1843 to 1859: First dealings of Land Administration

The first dealings with land were made under the 'Registration of Deeds Act' of 1843. This Act was administered by the Registrar General of New South Wales.  

Soon after the separation of Queensland and New South Wales in 1859, copies of all deeds and conveyances were forwarded to Queensland. From that time, registration was effected by the Registrar General of Queensland.

1860 to 1880: Subdivision of freehold land and descriptions

Historical descriptions evolved from common law in England. They were adopted at the separation of Queensland in 1859 and were used until 1965 for describing freehold land. 

Queensland was originally divided into counties which were then subdivided into parishes.

Parishes:

• Generally, parishes were divided into portions except where the land was within town or city boundaries. A portion number was a unique identifier in a parish.
• Portions were then divided into subdivisions.
• Subdivisions were further divided into resubdivisions.
• In turn resubdivisions were divided into subdivisions and so on.
• The portion and the name of the parish was an integral part of the description.

Towns and cities:

• Land within town or city boundaries was divided into sections. 
• Sections were then divided into allotments.
• Allotments were divided into subdivisions.
• Subdivisions were further divided into resubdivisions.
• In turn resubdivisions were divided into subdivisions and so on.
• The allotment of section and the name of the town or city was an integral part of the description.

 

  

Certificate of Title, 1868

 

The Torrens Title system came into effect in 1861 under the Real Property Act. 

The qualifications under the two Acts; Crown Land and Real Property, differed greatly. Under the Crown Land Alienation Act 1868, surveyors had to be able to subdivide surveyed portions, make feature surveys, prepare designs for roads and survey new portions. Under the Real Property Act 1861, surveyors were only required to subdivide land where the outer boundaries had been previously marked out.

1881 to 1900: Prosperous land sales lead to new registries

There was a considerably large increase in land exchange and land acquisition between the late 1870s and early 1880s. This consequently led to a significant rise in government revenue. 

The number of transactions rose from 6,035 in 1878 to 12,033 in 1883 and likewise revenue from £5,499 to £8,690. As a result of this, all duties carried out by the Registrar General relating to registration of deeds were transferred to and vested in the newly formed Registrar of Titles under the Registrar of Titles Bill of 1884.

Around 1887, it seemed that plans were underway to establish separate colonies in central and northern Queensland. It was when the debate of creating district registries in these regions arose, that one participating gentleman quipped:

When we get complete separation, as we no doubt shall within two or three years, this will be included, and this Bill is simply an anticipation of it; and ... it may save us the expense of a new system ...^{unknown source}

The registries were opened in Rockhampton and Townsville in 1888, but no further colony separations eventuated. The lodgement of plans for registration were now able to be executed outside Brisbane.

Around the turn of the century, the Titles Office gave a catalogue number to a plan for registration upon lodgement.

1921 to 1950: A new progressional numerical system

In mid 1925, a progressional numerical survey plan system was introduced to the Titles Office. 

The new system replaced cataloguing which were related to individual county, parish or town series. The last number under the old system was RP 38204. Plans lodged under the new system commenced with RP 40001.

Around 1935, maps showed real property information for the first time. This proved useful to the public.

1950 to 1985: A new method of descibing historical descriptions

Over time, the more a parcel of land was subdivided, the more lengthy and cumbersome the description became. An example may have been-

Sub1 of Resub 3 of Sub 2 of Resubs 3 and 4 of Sub 1 of Portion 59 

In 1965, a new method of describing parcels of land with a unique Lot on Plan description was introduced. All new plans incorporated the new method. Over the ensuing years, established parcels of land were converted from the historical description to a lot on plan description. Thus the above description may have become-

Lot 1 on RP349276

The plans for whole portions of parishes and allotment of sections of towns were recorded in the Survey Office and not in the Titles Office. The plan numbering system included the first letter of the county name for parishes and the first letter of the town name for allotment of section plans.

Once the subject of a Survey Office Plan was further subdivided, the new survey plan was lodged and registered in the Titles Office. These plans were known as Registered Plans (RP).

1986 to the Present: Computerised collection and delivery

It was with the onset of computerised technology that the Titles Office in 1994 commenced the mammoth task of translating all titling information into a flexible and dynamic database. This nullified the need for the issue of paper certificates of title.

 

Further current Land Titles information