Public Record Office Victoria online catalogue

Agency which created this SeriesAgency which created this Series

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Date Range

Agency Title

Agency Number

1836 - 1851

Surveyor General's Department, Port Phillip Branch (also known as the Melbourne Survey Office)

VA 943

1851 - 1857

Surveyor-General's Department

VA 2921

1857 - 1983

Department of Crown Lands and Survey

VA 538

1983 - 1984

Division of Survey and Mapping (Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands 1983-1985; Department of Property and Services 1985-1991; Ministry of Finance 1991-ct)

VA 3021

Agency currently responsible for this SeriesAgency currently responsible for this Series

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Date Range

Agency Title

Agency Number

1983 - cont

Division of Survey and Mapping (Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands 1983-1985; Department of Property and Services 1985-1991; Ministry of Finance 1991-ct)

VA 3021

2002 - cont

Department of Sustainability and Environment

VA 4554

Description of this SeriesDescription of this Series

How to use the Records
The original maps and plans are not available for inspection unless researchers present written authorization from the Surveyor-General to view specified originals. Access to the originals may be authorised in instances where the researcher can demonstrate that their research needs cannot be met by viewing the microfiche copy of the plans. These access arrangements have been formulated to preserve the original plans from further deterioration.

However, microfiche copies of the plans are available for viewing at the North Melbourne Reading Room (VPRS 15899). Use VPRS 8164, the microfiche of the register of the plans (available at Ballarat and North Melbourne reading Rooms), to identify the maps or plans of interest.

The Register is arranged in various formats. Identify the format which best suits your search requirements.

Plan Type/Number Order
Parish Order
Surveyor Order
County Order

For an explanation of the way information is arranged in the various formats see the series note for VPRS 8164 Register of Historic Plan Collection (1802-1963), (Computer Output Microfiche).
Function / Content
The Historic Plan Collection comprises:

(a) preliminary maps for surveys which enabled the three tier cadastral system to be developed; (the three tier cadastral system comprises parish, township and county plans)

(b) ancillary plans produced to complement this system

(c) plans produced as a by-product of contemporary systems.

The peripheral plans have been loosely termed "historical" because their subject matter is, collectively, more diverse than that of the central collection of parish and township (known as "record plans").

The kinds of historical information often found on these "historical" plans includes:

early descriptions of soils and native vegetation
location of huts, fences, gardens and other capital improvements made by squatters
location of other buildings
tracks used by original settlers
reserves set aside for public use
early place names
location of pastoral runs
ship wrecks
the general progress of European settlement at various times
progress of cadastral, geodetic and physiographic surveys at particular times

;Intending users should understand that not all of the above features will appear on any one plan. In many cases the cadastral information is central, and all other details are incidental.

For detailed information about the many subcollections in this series, see "Recordkeeping System", below.
Recordkeeping System
Plans are arranged alphabetically by sub-collection (plan type) and then within each section, sequentially by plan number. Plans can be located via VPRS 8164 Register of Historic Plan Collection which functions as an index in various formats.

Note: At the time of transfer of the series five sub-collections were retained by the Division of Survey and Mapping for administrative purposes. The sub-collections retained comprise:

NR (New Roads)
OPR (Old Proclaimed Roads)
OR (Old Roads)
PR (Pre Emptive Rights)
RS (Roads)

This series consists of all "peripheral" maps and plans created and collected by the agencies responsible for the survey and mapping function.

The term "peripheral" is used to describe this series because the maps and plans it comprises do not form part of the official cadastral system. The official cadastral system comprises the "Current Record Plans" and the "Put-Away Record Plans". These are the legal documents which show the boundaries of the land surveyed. The cadastral system maps and plans are maintained by the Central Plan Office.

Series Date Range

Due to the miscellaneous nature of the collection the commencement date range of the series has been imputed from the accumulation and registration of the collection by the Port Phillip Branch of the NSW Surveyor-General's Department (VA 943) from its establishment in 1836. There is some evidence to suggest that all the maps and plans created between 1836 and 1851 in Port Phillip were sent to Sydney, and if this is proved correct then the accumulation of the collection may not have occurred until after 1855. This later date has been rejected as it would seem unreasonable for the Port Phillip Branch to have operated without any maps and plans.

