The place of the
Squatting runs and other properties in the KellyGang story
Things
Land was in many ways a key element in the story of the KellyGang.
There is a map from the 1840s that shows that almost all of north east Victoria
was part of the squatting runs listed below and that they were owned by the
squatters listed. Such a large area of the best grazing land in Australia
controlled by so few.
While the selectors, including the families of the KellyGang,
had made some inroads into these large holdings, the squatters were fighting
back.
the main land office in the North East was in Benalla. Mr Dunn was the land officer.
Life changed for ever when gold was discovered in the early 1850s. While
Ballarat and Bendigo were the first major strikes, Beechworth
became a major gold mining centre for the
Ovens field a little later on.
The properties first change was that most of the shepherds when off to the
gold mines. Later the properties started to produce cattle in large quantities
to feed the miners
The ex miners wanted land. The selector movement fought out its position in
north eastern Victoria with a passion. The families of the KellyGang
were essentially selectors.
The KellyGang used thesquatter's large
runs as a place to keep their horses and take horses and cattle. The squatters
were the enemy who opposed the selectors attempt to take up land and tried
to drive them away through pressure from the law and treating them as outcasts
in many other ways. (Argus19/4/80)
Squatters did not like the rent they had to pay. (Argus20/7/69)
Use of dummies (Argus7/2/74)
But having said this, many of the names of the original properties still carry
on in the history of the KellyGang and
in story of this country and these people, with the shearers and other station
hands founded the pastrol industry in Australia.
The government had inquiry after inquiry to see how the selection system was going on. (Argus8/10/66)
North Eastern Victoria was in many ways the oldest part of the colony. It was first settled by overlanders from New South Wales who came down through the area of Goulburn, Canberra and Cooma into the Upper Murray. Others came down on the western side of the Great Dividing Range following the route of explorers such as Major Mitchell and Hume and Hovell to the area around Albury. This was in the mid 1830's. Joseph Hawdon, John Gardiner and John Hepburn are credited with bring the first mob of cattle to the Kelly Country. These properties were mainly sheep runs. In the beginging the squatters paid just £10 per year for a grazing licence. Later a tax 1/2d on sheep, 3d on cattle and 6d on horses per year was also imposed.
How much land was still occupied by squatters in 1879 (Argus6/3/79) (Argus21/6/80)
The list of squatting runs below is based upon the information that was gained from a number of sources. It covers the area from around Seymour and Mansfield to Echuca and the Uppper River Murray and runns that were established prior to 1850. Then as now properties changed their names and boundaries and this list is not complete.
The following were some of the people who established the squatting runs and properties listed above
Ahearne, John @
Alexander @ @
@
Alleyne @
Anderson, Andrew @
Anderson, Joseph @
Arundell, William @
Ashley @
Atkins @
Austin A @
Babington @
Barber, Benjamin @
Baber, Charles Henry @ @
Baber, George Hume @
Baber, Isabella @
Baker, William F @ @
Barnes @
Bayliss, Henry @ @
Bear @
Begg @
Bell, Edward @
Benn John @ @ @
Bethune @
Black, James @
Blackwood, James @ @
@ @
Bon, John @ @
Bom, William @
Bonney, Charles
Bould, Joseph @
Bowen F @
Bowen, James @
Bowler, HJ @
Bowler, HT @
Bowler, Samuel @ @
@
Bowman W @
Box Frederick
Box, Richard @
Boyd, Benjamin @
Boyd, JC @
Patrick, Brennan @
Brett Edwin @
Brodribb, William A @
Brock, A @
Brock, John @ @
Brokman @
Broughton, JA @
Brown, A @
Brown, C @
Brown, James @ @
