Port Phillip District Special Surveys
Encyclopedia
In August 1840, the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners of the British Government decided to allow the purchase of land anywhere in the Port Phillip District
of New South Wales
– now Victoria
, Australia
. Special Surveys could be requested to enable the purchase of 5120 acres (2,072 ha), or eight square miles, for ₤1 per acre. This price was significantly below the value of the land at that time.
To restrict the sale of valuable land, Governor Gipps
introduced regulations in March 1841 that required the land to be more than 5 miles (8 km) from a surveyed township, and to restrict the water-frontage to one mile (1.6 km) per four square miles of area.
Eight special surveys were advertised in June 1841:
A survey for James Atkinson for 5120 acres (2,072 ha) near Port Fairy
was advertised in 1843.
This survey had been delayed by disputes over the boundaries.
Rutledge did not take up the Port Albert survey. In its place he purchased land near the present Koroit
in western Victoria.
Originally the five mile (8 km) distance from Melbourne was taken from the declared outer boundary of Melbourne, Hoddle Street. This was later amended to the distance from the centre of Melbourne, apparently taken as the intersection of Swanston Street
and Elizabeth Street
. As a consequence, Unwin and Elgar were granted land nearer to the city. The original location of the special surveys are shown in maps of Port Phillip District by Russell
and Hoddle
, drawn in 1841.
The regulation was rescinded in August 1841.
The Unwin's, Dendy's and especially Elgar's Special Surveys have had a lasting effect on the alignment of Melbourne subdivisions and roads as some boundaries did not conform to the one mile (1.6 km) interval survey Section lines running north-south and east-west referenced from the survey datum at Batman's Hill
.
Port Phillip District
The Port Phillip District was an historical administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales, existing from September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria....
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
– now Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Special Surveys could be requested to enable the purchase of 5120 acres (2,072 ha), or eight square miles, for ₤1 per acre. This price was significantly below the value of the land at that time.
To restrict the sale of valuable land, Governor Gipps
George Gipps
Sir George Gipps was Governor of the colony of New South Wales, Australia, for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship was during a period of great change for New South Wales and Australia, as well as for New Zealand, which was administered as part of New South Wales for much of this...
introduced regulations in March 1841 that required the land to be more than 5 miles (8 km) from a surveyed township, and to restrict the water-frontage to one mile (1.6 km) per four square miles of area.
Eight special surveys were advertised in June 1841:
- Frederic Unwin's surveyUnwin's Special SurveyIn 1841, Frederic Unwin, a Sydney solicitor, purchased 5,120 acres or eight square miles of land approximately 10 km north-east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
at TemplestoweTemplestowe, Victoria"Templestowe" redirects here. For the Victorian Legislative Council Province, please see Templestowe Province.Templestowe is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham...
, near Melbourne - Henry DendyHenry DendyHenry Dendy was born in Abinger, Surrey, England.He is best known for his purchase in 1841 of, or eight square miles, of land approximately 12 km south-east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The land, known as Dendy's Special Survey, was purchased from the Crown for one pound an acre under the...
's surveyDendy's Special SurveyIn 1841, Henry Dendy purchased of land approximately 12 km south-east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The land was purchased from the Crown for one pound an acre under the terms of the short-lived Special Survey regulations....
at BrightonBrighton, VictoriaBrighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...
, near Melbourne - William Rutledge's survey at KilmoreKilmore, VictoriaKilmore is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. Located north of Melbourne, it is contentiously claimed as Victoria's oldest inland settled town...
- John Orr's survey near the Albert RiverAlbert River (Victoria)The Albert River is a river of Gippsland in southeastern Victoria, Australia.The river was named in 1841 by the Gippsland Company after Prince Albert.-References:...
, near Corner InletCorner InletCorner Inlet is a 600 km2 bay, 200 km south-east of Melbourne, in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Of Victoria’s large bays it is both the easternmost and the warmest... - William Rutledge's survey near the Albert River, near Corner Inlet
- Hugh Jamieson's surveyJamieson's Special SurveyIn 1841, Hugh Jamieson purchased , or eight square miles, of land near Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula approximately 60 km south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
between Mount MarthaMount Martha, VictoriaMount Martha is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located 60 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. It is located on the south-eastern shores of Port Phillip and offers a bathing beach...
and Arthur's SeatArthurs Seat, VictoriaArthurs Seat is a hill and locality on the Mornington Peninsula, within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula, about 75 km south east of Melbourne, Australia....
on the Mornington PeninsulaMornington PeninsulaThe Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
. - Henry Elgar's surveyElgar's Special SurveyIn 1841, Henry Elgar purchased or eight square miles of land approximately 10 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The land was purchased from the Crown for one pound an acre under the terms of the short-lived Special Survey regulations....
at Box HillBox Hill, VictoriaBox Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill had a population of 8,616....
and BalwynBalwyn, VictoriaBalwyn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
, near Melbourne - John Reeve's survey on the Tarra RiverTarra River (Victoria)The Tarra River is a river of Gippsland in southeastern Victoria, Australia.The river was named after Charley Tarra, a Gippsland Company Aboriginal guide.-References:...
, near Corner InletCorner InletCorner Inlet is a 600 km2 bay, 200 km south-east of Melbourne, in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Of Victoria’s large bays it is both the easternmost and the warmest...
A survey for James Atkinson for 5120 acres (2,072 ha) near Port Fairy
Port Fairy, Victoria
Port Fairy is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and 290 km west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.-History:...
was advertised in 1843.
This survey had been delayed by disputes over the boundaries.
Rutledge did not take up the Port Albert survey. In its place he purchased land near the present Koroit
Koroit, Victoria
Koroit is a small rural town in western Victoria, Australia a few kilometres north of the Princes Highway, north-west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area located amidst rolling green pastures on the North rim of Tower Hill. At the 2006 census,...
in western Victoria.
Originally the five mile (8 km) distance from Melbourne was taken from the declared outer boundary of Melbourne, Hoddle Street. This was later amended to the distance from the centre of Melbourne, apparently taken as the intersection of Swanston Street
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
and Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
Elizabeth Street is one of the main north-south streets in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837.- Geography :...
. As a consequence, Unwin and Elgar were granted land nearer to the city. The original location of the special surveys are shown in maps of Port Phillip District by Russell
Robert Russell (architect)
Robert Russell was an architect and surveyor, active in Australia.-Early life:Russell was born near Kennington Common, London, England, the son of Robert Russell, a merchant, and his wife Margaret, née Leslie...
and Hoddle
Robert Hoddle
Robert Hoddle was a surveyor of Port Phillip in the 1830s, and the creator of the Hoddle Grid, the street grid system upon which inner city Melbourne is based. He was also an accomplished artist and depicted scenes of the Port Philip region as well as New South Wales...
, drawn in 1841.
The regulation was rescinded in August 1841.
The Unwin's, Dendy's and especially Elgar's Special Surveys have had a lasting effect on the alignment of Melbourne subdivisions and roads as some boundaries did not conform to the one mile (1.6 km) interval survey Section lines running north-south and east-west referenced from the survey datum at Batman's Hill
Batman's Hill
Batman's Hill in Melbourne, Australia was named for the Vandemonian adventurer and grazier John Batman. Now removed, the 18 metre high hill was located to the south of today's Collins Street and Southern Cross railway station, and is the site of a steel marker the same height as the original...
.