Lands administrative divisions of Australia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

  No counties, parishes or hundreds.
  Former counties, no further divisions.
  Counties, divided into hundreds.
  Counties, divided into parishes.
  Districts, partially divided into suburbs. (Australian Capital Territory only)
  Land districts (formerly counties), divided into parishes, and formerly with hundreds.
  Counties, divided into parishes, and formerly with hundreds also. (Cumberland County, New South Wales only)

Lands administrative divisions of Australia are the

Victoria, and Tasmania were divided into counties and parishes in the 19th century, although the Tasmanian counties were renamed land districts in the 20th century. Parts of South Australia (south-east) and Western Australia (south-west) were similarly divided into counties, and there were also five counties in a small part of the Northern Territory
. However South Australia has subdivisions of hundreds instead of parishes, along with the Northern Territory, which was part of South Australia when the hundreds were proclaimed. There were also formerly hundreds in Tasmania. There have been at least 600 counties, 544 hundreds and at least 15,692 parishes in Australia, but there are none of these units for most of the sparsely inhabited central and western parts of the country.

Counties in Australia have little administrative and no political function, unlike those in

city councils, and municipalities
according to the state, as the second-level subdivision.

1891 German map of south-eastern Australia showing many of the divisions.

Some other states were also divided into land divisions and land districts; in the nineteenth century, land districts sometimes served as the region name for parts of the state where counties had not been proclaimed yet. Below these are groups of land parcels known as deposited plans, registered plans or title plans (depending on the state). Queensland has registered plans; New South Wales and Western Australia have deposited plans; while Victoria has certified plans. Land can be identified using the number of this plan of subdivision held with the lands department, rather than with a named unit such as a parish (or both can be used); it has become more common to use only the plan number. Within these are individual land parcels such as lots; in total there are estimated to be about 10.2 million of these in Australia.[1] The various cadastral units appear on certificates of title, which are given volume and folio numbers; these numbers by themselves are sometimes used to identify land parcels, or in combination with the other units. Detailed maps of these divisions have been required since the introduction of the Torrens title system of a central register of land holdings in South Australia in 1858, which spread to the other colonies. While cadastral data since the 1980s has been digitalised, there remain many old maps showing these divisions held in collections of Australian libraries such as the National Library of Australia,[2] as well as in state libraries.[3]

History

County of Wynyard
, New South Wales, showing parishes and property boundaries.

Counties were used since the earliest

Argyle and Northumberland.[5] The Nineteen Counties
in south-eastern New South Wales were the limits of location of the colony in a period after 1829, with the area outside them originally divided into districts, and later also into counties and parishes. Counties were established soon after the foundation of other Australian colonies.

Many of the counties have English names, often the names of counties in England, such as

County of Yungnulgra in New South Wales, and County of Croajingolong
in Victoria.

The use of counties, hundreds and parishes was popular in Australia in the 19th century, with many maps of Australian colonies showing these divisions,[6] and towns and cities often listed in their county. Legal cases referenced counties, and many genealogical records for Australia in the 19th century list the county and parish for location of birth, deaths and marriages.[7][8] The 1911 Britannica also describes Australian towns and cities as being in their respective county, including most of the capital cities:

Cockburn Sound, all in the South West Land Division
of Western Australia.

Counties and parishes are also still referenced in

County of Yancowinna. Similar award examples exist in the other states and territories that have been subdivided into counties. The County of Yancowinna is also the only part of New South Wales which is in a different time zone to the rest of the state, as mentioned in the Australian Standard Time Act of 1987.[10] Counties are also used on paperwork for mortgage securities in banks. Parishes and counties are also mentioned in definitions of electoral districts.[11]

Usage

Population density map, (of white residents) 1921. Evenly divided units of land have little relevance in a country where the population is highly unevenly distributed.

Counties have since gone out of use in Australia, and are rarely used or even known by most of the population today. Part of the reason is that counties are based on the size of land, rather than population, so in a large country where most of the population live in cities on the coast while the countryside has a very low population density, they have little relevance. The counties which contain the capital cities have millions of people, while those in remote areas have a very small population. The County of Adelaide, for instance, has a larger population than all the other counties in South Australia combined. Another reason is that many of the counties' borders follow rivers, having been proclaimed before settlements developed, which means that towns which typically grow up on rivers often find themselves in more than one county. Wangaratta, for instance, is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers, and is thus in three counties; Moira, Delatite and Bogong.

