and then by his half brother George who eventually settled at Golf Hill near The Leigh (later Shelford).

George Russell, 1852. Pioneer, settler and manager of the Clyde
Company. Image held by the Victorian State Library

In addition to the big companies, individual families such as the Austins of Barwon Park, established large holdings on the Barwon whilst properties such as Moranghurk and Borhoneyghurk on the Moorabool and Narmbool on the Leigh were established by individuals or partnerships.
By 1842 however, the Derwent Co. was being wound up, with various founding members purchasing leases in their own right. The Clyde Co. survived until 1857/1858 at which time George Russell bought the freehold of Golf Hill, an area of 8,500 acres which he eventually expanded to 28,000 acres.
Today, through the foresight of Victoria's first Lieutenant-Governor, Charles Joseph La Trobe, a record remains which details many of these early settlers and their holdings. During his governorship on 29th July, 1853, La Trobe wrote to Victoria's pioneering settlers asking them if they could in turn reply to him, describing what they remembered of the dates and places in which they and their contemporaries had settled in the 1830s. His request generated some 58 replies from across the newly-declared colony - several of them dealing with settlement along the Barwon, Moorabool and Leigh Rivers - they were eventually compiled by Thomas Francis Bride and published in 1898 titled: Letters from Victorian pioneers: being a series of papers on the early occupation of the colony, the aborigines etc.

Lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe. Photo held by
Ballarat Heritage Services

From this and other sources, including the various newspapers of the day and government gazettes it is possible to build a fairly good picture of who these pioneering settlers were and where they held their various squatting runs.
The following table - whilst no doubt incomplete - shows who many of the initial landholders were and when they took up their runs. In each case I have attempted to identify the original occupant, however in some cases there may have been an earlier squatter on the land whom I can't identify through online records. If I find further information I will update accordingly.
As time has progressed, it has seemed appropriate to add some early properties to the list below which were not original squatting runs, but were rather the next generation of estates, established once land was opened up for sale. Examples include the Hope brothers at 'Darriwill' and 'Lynnburn' as well as Dr John Learmonth at 'Lawrence Park' all on the lower reaches of the Moorabool River.

