For example, Warrenbayne was named after a squatting run first occupied by William Webster.
A run of 6070 ha was occupied by William and James MacKellar in 1839 between Mansfield and Benalla.
The station homestead itself, if that is not too grand a name for a wattle and daub hut, was first built beside what is now Mansfield Road.
Coo-ee: More Benalla characters
The Faithful Massacre on the banks of the Broken River the year before and ongoing reprisals by settlers meant that the district was regarded as dangerous.
Mackellar Brothers’ building was therefore removed to a position more capable of defence should there be an attack.
This became Lima station which, in turn, gave its name to Lima.
In 1928, a hut still existed at Lima that contained loopholes for musket fire.
Coo-ee: Great war fantasies
Goomalibee Station was owned initially by Doctor Mead in the 1850s and then by Robert Rutherford.
Tatong station was occupied by Hector Simpson in the 1850s. The Station covered 13 354 ha.
Six years later, Simpson was breeding racehorses that swept the field at Flemington.
Disliked in the district, he had learnt that the secret of wealth is to acquire other people’s.
Coo-ee: White collar crime
Simpson impounded any cattle that strayed even close to the unfenced run where he himself trespassed.
Taminick run was occupied by Benjamin Warby after whom the Warby Ranges are named.
He was another enthusiastic racing man whose racehorses did well in Melbourne.
At that time, a racehorse had to be walked to Melbourne in order to compete.
Coo-ee: Benalla before the railway came through
John Banks was the first to occupy Kilfeera station south of Benalla. It was 17 806 ha.
Banks was renowned for his physical strength and was said to regularly carry a 90kg flour bag on his back from Benalla, 16 km away.
In the 1850s Gowangardie and Upotipotpon were squatting runs taken up by Humphrey Grattan and Thomas Bond respectively.
Grattan raised sheep; Bond raised cattle. Emu Plains station was established by Thomas Turnbull Senior.
Coo-ee: Cashel the doomed
In 1865, Mr Creswiek took up St James run of 15 378 ha at what became St James.
All good things come to an end, even trespassing on Crown lands to make a profit.
At first, the state imposed a notional squatting fee.
Then, after alluvial gold mining in Victoria petered out, the cries of the land hungry grew too loud.
Coo-ee: A parachute jump
Land Acts, based on NSW Robertson Land Acts, were enacted.
These arranged for division of land into 130 ha selections and required any occupier to pay full market value or a minimum of $2 for every 0.4 hectares of land.
At first, the squatters bought "the eyes out of the land", that is, they bought the land with water access or land with the best pasture.
Each Act was stricter until, at last, in the 1880s, the last squatting runs had been broken up.
By that time, squatters had realised their profits.
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