In the Australian Colonies

Rectangular Land Survey and Town Planning in the Australian Colonies Akihiro Kindax This paper examines how the systematic grid patterns were laid out, and why the systematic rectangular land survey was abandoned in the Australian colonies, with special reference to the perceptual ideas of the decision makers. The necessity of the rectangular land survey was occasioned by the rapid increase of settlers, and also for dealing with land sales, under the influence of the American township system and the scheme of systematic colonization. Square-mile sections and six-square-mile townships were laid out from 1822 to IBZ5, and the same size sections, five-square-mile parishes, l00-square-mile hundreds, 4o-square-mile counties were directed to be laid out in all of the Australian colonies from 1825 to the 1850's, excepting South Australia during 1836-1842. However, the process and the result of land survey in each colony differed because of the range of physical and social conditions, the characters of the Governors and Surveyors- General, and some combination of those factors. Town planning was also charact erized by the grid street patterns and sometimes by rectangular shapes or surrounding parklands. The most important factors were Darling's Regulation in New South Wales, Roe's long administration of the survey department in Western Australia and Light's town planning of Adelaide in South Australia. The local variations of the town planning paralleled those of the rectangular land survey. of land survey. I . Introduction This paper examines how the systematic grid patterns were laid out, and why the systematic Various kinds of cadastral grid patterns have rectangular land survey was abandoned in each been found in the world. They seem to be regular colony. In addition, this research employs the and uniform, but they are quite different from comparative view of historical geography, and each other in size, time of establishment, purpose, focuses on the perceptual ideas of the decision- and so on. Grid patterns in Australia are not as makers such as governors, surveyors-general and typical as in North America where they are found other administrators. much more extensively and uniformly,r nor do they have as a long history as in Japanz or in some II. The Eve of Rectangular Land Survey Mediterranean countries,3 where grid patterns System were much more important in making or con- trolling the landscape. I Land grants and districts in early New South these variations, grid patterns in ) In spite of Wales Australia are most interesting for research. The reason is that processes of decision-making, est- From the first governor (Phillip) to the sixth ablishing rectangular land survey systems and governor (Brisbane), every governor was instruc- laying out grid patterns can be traced. Until the ted to "lay out townships of a convenient size and 1850's the six Australian colonies received basi- extent."a These instructions were similar to those cally the same instructions from London (ex- given to the governors of East Florida and cepting South Australia during 1836-1842), but Quebec in North America in 1763,5 but the size of each colony experienced a quite different process about 20,000 acres was replaced with "a conven- * Department of Geography at Kyoto University, Kyoto. 3 Rectangular Land Survey and Town Planning in the Australian Colonies (Kinda) ient size and extent." Instructions to the gover- 2 Surveyor-General Oxley's letter to Commis- nors of New South Wales also laid down the size ) sioner Bigge of land to be granted to the various settlers, including the emancipated convicts. Land grants In the Colony of New South Wales, the devel- were to be given in 10, 20, 30,50 or 100 acres lots. opment and the increase of population were re- These instructions were not carried out com- markable under Governor Macquarie's adminis- pletely, but the majority of the grants were small tration. The settlement totals in l82l were: until 1971.6 These lots were distributed on the 38,778 persons, 32,267 acres of cultivated land, alluvium along rivers, forming a patchwork pat- 290,158 sheep and 102,939 cattle.2o At the same tern as shown on the map attached to the Gov- time various confusions and inconsistencies ap- ernor Hunter's letter of 1796.1 peared, and a reexamination of future policies was By 1804, almost all good agricultural land on necessary. J. T. Bigge was sent to Australia as the the Cumberland Plain was occupied,s and grants Commissioner of Inquiry into the State of the had to be made on the shale and sand-stone areas Colony of New South Wales during l819-1821.21 which only had thin surface soil. Consequently J. Oxley, Surveyor-General since 1812, had been the number of large size grants gradually in- concerned with land policy, in particular land creased," and this tendency continued under the survey; he realised the limitation of the land new policy introduced by Governor King. "' policy