Australia and the World Past and Present

The Torrens System of land titles began in Victoria in 1862. The system was first developed in South Australia.

Wheat was first grown in Victoria in 1836.

There was a very bad drought in the state in 1902-3.

The total number of farmers stood at 43,768 in 1902-3. Most of them were “interested” in the dairying industry. That is to say they were producing milk to some extent, amongst other operations. So we can see that a majority of Victorian farmers were involved in the dairy industry. But the number of farmers dedicated solely to dairying was a very small proportion of the total – just 2,909. Of those farmers for whom dairying made up part of their activities, the number of cows that they had was rather small by today’s standards. The average was 14. One out of every 5 farmers had a cream separator.

The total number of dairy cows in Victoria for 1900-1 is listed as 472,940.

Victoria had the most ‘milch cows’. New Zealand was in second place and New South Wales was third.

In terms of other cattle, News South Wales had the most. Still, New South Wales, Victoria and New Zealand were roughly on par.

At this point in time, Victoria had over 10 million sheep. New Zealand had roughly double this. But even New Zealand was surpassed by New South Wales.

John R. Weir, Esq., the Chief Inspector of Stock gave his assessment of livestock in Victoria.

He believed that the general outlook for 1902 was “gloomy”¹ This was likely due the recent drought in the state.

He noted that the Boer War had contributed to a de-stocking of horses in Victoria. Vendors received good prices for their horses at this time. It was going to be some years before the number of horses could be replaced.

Many horses were also sent to India. Not only was economic activity increasing in the state, but goods were becoming enmeshed in a global colonial trade. Raw materials and livestock were being sent to the UK, India and South Africa.

Weir wrote that “the horses from the Wimmera district are held in high repute by West Australian buyers, and deservedly so, as some magnificent specimens of wiry useful animals, accustomed to shifty herbage, and endowed with plenty of vigour, are bred on our western limestone plains.”²

The dairying industry was moving towards a ‘factory system’.

Weir noted that within a generation there had been a big change in the breeds that were favoured for dairying. Breeds selected previously were Shorthorn and Hereford while Ayrshire and Jersey were now in demand.

The economic factor of dairying was emphasised. Less productive breeds were replaced with more productive ones.

Weir writes, “the tendency to rear animals adapted solely for beef producing is declining – the reason being that the land is too valuable to be used for fattening purposes only.³

In terms of sheep breeds, the most common were merino or crossbreeds of Lincoln, Leicester or Shropshire.

Weir believed that even in the space of 25 years, the merino breed had undergone profound changes.

Horses were being exported. Many were being sent to India or Java. A smaller number were going to Tasmania, New Zealand and Western Australia.

Butter and frozen meat was also making its way outside the colony and it was noted that butter was getting good prices.

Forest saw-mills were widespread. Timber was required for the development of towns. Saw-mills would be set up where the raw material could be sourced. A mill would provide timber for the local district. There were 124 of them in 1902.

Federation had taken place in 1901. Other states could now access Victorian timber.

It was already being forecast that the industry would taper off in the near future.

Up to this time, timber cutters had been able to enter Crown lands. We find that just after federation, people were already talking about the need for conservation. It was noted that forest reserves were being alienated. It was foreseen that license conditions would need to become much tighter. ‘Splitters’ were cutting down trees “in ruthless fashion.”⁴ Cutting was not the only way to clear the bush. Fire was also used. Fire was becoming a threat to the forests – particularly in the dry season. Settlers and “timber-getters” were both blamed. Camp fires left unattended could lead to conflagrations.

Licensing was changed. Now, personal permits were granted. Limits were placed on the class of tree that could be cut and the quantity.

Timber was in great demand. It was being used for fuel, fences, railways, in mining and for buildings.

There was an interesting discussion on the relationship between the felling of forests and its effect on rainfall. Already, it is clear from the historical record that people were noticing changes in the environment and starting to draw conclusions about how one variable affects another. “There is abundant historical evidence that in the past centuries the destruction of the forests in many of the countries bordering the Mediterranean, such as Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece, Dalmatia, Italy, Sicily, Spain and Northern Africa, was followed by marked changes in the climate, by periods of drought and flood, and by the desiccation and erosion of the soil, accompanied by the loss or diminution of fertility.”⁵

The 1902 Year-book provides an overview of tree distribution around the state. Important timber trees in Crown reserves include:

• River red gum (Barmah and Gunbower forests)
• Red ironbark (Most mature trees had already been felled)
• Grey box (the “principal firewood for the metropolis”. Prominent in the north-east, South Gippsland and the east)
• Yellow stringybark (growing thickly in South Gippsland)
• Blue gum (Otway forest, Western and Southern Gippsland)
• Spotted gum
• Yellow box
• Messmate
• Stringybark (in the north and northeast)
• Blackbutt (in forests along the coast)
• Silvertop (in alpine areas)
• Cypress pine (in the Murray district and Mallee)
• Blackwood (Western and Southern Gippsland and the Otway forest)
• Evergreen beech (Otway forest, some parts of Gippsland and the Yarra watershed).

In 1879, 1881, 1887 and 1892 bills were introduced proposing to regulate Victorian forests but none of them passed. The Land Act of 1901 did have some provisions relating to the forests, but it was part of a larger piece of legislation.

The Year-book is quite scathing of the responsible department, saying that their policy was “to open all lands to settlers as quickly and as freely as possible.”

A key focus was protecting forest by making it inalienable under an act of parliament. Some also believed that it was necessary to create an independent Conservancy Board.

Some plantations had been established. This was the case at Macedon.

There were 211 butter and cheese factories operating in 1902. There had been a phenomenal increase over the previous decade. Cheese was being exported to other states and to South Africa.

The export of rabbit continued. It was noted that “the fecundity of the rabbit in Victoria is marvelous, and its extermination has now become a matter of impossibility. The export trade in frozen and canned rabbits has converted what would otherwise be a serious pest into a commodity of considerable commercial value.”⁶

Source: Victorian Year-book, pp. 203- 266

1. Victorian Year-Book, 1902. p. 218 ↩︎
2. Ibid, p. 219 ↩︎
3. Ibid, p. 220 ↩︎
4. Ibid, p. 258 ↩︎
5. Ibid, p. 259 ↩︎
6. Ibid, p. 266 ↩︎