However, it is certain that a large group of maps and plans created in Port Phillip between 1836 and 1851 were sent to the Surveyor-General's Department in NSW and registered and housed there until they were returned to the Victorian Surveyor-General's Department in 1855. The majority of these maps and plans appear to have been top-numbered with Victorian Surveyor-General's plan registration numbers and henceforth comprised the sub-collection known as "Sydney Plans".

The collection has been accumulated over a long period of time, and as late as 1984 items which had not previously been catalogued were integrated with existing sub-collections or placed in new categories. (e.g. Pastoral run plans were removed from Pastoral Run Files (VPRS 5359) and added to the existing Pastoral Run sub-collection).

Contents Date Range

The contents date range of the series reflects the date of creation of the plans. Certain plans which were created prior to the accumulation of the series, eg. coastal surveys created in 1802 were sent to the Port Phillip Branch of the Surveyor-General's Office much later. Similarily plans which were not added to the series until 1984 had been created much earlier.

Arrangement And Control

The records have traditionally been arranged in sub-collections according to the nature and purpose of the plans. Within each sub-collection a sequential plan registration number was also allocated to each plan upon its creation/receipt/inclusion in the record series.

Undated mid 19th century Plan Registers provide evidence that this system of arrangement/control is traditional. Though these registers do not provide an up-to-date reference to all the plans in the Collection, they can still be used to access those plans they refer to because the sub-collections and plan registration numbers do not appear to have changed. (These registers are unregistered estray records which are in the PRO back log)

Together the sub-collection title and the sequential number make up the individual plan number e.g. Land Classification 114.

Plans With No Plan Number

A certain number of plans housed within the record series, bearing every resemblance to the general features of the record series, and presumably intended for registration within the record series, have not had a plan number allocated. These have been listed as such in the Item List and retain their original position at the end of the sub-collection to which they pertain. Other plans, also lacking a plan number, but which were located in the very last drawers of the record series, have been listed under no particular sub-collection at the end of the Item List. Obviously these plans with no plan number do not appear in VPRS 8164 Register to the Historic Plan Collection. (Further research by Survey and Mapping cartographic staff may resolve which sub-collection these plans belong to and allow their subsequent inclusion in the Database Register)

Traditionally plans which did not fit in the original plan cabinets were rolled up and stored elsewhere. These plans became known as the "Roll Plan" sub-collection. With the change over to the current larger plan cabinets (date unknown), many of the "Roll Plans" were able to be stored flat (albeit often folded) in the cabinets. A portion of the "Roll Plan" sub-collection remains stored outside the cabinets along with other oversized plans from other sub-collections. These plans are listed in the normal sequence on the Item List but have been marked "*OS" (over sized) to indicate a separate storage location.

Plans from the sub-collection "Agricultural Area" were, at some time, date unknown, bound in a volume in sequential plan number order. The separate storage location of this volume has been indicated on the Item List.

Plans Not Listed In VPRS 8164 Register Of Historic Plan Collection (Computer Output Microfiche)

During the processing of the series and the compilation of the item list it was discovered that many plans both with and without plan numbers, had not been listed during the compilation of the Database Register of the Historic Plan Collection. These plans therefore cannot be accessed via this Register, and possibly have not been microfiched. However, they do appear on the PRO Item List.

Missing Plans

Certain plans were listed as missing by Survey and Mapping during the compilation of the Database Register in 1984. These have been noted as "Plan Missing" on both the Register and the Item List.

Plans which were obviously extant in 1984 but which since then have disappeared, and therefore were not transferred to the Public Record Office have been listed on the Item list as "Not With Transfer" (NWT).

Researchers should also be aware that plans from this record series have, over time, been transferred from the Division of Survey and Mapping to the Map Collection at the State Library of Victoria.

Contents

The Historic Plan Collection comprises:

(a) preliminary maps for surveys which enabled the three tier cadastral system to be developed; (the three tier cadastral system comprises parish, township and county plans)

(b) ancillary plans produced to complement this system

(c) plans produced as a by-product of contemporary systems.

