Goyder as Valuer

Besides supervising the cadastral surveying of most of the hundreds of the colony, Goyder also embarked on a relentless series of valuations assessing improvements to properties, the carrying capacity of existing properties, and agricultural potential. All this required travelling huge distances in harsh conditions on horseback.

Goyder was often involved in assessing and re-assessing the best use of the land itself. A major source of conflict in this period was the competing interests of many politicians, small farmers, and wheat growers on the one hand, and pastoralists and their supporters on the other.