Barwon River
Borongoop	Caroline Newcombe and Anne Drysdale	1841
Geelong	Derwent Co. (David Fisher)	1837
Kardinia	Dr Alexander Thomson	1837
Highton	John Highett	1837
Barrabool Hills	John Charles Darke	c1837
Berramongo	Roadknights	1836
Pollocksford	Captain Pollock	1836
Murgheboluc Flat	Yuilles	1836
Weatherboard	Derwent Co (David Fisher)	1837
Barwon Park (Toolun, St Leonards & Waterloo Plains)	Thomas Austin and Brothers	1837
Wormbete	Henry Hopkins	1837
Ingleby	Derwent Co (Thomas Armytage)	1836
Yan Yan Gurt*	Roadknights	1838
Deans Marsh*	Roadknights	1848
Wesleyan Church (Rev Francis Tuckfield)	Buntingdale Mission Station	August 1839
Paraparap	Frederick Dewing	1838
Gerangemete	Roadknights	1839
Ricketts	Thomas Rickett	<September 1837
River Station	Roadknights	1840
Mt Hesse (Incuding Eurack, Mountside & Mt Hesse)*	William Harding (with John Highett)	1837
Murdeduke (originally part of Mt Hesse)	John Highett (with William Harding)	1837
St Stephen	John Stephens	<1841
Long Water Hole/Barrunah Plains*	Derwent Co. (James Austin)	1837
Warrambine*	Derwent Co. (Prentice)	<1842
Moorabool River
Bell Post Hill	John Anthony Cowie & David Stead	March 1836
Lynburnn	George & Robert Hope	1846
Batesford	Alfred & John Bates	1837
Manifold’s Ford (aka Dog Rocks/Batesford)	Thomas & Peter Manifold	1836
Lawrence Park	Thomas and John Learmonth	1839
Sutherland’s Creek*	Joseph Sutherland	1836
Darriwill	George, James & Robert Hope	1846
Russell's Bridge	Clyde Co. (George Russell)	1836
Moranghurk	William Taylor & Dugald McPherson	1840
Durdiwarrah	Robert von Stieglitz	March/April 1838
Borhoneyghurk	John Norman McLeod	1837
Lal Lal	Blakeney & George Airey	1840
Moreep	John Norman McLeod	October 1837
Ballark	John Wallace	1838
Bungal	George Egerton	1838?
Bungeeltap	John Anthony Cowie & David Stead	1838
Bungletap East/Emly Park	David Stead	1838
Hunterston	William Patterson?	1840s
Peerewerrh	Fairbairn & Gardner	<1849
Borambeta	Charles & Joseph Bradshaw?	<1849
Bolwarra	James Clarke?	1837?
Ballan	Robert William Stieglitz	1838
Leigh/Yarrowee River
Weatherboard	Derwent Co. (Thomas & Somerville Learmonth)	April 1837
(Native Creek No. 1)*	Derwent Co. (Thomas & Somerville Learmonth)	April 1837
(Native Creek No. 2) (later Woolbrook)*	Derwent Co. (Thomas & Somerville Learmonth)	1837
Golf Hill (including Upper Leigh & Tall Tree Creek Stations)	Clyde Co (George Russell)	1839
Native Creek No. 3 (later Barwonleigh)	Derwent Co. (Thomas & Somerville Learmonth)	April 1837
Woodbourne  No. 2	Alexander, Charles & John Wilson	1844
Cargerie	George Frederick Read Jnr	January 1838
Mount Mercer	Derwent Co. (David Fisher)	March 1838
Mount Mercer Cattle Station	Derwent Co. (Major William Drummond Mercer)	1838?
Narmbool (including Larundel)	Hugh Niven	January 1839
Warraneep	Levitt brothers and one other	1840
Waverley Park (later Bonshaw)	Henry Anderson	1838
Boninyong	Thomas & Sommerville Learmonth	1838
Ballarat	Archibald B & WC Yuille	February 1838

*These properties whilst not lying directly on any of the three rivers, were an integral part of the district and each did have at least one creek which flowed to either the Barwon or the Moorabool.
It is worth remembering also that runs often changed hands repeatedly (sometimes within a matter of months) and areas of land could be transferred in part or wholly between settlers meaning that the boundaries of properties shifted over time as squatters expanded or consolidated their holdings, forming and dissolving partnerships on a regular basis.
During the 1850s and 60s, following the dispersal of the Clyde and Derwent Companies, leases changed hands and the pre-emptive rights to various properties were purchased. The era of the squatter had well and truly reached the three rivers.

Soldier settlement reaches the rivers

European settlement of the land along the Barwon, Leigh and Moorabool Rivers began in 1837 with the arrival of a number of notable squatters who established vast (for the region) sheep and cattle runs. In these earliest days, much of the land was held by two large pastoral companies: the Derwent and the Clyde Companies, but over the next fifty years, leases changed hands, pre-emptive rights were granted and freeholds were purchased, giving rise to a number of "Estates" and "Stations" whose names are familiar even today.

A glimpse of the Moorabool Valley through the garden at Moranghurk

However, I will delve into the days of the "Squattocracy" in a subsequent post. This one will look at more recent events and was prompted by the launch last Sunday of a book commemorating the achievements of the group of soldier settlers who took up land on parts of the former Moranghurk Estate on the Moorabool River between Lethbridge and Meredith following the Second World War. The book is a two part publication titled "Moranghurk soldier settlement at Meredith: this is their story" which was compiled by local author Margaret Cooper.