The peripheral plans have been loosely termed "historical" because their subject matter is, collectively, more diverse than that of the central collection of parish and township (known as "record plans").

The kinds of historical information often found on these "historical" plans includes:

early descriptions of soils and native vegetation
location of huts, fences, gardens and other capital improvements made by squatters
location of other buildings
tracks used by original settlers
reserves set aside for public use
early place names
location of pastoral runs
ship wrecks
the general progress of European settlement at various times
progress of cadastral, geodetic and physiographic surveys at particular times

;Intending users should understand that not all of the above features will appear on any one plan. In many cases the cadastral information is central, and all other details are incidental.

Sub-Collections: their origin and content

The collection of historical plans has traditionally been arranged into sub-collections according to the nature of business. For example, early river traverses are grouped together, as are surveys of the coastline, and plans of triangulation.

No attempt was made during the compilation of the register (VPRS 8164) to disturb the traditional arrangement.

It should be understood however, that sub-collections are not always clearly separable in terms of subject matter and their names are sometimes misleading. For example, the feature plan collection includes manuscripts of topographical surveys and also tracings of cadastral surveys. The Loddon River sub-collection includes traverses of streams other than the Loddon and even plans of roads. The Roll Plan sub-collection contains items which were too large to be kept in conventional storage drawers and were rolled up and stored in cardboard tubes. The business covered by this series is varied - early topographical maps, surveys for special projects, general plans showing the extent of settlement and land reservation over large areas. Sub-collection names should therefore only be taken as a guide to content and not as a definitive description.

The following eight categories summarize the original purpose of the plans. Users should bear in mind the pre-eminence of the central record plan collection still held by the Division of Survey and Mapping (VA 3021) when contemplating these categories.

Surveys of topographical features (coastal surveys, miscellaneous cadastral plans, goldfield surveys, roll plans (feature plans).

Published maps of allotments available for purchase (agricultural area plans, sale plans, Victoria (general) plans).

Manuscripts of early cadastral surveys (miscellaneous plans, cemetery, police reserves, new roads,, old roads, pre-emptive rights, special surveys, Sydney plans, boundary lines).

Surveys conducted by Departmental Officers for capital developments which were administered by other agencies; or plans of such developments which may have been relevant to Departmental operations (electric telegraph, water supply, roads (sundry), Melbourne rail, roll).

Information collected from other agencies, and other colonies for special mapping projects (miscellaneous coastal, explorers, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Mines Department).

Administrative procedures requiring the creation of special plans (old proclaimed roads, proclaimed roads, proclamations (other), land classifications).

General administrative convenience (grazing blocks, runs, roll, district, feature).

Specialised survey activities (geodetic squares, geodetic divisions, geodetic (general), standard parallels, trigonometric surveys, connecting surveys, county, contract.

The sub-collections comprise:

AA AGRICULTURAL AREA (1865)

Agricultural areas were special areas surveyed for agricultural settlement during the 1860's. They often crossed parish boundaries and were named after contemporary officials and personalities, prominent physical features or their respective parishes.

These plans were compiled from information already recorded on departmental plans and were published for distribution among intending settlers so available surveyed lands could be inspected. The plans often show evidence of squatting occupation, including tracks, fences and huts, as well as general descriptions of the landscape.

BL BOUNDARY LINE (1870 - 1874)

Plans of survey of the Victoria - NSW border from the head of the Indi River to Cape Howe.

CEM CEMETERY (1841 - 1861)

Plans of cemetery, church, school and hospital reserves showing boundaries, stating denominations and often showing the denominational divisions of general cemeteries.

CN CONNECTING SURVEYS (1855 - 1915)

These plans show the results of surveys relating to the "old geodetic" survey to the cadastre in the vicinity of trig stations.

CONT CONTRACT (1861)

Lithographs of areas surveyed by private surveyors under contract to the Department of Crown Lands and Survey in 1861.

COUNTY COUNTY (1857 - 1860)

Published county plans showing boundaries, major physical features, and the general progress of land settlements. The collection is not complete; other early county plans may be found in other sub-collections.