and the land survey system and proposed During the several years after King's adminis- radical reform to Commissioner Bigge.22 tration the rate of granting was rather low, " but It had been the policy of that time to add allotments were increasing in numbers and were allotments for new settlers irregularly, and with- distributed in irregular shapes, sizes, and direc- out previous survey to the surrounding parts of tions.rr Under Governor Macquarie's adminis- the settled area as Oxley wrote in his letter to tration, the number of settlers increased consid- Bigge. Oxley explained that the increase in erably and the irregularity of allotments became a demands for land and the shortage of staff in the serious problem for the survey department of the Surveyor-General's Office made it difficult to colony after 1810. carry on without a systematic survey. In 1788, Governor Phillip named the sur- His new proposals for land division were: rounding area of Sydney Cove the County of (a) that the country intended for settlement Cumberland,'r but did not implement the policy should be surveyed and mapped before oc- of laying out "townships". By 1799, groups of cupation; allotments were called "districts": in total, 15 (b) that it should be laid out in districts, each districts were formed.'o In 1810, the boundaries containing not more than 36 square miles; of 2l districts were fixed in various shapes and (c) that each district should be subdivided into sizes.r5 The number of districts in the Cumber- farms which should form squares or rectan- land Plain and its surrounding area increased gles of similar proportions. gradually to 22 in 181 l, 29 in 1814, 34 in 1817 and Oxley realised the need for a grid and a regular 38 in l820.ro In 1821, Surveryor-General Oxley, pattern of land division because of the increase in after regulating and confirming the counties' and the demand for land and complimtion in laying districts' boundaries, made the proclamation of 3l out allotments during rapidly changing circum- districts in the County of Cumberland and 3 stances. Bigge accepted his basic proposals and districts in the County of Northumberland.'t inserted the above mentioned recommendations Similar processes have been recognised in Van (a) and (b) into his third report. Proposal (c) Diemen's Land. Small and irregularly shaped was not contained in Bigge's reports but Oxley's allotments were distributed along the rivers be- letter itself was attached to the report as an ap- tween Hobart and Launceston, and 23 districts pendix. were laid out in Buckinghamshire, an area located Oxley's proposals and Bigge's reports were very in the southern half of the island in 1821.'8 By influencial in shaping the land policy of New 1824, this practice had spread to Cornwall in the South Wales, but the process appeared to be northern half, and the number of districts amoun- rather haphazard as I shall show in the following ted to 39, with proper names as in mainland New section. South Wales.ro 4 Rectangular Land Survey and Town Planning in the Australian Colonies (Kinda) given to Governor Darling, who took the place of Brisbane. Governor Darling's Instruction of 17th One-Square-Mile Section, Township, III. July, 1825 was completely new, different from Parish and Hundred in New South previous Governors', and established Executive Wales in 1822-1855 and Legislative Councils.'tt Oxley and the Land Board discussed how to 1 Laying out townships and changing to par- ) maintain the change from the former policy of ishes Brisbane's administration, and the method for On 18th February, 1822, Governor Brisbane changing to the new survey system required by directed Surveyor-General Oxley to survey the the new administrative process." In 1825, town- Hunter River Valley and to lay out one-square- ships were changed to parishes of a 5-square-mile mile sections and six-square-mile townships. standard and 42 parrshes were laid out, as shown Sections were to be numbered from the north- in Figure I for the Hunter River Valley.3a All of west corner of each township.t' This township these parishes were retained on the county plans system was similar to the American counterpart of 1857.3s The famous map drawn by Dangar in in size, but used a different numbering system and 182836 is not accurate, and it shows only Dangar's did not have the base line and meridian system of ideal parishes.st the established American survey system. Brisbane On the plains near Bathurst, parishes were also had opportunities to examine American practice laid out, but the township unit was maintained before coming to Australia, and he might have just as it was found in the map drawn in 1829.38 been informed about the necessity of such regular Parishes and one square mile sections were laid land survey system from Oxley in the months out in various parts of New South Wales, but they prior to issuing this direction.2a were not strictly uniform.

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