Surveyors in 1865, using the "Chain" (NSW Roads Dept) HISTORY Early settlers recognized the value of the land in the Dandenong Creek basin. The beautiful creek flats and deep soil made the area an early agricultural centre. By 1837 it was taken as a pastoral run, about the same time as Melbourne was being settled. SQUATTERS From 1836 legislation was passed to legalise squatting with grazing rights available for ten pounds per year. This fee was for a lease of the land, rather than ownership, which is what the squatters wanted. The 1847 Orders in Council divided land into settled, intermediate and unsettled areas, with pastoral leases of one, eight and 14 years for each category respectively. From here on, squatters were able to purchase parts of their land, as opposed to just leasing it. In the 1880s, subdivision of these large allotments was occurring across Melbourne, marketed by elaborately produced coloured land-sale posters. Free train journeys from Flinders St and Princes Bridge Stations, and drays to the estates were provided for potential buyers. Individual allotments in subdivisions varied in size, up to five acres. MEASUREMENTS Australian Land maps of the 1800s and 1900s showed  dimensions in the British system. One Chain was 66 ft (four Rods - 22 yards - cricket pitch length - 20 metres). A Link was 7.92 inches. There were 100 Links in every Chain. A mile was 8000 Links. One Perch (165 feet) was 25 links - also known as one Pole, one Rod

Dandenong Station pre-1922 (SLV)

Dandfenong, main street, c1919 (SLV)

Dandenong main street 1922-1925 (SLV) TIMELINE OF EARLY HISTORY OF DANDENONG   1837 Joseph Hawdon established a pastoral run on Narra Narrawong in 1837, bringing cattle from Sydney by land. Soon a few timber cutters and a police camp were also located there. Dandenong Post Office opened on 1 July 1848   1840 Regulations at the time provided for the sale of blocks of Crown Land of eight square miles at one pound an acre - a total cost of 5120 pounds had to be deposited in advance. The surveyed blocks had to be rectangular, and had to be at least five miles distant from the nearest towns. This meant that land could be secured almost anywhere.   1840s The first surveys were undertaken.There was increased demand for timber, wooded slopes were stripped by timber cutters of the original woodland and cleared of red gum, casuarina, banksia, wattle.   1850 The whole area had been taken up for grazing. Dandenong Creek was first bridged in 1840. A road was made from Melbourne, making Dandenong, by the late 1850s, an important staging post for travellers into Gippsland. It became known as the 'gateway to Gippsland'. A township was surveyed in 1852. Milling of the red gum timber became an important industry, and charcoal burning, tanning, quarrying and brick making also flourished. A livestock market was established in 1866.The first sale of freehold land in the Parish took place   1850s The municipality’s first roads consisted of rough tracks used by timber cutters and farmers. Rough tracks across the municipality had begun to be shown on maps     1854 Most Crown Land in the area had been sold   1857 Most of the Parish was still undeveloped, in its natural state, apart from a few farms and embryo orchards.   1861 There were 40 houses in the township housing 193 people. In 1866, Dandenong Market commenced trading, selling livestock, fruit, dairy products and other farm produce.   1873 Dandenong Shire was proclaimed   1879 Heatherdale Road had been formed   Note: The names of roads and streets were originally those which appeared in the early Land Surveys. Many of these were changed when the large estates were subdivided and sold (Above) Dandenong Market c1917 (SLV)

(Above) Early Survey Map, of 1865, of part of the Narree Worran Parish, showing the original boundaries of the Police Paddocks. The extension to the east is shown, which later became part of the Churchill National Park. Notes: The Battersby land is now a housing estate - the access road is named after the original owner The Dargan land is now the Churchill Park Golf Course There is disparity with the names used in early maps - some show Narre Narre Warrene - others show Narree Worran The double-lined route diagonally crossing the Paddock was the planned road which became modern Churchill Park Drive

(Above)  Dandenong in 1881 (Australian Sketcher)