CS COASTAL SURVEYS (1802 - 1923)

This sub-collection comprises precise surveys of the Victorian coastline conducted between 1840 - 1870. These surveys were intended to define the configuration of the coastline, describe the structure of coastal vegetation and identify any land occupations. They were an integral part of the early topographic survey of Victoria. Many were compiled by the surveyor George D. Smythe. Published shipping charts of the 1860's and 1870's form a small proportion of the collection; the few plans which pre-date 1840 are copies of important surveys completed before the Melbourne Survey Office was established (1837).

DIST DISTRICT (1851 - 1882)

These are working plans compiled and used in regional survey offices in central Victoria, mostly during the 1850's.

They show Crown allotments surveyed for sale, basic physical features, tracks, and occasionally aboriginal sites. Specific land occupations such as tents and buildings are plotted where land use did not conform with surveyed property boundaries.

ELEC ELECTORAL PLANS (1855 - 1859)

Published maps of electoral divisions in the Colony of Victoria. The plans are normally of small scale and have a minimum of incidental information.

ET ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH (1850 - 1911)

Surveys of the paths of electric telegraph lines throughout Victoria. Most plans are large scale and carry little incidental information. Some give descriptions of soils and vegetation; a few plot buildings.

EXP EXPLORERS ROUTES (1858-1888)

Tracings and published maps of routes of exploration in Victoria and Australia generally. The maps of exploration in other colonies appear to have been collated for the production of a special map of Australia. (See EXP 23 and EXP 45).

FEAT FEATURE PLANS (1838 - 1948)

A miscellaneous grouping of tracings of cadastral plans and topographical surveys of areas prior to, or in anticipation of, agricultural settlement.

GB GRAZING BLOCKS (1883 - 1939)

Plans showing the boundaries of large areas licensed for grazing. These boundaries were not surveyed; they were simply drawn on paper to conform, where possible, with physical features. Demarcation was a matter for agreement amongst adjoining licensees. Most of the plans were published.

G. GEN GEODETIC (GENERAL) (1840 - c.1880)

A collection of maps covering the whole (or greater part) of Victoria and dealing specifically with the "Old geodetic survey of the mid 19th century. Includes plans of an exploratory survey by C. Tyers in 1840 and more general maps showing the progress of trigonometric surveys. The latter directly relates to the triangulation plans (TN).

GEO DV GEODETIC DIVISIONS (1882 - 1905)

A collection of cadastral plans compiled from the county series (12 miles to 1 inch) in rectangles 30 minutes of latitude by 1 degree of longitude, using the Old Melbourne Observatory as datum. This series very neatly depicted the cadastre of the time, on uniform sized plans.

GEO SQ GEODETIC SQUARES (1860 - 1881)

Plans showing the survey of meridians and parallels in the north and north west plains of the Murray Valley basin.

The lines were run on intervals of 6 minutes of latitude and longitude and in most cases became the boundaries of parishes.

The latitude and longitude differ from the modern values as the datum was the Melbourne Observatory, before the introduction of telegraph or radio.

GF GOLDFIELDS (1852-1906)

Many of the early goldfields surveys were undertaken to compile topographic information as rapidly as possible. Miners had flocked to unsettled and unsurveyed areas and before townships, roads, reserves and Crown allotments could be laid out basic geographical information was required, including the position of rivers, ranges, and also the location of squatting and mining settlements. These plans often contain many details of historical interest.

Plans drawn in later and less pressing circumstances often reveal less, as they were prepared for more specific purposes.

GIPPS RIVER SURVEYS (1837-1899) (also GLENELG, GOULBURN, LODDON, MURRAY, WIMMERA)

The surveying of major rivers in Victoria was commenced soon after the establishment of the Melbourne Survey Office to provide basic information about the physical geography of the new colony.

Information produced by these surveys was very detailed and the resultant plans are extremely useful in tracing the movements of river channels since European settlement.

Early pastoral settlements are sometimes plotted on these plans.

GLENELG GLENELG RIVERS (1839-1866)

See GIPPS.

GOULB GOULBURN RIVERS (1842-1872)

See GIPPS.