Some of the county names live on by being the same name of present-day local government areas, general region names, towns or establishments in the area. For instance, the current

County of Cadell (roughly in the Murray Shire area) is still the name for a vineyard[13] and motor lodge in the same area.[14]

By state/territory

Australian Capital Territory

Map of Murray and Cowley counties in New South Wales in 1886, parts of which would eventually become the ACT

The land which became the

suburbs), sections and blocks. For example, the National Library of Australia is located in Section 27, Blocks 4, 5 and 8, Division of Parkes, District of Canberra Central.[16]

New South Wales

The 141 counties of New South Wales, with the original Nineteen Counties shown in pink
Main article: Lands administrative divisions of New South Wales

There are 141 counties and 7,459 parishes within New South Wales. The

Parish of St. James
, County of Cumberland, city of Sydney
Rous (1940-pres., with trading name of Rous Water[20]

Northern Territory

1886 map showing the small part of the Northern Territory near Darwin subdivided into five counties

There were only five counties in the Northern Territory, which were divided into hundreds.

Darwin is located in the Hundred of Bagot in the Palmerston County: usually only the hundred name, not the county, is mentioned. This is divided into sections. An example of the way locations are described for Darwin is Darwin International Airport listed as being in "Section 3381, Hundred of Bagot from plan LT089/067A" [21] In Alice Springs, where there are no hundreds or counties, legal documents give the lot number, town and plan number, for example "Lot 8721 Town of Alice Springs, plan(s) LTO96/016"[22]

Queensland

Main article: Lands administrative divisions of Queensland
The 319 counties of Queensland in 1901.

There are currently 322 counties in Queensland, subdivided into 5,319 parishes.

Brisbane Cricket Ground was described as "Lot 2 on Registered Plan B31553, County of Stanley, Parish of South Brisbane".[24] However, since the digitisation and renumbering of the cadastre of Queensland, parishes are no longer used on title documents. While they have never officially been abolished, they are no longer used except in historical contexts.[25] In 2006, the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water was considering abolishing Counties and Parishes and using only Lot and Plan numbers to identify parcels of land.[26]

South Australia

Main article: Lands administrative divisions of South Australia
The 45 counties of South Australia in 1893; later 4 more were proclaimed

There are 49 counties in South Australia, mostly in the south-east part of the state. All except 3 of the counties are subdivided into a total of 535

County of Adelaide. The County of Adelaide held at least 60% of South Australia's population between 1855 and 1921; the figure rose to 70.6% in 1966.[28] All of the existing counties had been proclaimed by 1900, except for Le Hunte (proclaimed 1908), Bosanquet (proclaimed 1913), and Hore-Ruthven (proclaimed 1933).[29]
Parcels of land in most residential areas are identified with the Deposited Plan or Filed Plan number with an allotment number, for example: "Allotment 20 in Deposited Plan (DP) 11270".
Hundred of Borda, County of Carnarvon",[31] or the allotment number within government towns.[32] Sometimes a combination is used, such as "allotment 1 (DP 25326), Hundred of Munno Para".[33]
Often only the hundred name is used,[34] not the county, as each hundred has a unique name making the county name redundant.

Tasmania

Main article: Lands administrative divisions of Tasmania
The 18 land districts (formerly counties) on the island of Tasmania

Tasmania is divided into 20 land districts, subdivided into 480 parishes. These include the former 18 counties, which were renamed land districts[when?] and retained the same borders. In addition Flinders Island and King Island are now also districts. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century Tasmania had 18 counties. The original counties were divided into hundreds (containing four parishes) but this distinction was seldom observed .

Land District of Pembroke"[36]

Victoria

Map of the 37 Victorian counties
Main article: Cadastral divisions of Victoria

The cadastral divisions of Victoria are called counties and parishes. Victoria is divided into 37 counties, roughly 40 mi × 40 mi (64 km × 64 km) in size, subdivided into 2,914 parishes.[37] Parishes were subdivided into sections of various sizes for sale as farming allotments, or designated as a town and then divided into sections and these subdivided into crown allotments. However, many parishes do not follow county borders, some being located in more than one county.