Brown, Henry @ @
Brown, Thomas @ @
Brown, William @ @
Buckley, John @
Buckley, Patrick @
Buckland, John @
Burnett @
Byrne, Andrew
Cameron Alexander @
Carpenter @
Chambers @
Chambers, William @
Chandler, James @
Chapman, Thomas @
Chenery, Bros @ @
Chisholm, JW @
Chaffey, Ben @
Clark, William @ @
Clarke, Thomas @
Clarke, Sir William @ @
Cleary's @
Clerk @
Collins, John @
Conisbee, J @
Connor, Patrick @
Connor, Ted @
Cotton, John @
Cotton, Edward @
Coughlan, Patrick @
Cowell @
Cox, John @
Cropper, C @ @
Crossthwaite, Benjamin @
Crossthwaite, John @
Crisp, J @
Curr, Edward @
Currie @
Day, G @
DeGamaro @
Degraves, C @
Degraves, J @ @
Degraves, William @ @
Dempsey, Mary @
Dendy, Henry @
Dennistoun Alexander @
Dennistoun John @
Dickson Thomas @
Dickson William @
Dight, Arthur @
Docker, Rev Joseph @ @
@
Dougharty, JC @ @
Dougherty @
Dufrayer @
Dunn, EC @
Dutton, FH @ @
Ebden, Charles @ @
Elliott, R @
Elliott, W @
Elms @
Ettershank, John @
Evans, David @
Evans, John @
Eyre, Edward J @
Faithful, George @ @
Faithful, WP @
Fanning, William @
Fanning, Frederick @
Farrell, Dominick @
Ferguson, Donald @
Finlay, AK @ @
Finlay, CC @ @
Finlay, James @
Forge, James @
Forelonge, William @ @
@
Foord, John @
Forsyth, J&R @ @
Fowler, C @ @
Fraser, A @
Furlonge @
Garde @
Gardiner, John @
Garlick, JF @
Gibbs @
Glass, Hugh @ @
@ @ @
Goldsborough, Richard @ @
@ @
@
Goodman @
Goonan @
Grant, Alexandrina @
Newcomen, William @ @ @
Nicoll @
Nicolson George @
Norrie, D @
Nugent, Thomas @
O'Brien, John @
O'Donnell, M @
O Neill, H @
O'Reilly, B @
Orr, James G @
Osborne, James @
Page, A @
Palmer, Rev JS @
Parker, Hugh @ @
@ @
@
Paton, A @ @
Patterson, Richard @
Peppin @ @
Perkins, Patrick @
Perrott @
Peterson Christian @
Peterson Hans Christian @
Peterson, Jens @
Peterson Mets @
Philpots, Octavious @
Pinson @
Powe, JP @
Power, HT @
Prendergast, John @
Quinn, Johnson @
Read, Charles J @
Redfern @
Redfern @ @
@
Reid, David @ @
@ @
@
Reid, Bros @
Reynolds, Patrick @
Rhind, WG @
Rhind @
Richardson, Henry @
Roberts @
Robertson, T @
Roberts, James @
Robinson, John @
Robinson, Thomas @
@
Ricketson, Henry @
Roper, WH @
Ross, J R @
Rowe, Dr JP @ @
@ @
@
Rowan, JH CG @ @
Rutherford, James @ @
@
Rutherford, Robert @ @
Ryan, C @ @
@ @
Ryan, Michael @
Ryan Patrick @
Scobie MF @
Scott @
Scott, WH @
Serjeantson, A @
Shadforth, F H @
Shaw John @
Shelley,G @ @
@
Shelley, Rowland @ @
Sheppard @
Shugg, John @
Singleton, WJ @ @
Singleton, GL @
Simson, Hector N @ @
Sloane, Willian @ @
@
Snodgrass, P
Spicer @
Splatt, WF @ @
Stewart, G @ @
Street, Frederick @ -
Stevenson, H & Patrick @
Stewart Alexander @ @
Stewart, Gideon @ @
Stodard, David E @ @
Striubly, Lawrence @
Sugden, GF @ @
Summer, TJ @ @
@
Summers @
Swift @
Templeton, Janet @
Templeton, James @
Therry, Rev @
Thom, Archibald @
Thomas, George @
Thom Archibald @
Thomson, J @
Tolmie A @ @
@ @
Tooth @
Trust and Agency Co
@ @
Turnbull, George J @ @
@ @
@ @
Turnbull, James @ @
Turnbull, Thomas @ @
@ @
@ @
@
Turner, Robert @
Tyson, James @ -
Underwood, Joseph @
Vidler, John @
Virgoe, William @
Walker, WC @ @
@ @
Wallace, Hon JA @
Warby, Ben @
Wardrop @
Watson, SG @ @
@ @
Watson @
Waugh @ @
Webster, JH @
West, William @
Wheeler, Charles @ -
Wheeler, James @
White, AB @
White J @
Whitehead, John @
Wild, John @
Wildash CC @
Wilkinson Julius Martyn @
Williams, William E @
Willis, Thomas @
Wilson @
Wilson David @ @
Wilson, James @ @
Wilson Samuel @
Wilson, William @
Wise, William @
Withers, Jason @ @
Whitehead, Thomas @
Woodside, John @
Woolcott, R R @
Wyse @ @
@
Young, Robert -
Younghusband, I @ @
@ @
@ @
@ @
@ @
privacy policy
17-jan-12
Find the hiding places and sites where the KellyGang found fame and fortune and where their friends indulged in horse stealing and tried to make a life against the challenges of the squatters and banks. Let the KellyGang show you the places where they found safety from the law in the bush.