LC LAND CLASSIFICATION (1885-1960)

The concept of land classification was introduced into the Land Act in 1884. Remaining Crown Lands were identified for leasing or sale and for reservation for public uses - e.g. water reserves and timber reserves. Land to be offered for private use was graded according to its productive capability, and conditions of tenure (including rental) and maximum allotment size were tailored accordingly.

The first determinations were published in the mind 1880's, and later these were modified as further information became available and as interpretations of land capability changed.

Mapping was based on county plans (1 inch: 2 miles); those plans which are dated prior to 1884 are in fact the original working manuscripts, colour-coded on base plans which were published some years earlier.

Land classification was perpetuated in all Land Acts following 1884 and plans were maintained as an administrative aid until the 1960's.

Re-classifications of particular areas are reflected by the various groupings within this sub-collection. Plans numbered 1 to 37 represent the original classifications of the 1880's, approved by the Governor-in-council and published. Nos. 38-77 feature revisions published in the mid 1890's. Nos. 78-115 are manuscripts upon which the original plans were based; Nos. 118-138, 139-164 and 165-243 are working collections maintained by various branches of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey. The last mentioned grouping was maintained by the Occupation Branch which administered leases, licences and sales.

LODDON LODDON RIVERS (1839 - 1874)

See GIPPS.

MCS MISCELLANEOUS COASTAL SURVEYS (1802 - 1908)

An adjunct to one coastal survey sub-collection, but containing more diverse material.

It includes tracings of coastal survey plans, published shipping charts of Victorian, Australian and overseas ports and drawings of harbour developments.

Really a miscellany of plans referring to the coastline, anywhere. Generally does not include original manuscripts.

MD MINES DEPARTMENT (1856 - 1937)

Coloured geological maps published by the Mines Department. Includes "quarter sheets" and parish sheets but collections are incomplete. A fuller collection is held at the Department of Energy and Minerals.

MELB. RL MELBOURNE ROLL (1851 - 1910)

This series comprises plans of the Melbourne area which were originally stored rolled up, rather than being laid flat in conventional horizontal plan presses. Some of the items are exceptionally large and have been micro-filmed in many sections.

Subject matter is varied, including landscape designs for city parks, maps showing streets and buildings which were drawn in preparation for the laying of sewerage and the installation of reticulated water supply and plans of dock and pier installations. Many of these plans are coloured but coding is not specified.

MS MISCELLANEOUS (1860 - 1937) (M/A, D, BO, BU, C, DEF, F, I, L, M, T, U, W, X)

This grouping contains a number of distinct types of plan, some of which were originally part of the record plan series.

Feature Surveys (F and other letters) - plans showing topographical features of areas not previously surveyed for settlement.

Forests Reserves (W, A) - cadastral plans drawn before the establishment of the Forests Department in 1880, showing the location of forest reserves.

Traverse Surveys (1) - surveys conducted in various parishes before a full parish plan had been compiled. These plans were originally used as the record plan, but after fuller parish compilations were made they were put into a separate collection.

Tourist Plans (T298) - maps produced in the early 1900's to promote tourism in Victoria.

Defence Plans (DEF) - cadastral plans with levels plotted, and contour maps; produced for defence purposes during the early 20th century when a fear of invasion of Port Philip by the Russians was wide-spread. The numbering of this grouping begins at 52 (due to an administrative error).

Contour Plans (C and others) - plans of various areas showing contours.

Border with SA (BO) - copies of published plans showing the disputed territory along the Victorian - South Australian border.

MURRAY MURRAY RIVER (1837 - 1881)

See GIPPS.

NR NEW ROADS (1850 - 1928)

Surveys of particular road alignments conducted before the abutting lands were selected.

The plans sometimes show adjoining buildings and general description of soils and vegetation. Most plans in this section were drawn between 1855 and 1880.

New Roads differ from Old Roads in that they were drawn for the sole purpose of displaying the routes and boundaries of specially surveyed roads.

The listing of all parishes relevant to each plan in this sub-collection is unfortunately far from comprehensive and parishes cannot necessarily be deduced from the plan title/description. For example, NR 185 (Timboon to Darlington Road) shows the Timboon road between Darlington and Colongulac (the section between Colongulac and Timboon is not shown). The plan spans five parishes but only one (Kilnoorat) is listed. Users should be wary of such problems.