Plaque detailing the soldier settlers of Moranghurk

So, what was soldier settlement and how does it relate to the Barwon and its tributaries? The answer lies in the early 20th century when the newly-formed federal government was keen to encourage the establishment of small farms in a bid to provide employment and improve the productivity of the land. This desire was heightened by the return of servicemen from the First World War who required employment. As a result, the government came up with the "Closer Settlement Scheme" which saw the allocation of parcels of land to would be farmers and - after the war - returned servicemen.
In Victoria, the scheme was administered by the Closer Settlement Board under the direct control of the relevant minister. For various reasons, including difficult economic circumstances, high land prices, inadequate land allocations and in some cases the selection of inappropriate settlers, the scheme was less than successful. There were complaints of government interference and the Commonwealth who funded the scheme lost money as did the various state governments and the settlers themselves. In Victoria, 17% of soldier settlers were forced off their properties by 1929 and royal commissions ensued in most states.


Many books such as this were published to provide advice
to would be settlers. Image taken from the Victorian State
Government website

However, Victoria fared better than the other states and in 1932 the Closer Settlement Board was replaced by the Closer Settlement Commission, an independent body who went some way to putting the system to rights.
During the Second World War, the need for soldier settlement was once again on the cards and determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, the Rural Reconstruction Commission was set the task of investigating the causes of previous failures and ensuring that they did not happen again. In this, they were largely successful and the second wave of soldier settlement saw a careful selection of applicants who were allocated viable blocks of land on reasonable terms in an improving economic climate. Not surprisingly perhaps, this second attempt was significantly more successful than the earlier scheme and between 1946 and 1959 the Commission purchased 1,206,660 acres of land for a total of £19,963,282.

Looking south from the Bannockburn-Shelford Road, once the Woolbrook
Estate/Native Creek No 2 Estate? across fields of canola

The plan which placed the men and their families on farms across the district from the 1940s until 1969, had a profound effect on the district in which they settled. Just as the arrival of the Geelong-Ballarat railway in 1862 opened up opportunities for trade and communication, the soldier settlers, through their development of the land, brought wealth to the region and their presence led to the establishment of many of the community facilities which still exist today in many towns.
To create these opportunities however, a significant amount of land had to be made available for purchase. Where possible, crown land was used, but this was not always enough so the government undertook measures to resume thousands of acres of land from the large estates.

Larundel Estate Soldier settlement plaque at Elaine

Along the Barwon, properties such as Ingleby were divided up whilst on the Leigh Golf Hill at Shelford along with the nearby Barunah Plains, Tall Tree and Shelford Estates were likewise purchased wholly or in part by the Commission. Upstream near Elaine, Larundel was purchased and on the Moorabool River Moranghurk was taken up. The table below shows the distribution of land from some estates across the region:

Property	Owner	Acres	Year(s) sold	Number of farms
Golf Hill	Janet Biddlecombe	13,501	1953, 1956	18
Tall Tree	Janet Biddlecombe	9,546	1947, 1951	9
Larundel	Austin family	7,070	1952	12
Moranghurk	John L Matheson	17,000	1953, 1954, 1955	26
Shelford		32,500	1955	51
Mt Gow	Estate MN Lees	12,000
Ingleby	Armytage family		1951
Barunah Plains	Estate of James Russell	20,000	1951, 1958	23

Whilst soldier settlement was avidly taken up by the newcomers, the compulsory acquisition of lands which had in many cases been held by families for generations was not always well received. Janet Biddlecombe of Golf Hill felt that her property could be of greatest use to the community if it were maintained intact and was no doubt used to support her many charitable enterprises, however by the time of her death in 1954, the property was already in the process of being divided and sold.

Plaque detailing the soldier settlement of the Shelford and Golf Hill Estates

When faced with the resumption of his land, Norman Matheson of Moranghurk felt that the portion remaining to him was not large enough to be viable for the model stud farm he wished to develop and so decided to sell up the entire property. By contrast, in the case of Larundel, the property was already on the market and the whole therefore was available for purchase by the Commission.
Barunah Plains (aka Warruk-Barunah Plains and also known as Long Water Holes), on Warrambine Creek which flows into the Barwon to the West of Inverleigh was divided in two; half used for soldier settlement and half remaining with the Russell family who had held the land since the 1850s.


Wingeel soldier settlers (Barunah Plains South) memorial

In this way, the arrival of the soldier settlers and their families after the Second World War, changed the social and economic fabric of the land surrounding the Barwon and its tributaries forever.