Group Settlement continued

Clearing

The attraction to settlers from the United Kingdom was the lure of free land. Under the Group Settlement Scheme wheat and dairy farms were carved from virgin bush in the South-West.  Most blocks were about 100 hectares in size and were allocated by ballot amongst the members of the Group. When settlers arrived, they were sent to their allocated area and began clearing often quite heavily forested land with axes and by fire. The migrants and their Australian foremen, however, were often poorly chosen, lacking the resources to clear hardwood timber or the necessary farming skills to succeed.   Many settlers found themselves living on the edge of the forest in sometimes difficult conditions.