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Acts was that any man or single woman over the age of eighteen years was entitled to
select land; the selector had to live on the selection and cultivate at least ten per cent of
it; before alienation (the transfer of land ownership), the selector had to show
improvements to the land to the value of'one pound per acre', usually defined in terms
of housing, fencing and cuhivation; land classified as auriferous could not be selected,
nor any land containing red-gum stands and the value of the land was set at 'one pound
per acre'. Free Selection brought into being a new class of small farmers who, like
the ItaUan speakers, were genuine in their desire to commence farming. Throughout
the Colony acreage tilled rose enormously and diversity of crops was encouraged.
The ItaUan speakers selected land in and around the Daylesford district:
Hepbum, Spring Creek, Shepherds Flat and Yandoit were all occupied while, towards
Ballarat, many settled at Blampied and Eganstown. The strength of kinship and village
ties was reflected in the immigrants' settlement pattems, several members of the
Lafranchi family, for example, going to Blampied and members of the Gervasoni family
to Yandoit Creek. At Hepbum several families from Ticino's Biasca made their home.
But while land selection reflected the Italian speakers' strong traditional ties, it also
represented a radical departure, signified by their increasing requests for British
citizenship.
Up until 1863 British citizenship was a prerequisite for land purchase and, in
the period just prior to and following 1860, many Italian speakers sought
naturalisation. Attilio and Antonio Gobbi of Ticino were possibly among t^j first
applicants, in May 1858, followed later that year by Dr Pagnamenta and Battista
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