NSW INTERSTATE (1857 - 1952) (see also QLD, SA, TAS)

Published maps of other colonies, procured for general information. These maps display differences in the cadastral systems adopted in the respective colonies/states.

OPR OLD PROCLAIMED ROADS (1839 - 1863)

In the early years of settlement land was often sold without all necessary road access being identified. Allowance was made in titles for the resumption of strips of land which were later required for roads. As part of this arrangement proposed roads had to be advertised and members of the public had the opportunity to object if proposals threatened their property (see Old Roads). However, once routes were finalized they were purchased by the government and proclaimed as roads.

Proclamation was necessary to establish the power of the Roads Boards to conduct road works. The Old Proclaimed Road collection includes plans of specific small lengths of road which were re-acquired. It also includes plans of large areas depicting roads which were to be managed by the Main Roads Board.

OR OLD ROADS (1840 - 1863)

Refer to Old Proclaimed Roads.

Plans in the Old Road sub-collection show proposed roads as surveyed and presented for public comment. Some plans show proposed alignments through large areas and describe the surrounding topography, including relief, soils and vegetation, adjacent sold land, major occupations of Crown Lands and also public reserves.

Other plans refer to particular groupings of sold allotments through which the proposed roads passed. These were presented to the Executive Council and following approval the lands were resumed as Crown Land and proclaimed as roads.

POL RES POLICE RESERVES (1851 - 1861)

Lands reserved for police purposes, including police station, horse paddocks and gaols. Plans generally only show the boundaries of these reserves.

PR PRE-EMPTIVE RIGHTS (1852 - 1873)

Pre-emptive rights were the homestead blocks purchased by squatters under regulations gazetted in 1848. Holders of pastoral runs were able to purchase up to 640 acres of their run before any land in their locality was made available to the general public. This privilege was given in recognition of their pioneering efforts; it could only be exercised once for any particular run. Occasionally, where pastoral stations covered gold bearing country which the Government was not prepared to alienate, the pre-emptive right could be exercised elsewhere, on another run held by the applicant.

Pre-emptive right plans show the boundaries of PR allotments and often also the location of buildings, fences, tracks, and descriptions of vegetation and soils.

PROC PROCLAIMED ROADS (1876 - 1890)

Under the Local Government Act passed in 1869 municipal councils had power to manage all lands which were defined as roads by formal proclamation. From 1876 proclamations were published in the Government Gazette and these referred to special plans on which the proclaimed roads were shaded. Proclamation proceeded systematically, with plans being produced for whole parishes. This procedure was operative until the early 1890's by which time approximately 1200 parishes had been gazetted. Thereafter proclamation was considered unnecessary if road abuttals were shown on Crown grant title deeds. If abuttals were found not to exist along any particular surveyed road, an ad hoc proclamation would be gazetted. The method of systematically defining roads, parish by parish, was undoubtedly time consuming. But it did produce a concise geographical picture and the proclaimed road plans remain important legal documents. To determine the extent of proclaimed roads in parishes which were not gazetted, it is necessary to investigate the title for each Crown allotment and search all Government Gazettes for any ad hoc proclamations post-dating the early 1890's.

PROC (2) PROCLAMATIONS (OTHER) (1875 - 1915)

A grouping of plans which largely concerns road proclamations other than those of 1876-1890. Number 1 is a detailed plan of all proclaimed roads in the City of Bendigo. Nos. 2-11A represent an unsuccessful attempt to proclaim roads using small scale county plans. Nos. 14-47 show proclaimed roads, reserves and townships within some closer settlement estates.

QLD QUEENSLAND (1862 - 1951)

See NSW.

RAIL RAILWAY LINES (1852 - 1913)

Plans showing the boundaries of reserves surveyed for the establishment of railways (and tramways) in Victoria. The plans are at various scales, some showing the array of lines throughout Victoria and many others showing routes through individual parishes.

The plans feature a dearth of "incidental" information.

