Soldier Settlements

Soldier settlement refers to the occupation and settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under schemes created by the state government after World Wars 1 and 2. In Victoria 1918 and 1934 around 11,639 returned servicemen were allocated land under the soldier settlement scheme.

The soldier settlement scheme was set up as a means to develop settlements in rural areas. This happened in most areas around Gippsland, where in most cases land owned by the government was set aside for returning soldiers who could lease or buy a block of land. Soldiers were required to live on that land for 5 years and this guaranteed a population increase of a certain area. During the 16 years that soldier settlement were used in Victoria over 9,000 square kilometres of land was allocated.

The clearing of land for a soldier settlement.

This map shows lots of land that were allocated under the soldier settlement scheme in the Nambrok Denison area.

The effects that soldier settlements had on Australian land including around Gippsland included the logging of trees, loss of vegetation and the clearing of land. The soldiers had a mixed perception and relationship with the natural environment. A lot of returned soldiers thrived on the opportunity of owning their own land while others struggled to manage and build a living out of working with the land.

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