VPRS 77 Return of Livestock and Stations

This series consists of returns forwarded to Melbourne by pastoralists reporting on their stations and the stock as required by Regulations and from 1851, the various Stock Assessment Acts. These Acts provided that these returns provided the basis for the payment of stock assessments at the statutory amounts for sheep, cattle and horses. This Act was finally repealed by the Land Act 1862.Details provided by the completion of the returns and the Schedules as set out in the Stock Assessment Acts might include the name of the station and the person supervising, the numbers of sheep, cattle and horses and the brands used to identify them, estimates of the grazing capabilities of a run, certification regarding the disposal of stock, lands under cultivation and the details of the actual assessment.Further details regarding these statistics is able to be found in VPRS 5359 Pastoral Run Files (researchers should consult the microfilm copy VPRS 5920) and in VPRS 14481 Returns of Occupants of Pastoral Lands.