ROLL ROLL PLANS (1837 - 1895)

This collection includes some original topographical surveys (which were not specifically river or coastal surveys), some plans showing the progress of early cadastral surveys and a miscellany of other items which are large in size and were traditionally stored rolled up.

The plans often show early Crown reserves and may reveal some of the planning which accompanied the survey of Crown Land before settlement.

RS ROADS (SUNDRY) (1847 - 1874)

A collection of "odds and ends" which refer to road reserves or land constructions but do not fall within other categories. A number of these plans are longitudinal sections; some include drawings of culverts and bridges.

RUN PASTORAL RUNS (1847 - 1882)

These plans portray the large areas of Crown Land licensed by squatters for grazing.

All plans show the boundaries of the runs and those plans which refer to only one or a few runs may also give descriptions of vegetation and relief and plot tracks, fences, and huts.

The sub-collection comprises three parts. Nos. 1-400 are a mixture of manuscripts drawn at small and large scales and may depict individual runs, or the array of runs occurring over whole regions. Nos. 401-1381 deal with individual runs and may be rough sketches or more carefully compiled manuscripts. These were originally held within pastoral run files, but in the course of microfilming these files (prior to their transfer to the Public Record Office, Laverton) the plans were extracted, repaired and formally added to the sub-collection. Nos. 1382 onwards are printed maps showing the distribution of runs over large areas.

Users are likely to encounter a number of anomalies when accessing run plans. The inventory of these plans, and particularly the identification of relevant parishes, was a difficult task because:

(a) at the time runs were established and mapped local parishes had not normally been created.

(b) plotting of runs was often not accurate

(c) plans of individual runs often lacked physical descriptions which facilitated the location of areas of current cadastral plans

(d) in the process of extracting plans from the files, repairing and registering them, some items were inevitably mis-numbered

(e) plans extracted from files were registered with the name of the run to which the file referred. In this way a number of plans concerning other runs mentioned in correspondence of a file may have been mis-named

(f) when identifying the parishes relevant to particular plans only the central or predominant parish was recorded.

Users should bear these problems in mind and make allowances accordingly.

SA SOUTH AUSTRALIA (1855 - 1905)

See NSW.

SALE SALE (1850 - 1861)

Plans of areas surveyed and released for sale. They were published and are similar to Agricultural Areas plans; they were prepared for similar purposes.

SP STANDARD PARALLELS

See GEO SQ.

SS SPECIAL SURVEYS (1841 - 1850)

In 1840 a new but short-lived land regulation was introduced enabling land in Port Phillip to be sold at one pound per acre, in blocks of up to eight square miles (or 5120 acres). This regulation was formulated in Britain and was based on the belief that a uniform land price would:

(a) encourage the purchase of land by British emigrants by providing certainty regarding the number of acres they could acquire

(b) encourage settlement of the best lands (which would be chosen first) and hence improve agricultural production.

Under the regulation an emigrant purchased an order for a special survey which he delivered to the responsible authorities upon arrival in the colony. Eight such surveys were carried out.

The initiative generated considerable disquiet amongst colonial administrators because:

(a) it side-stepped the proven system of sale by auction

(b) it disposed of land at far below the market price and hence threatened colonial revenue.

In February 1841 the regulation was revoked.

SYDNEY SYDNEY PLANS (1837 - 1851)

Manuscripts of lands surveyed for settlement prior to Victoria's separation from NSW in 1851. The plans were forwarded to the Surveyor-General's Department in Sydney as official records but were returned to Melbourne some years after Victoria became an independent colony.

The plans are normally coloured and, apart from Crown allotments, often show early tracks and buildings and have general descriptions of soils and vegetation.

TAS TASMANIA (1862 - 1963)

See NSW.

TN TRIANGULATION (1840 - 1881)

Plans of triangulations of the "Old geodetic survey of the mid 19th century". Refer to Geodetic (General).

VIC. GEN VICTORIA (GENERAL) (1860 - 1958)

A collection of small scale maps dealing with the whole (or greater part) of Victoria and covering a miscellany of subjects.

WIMMERA WIMMERA RIVERS (1841 - 1899)

See GIPPS.

WS WATER SUPPLY (1858 - 1914)

Plans of rural water supply works, including reservo

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