The county with the largest population is the

County of Grant.. Crown Allotment 29, Section 101, Township of Ballarat East.. as shown on Certified Plan No. 105127"[40]

Western Australia

Main article: Lands administrative divisions of Western Australia
Map of the 80 land districts of Western Australia in 1909

At the start of the 20th century, Western Australia had six land divisions which cover the whole state, divided into 80 land districts. The land districts were further subdivided into locations and lots. Western Australia also had 26 counties, all located in the south-west corner of the state, around

Governor Stirling instructing that counties were to be approximately 40 miles square (1,600 square miles). The counties appear on some nineteenth century maps of Australia along with counties in other states,[41][42] however it was the land districts which were used for cadastral purposes, and were the equivalent of the counties used in the eastern states. Around the end of the twentieth century, legal documents usually wrote them in the order: land district, location, number. For example: "Swan Location 2301".[43] These are further divided into lots. More recently, Western Australia uses only the lot and deposited plan numbers, such as "Lot 853 on Deposited Plan 222626".[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cadastral systems within Australia Archived 3 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ National Library of Australia, Cadastral maps
  3. ^ New South Wales Parish map preservation project Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Founding Documents Archived 3 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine, National Archives of Australia, Colonel Collins' Commission 14 January 1803
  5. ^ State Records NSW, Archives Investigator, Commissioners for Apportioning the Territory
  6. ^ New country and rail road map of New South Wales [cartographic material] : showing rail roads, coach roads, cities, towns &c. 1887. MAP RM 1975.
  7. ^ Louisa Maria Adams. ancestry.com. Retrieved on 7 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Individual Page".
  9. paywall
    )
  10. ^ "Daylight saving time". Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
  11. ^ "Burrinjuck". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  12. ^ Welcome to the Southern Tablelands of NSW Archived 17 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  13. ^ Cadell County Vineyard, Barmah. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  14. ^ Hotel Cadell County Motor Lodge Archived 25 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  15. ^ ACT map, ACT Planning and Land Authority
  16. ^ ACT Heritage Register Suburbs Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services
  17. ^ Australia's World Heritage Archived 9 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Sydney Opera House, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
  18. ^ Goldenfields Water County Council
  19. ^ Central Tablelands County Council Archived 12 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Lismore Source newsletter, Dec. 2004 Who is Rous Water?)
  21. ^ Federal Register of Legislative Instruments Archived 22 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ alicesprings.nt.gov.au PAWA EASEMENT EXTINGUISHMENT & CREATION — LOT 8721 Archived 9 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Queensland government, Cadastral mapping Archived 23 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ Brisbane Cricket Ground Bill 1993
  25. Government of Queensland
    . Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  26. ^ Ipswich city council media release Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Plan to change Queensland's land title system
  27. ^ "PlaceNames Online - Search". Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014. select 'feature type' = hundred, click 'search'
  28. ^ Atlas South Australia Archived 23 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ The Hundreds of South Australia; shows the proclamation date of counties Archived 4 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ City of Onkaparinga Archived 10 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Minutes of the Operations Committee Meeting, 20 September 2005
  31. ^ Votes and Proceedings of the House of Assembly Archived 22 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Parliament.sa.gov.au, Tuesday 15 October 2002
  32. ^ Finding plans for a parcel of land Archived 27 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Land Services South Australia
  33. ^ NATURAL GAS AUTHORITY ACT 1967 - SCHEDULE 2, South Australian Consolidated Acts, Austlii
  34. ^ NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT 1972 - SCHEDULE 4, Austlii
  35. ^ Tasmanian electoral commission, Pembroke Archived 28 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ AIRPORTS REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1998 No. 51 - SCHEDULE, Austlii
  37. ^ landata.vic.gov.au Archived 18 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Crown Land Status Online
  38. ^ Crown Survey Requirements Archived 26 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, land.vic.gov.au
  39. ^ LAND (MISCELLANEOUS) BILL 2004
  40. ^ Ballarat (Sovereign Hill) Land Act 1970 Archived 25 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Act No. 7955/1970
  41. ^ Australasia 1882 Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (Great Britain). Committee of General Literature and Education. NLA MAP RM 941.
  42. ^ Australia 1873 Bartholomew, John, 1831-1893. NLA MAP T 148
  43. ^ City of Perth Restructuring Act 1993 - Sect 32
  44. ^ Electoral District Boundaries, technical descriptions, Boundarieswa.com, 4 August 2003

External links

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