VPRS 13303 List of Land Surveyed, Geelong, Land Act 1869

Under section 19 of the Land Act 1869 selectors could apply for a three-year licence to occupy Crown land. The rent was set at two shillings per acre and a maximum of 320 acres per selector was allowed. On application, a deposit of half a years rent was paid. If the application was refused, the deposit was refunded. Section 20 of the Act placed conditions on the three-year licence with selectors required to improve their allotment by the erection of fencing and a dwelling, cultivation of their land and the destruction of vermin and noxious weeds. After the licence term had expired, the selector was eligible to apply for a seven-year lease or for a Crown Grant to purchase their allotment. Grants or leases were only approved if improvement conditions had been met. If a selector opted for a seven-year lease, the yearly rent was used to pay off the purchase price of the land. Rent previously paid under Section 19 was credited against the purchase price.Much of the land selected had not been accurately surveyed, so before the issuing of a license under Section 19 could be finalised, details were returned to District Surveyors for the finalisation of the accurate survey of the selection. As well, hearings had to be held by the Local Land Board to determine whether the allocation of the land to the selector was in the public interest without substantial objection.The functions of the Local Lands Boards were to investigate and report upon every application, to protect the public and local interests and promote the advantageous occupation of land. Local Lands Boards included in their membership the Surveyor-General, the Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Survey, the Secretary for Mines, chairmen and members of Mining Boards and Shire Councils and were assisted by District Surveyors, other officers of the Department and Mining Surveyors who had made the surveys of the sites applied for. These enquiries were made in district centres and other principal centres of population on and in the vicinity of the goldfields. The decision with respect to the application arrived at by the Local Lands Board was then entered in the Applications Register.This series lists the receipt of applications files from Melbourne (giving the number allocated there in VPRS 12026), the name of the applicant, the location of the land (parish, allotment and section) and the area applied for. The area as surveyed was then given with the number of the plan upon which the the land was charted. Other details were whether rent had been paid, the date and decision of the Local Land Board and of the Board of Land and works (VA 744) and the date of the issue of the license.VPRS 13303 was previously registered as Unit 26 of VPRS 1283/P Applications Registers (All Districts Land Act 1865).