Squatting (Australian history)

In colonial Australia, particularly in the early to mid-19th century, squatting was the occupation of large tracts of Crown land, typically to graze livestock, without formal legal title. Although squatters initially had no recognised rights to the land they occupied, colonial authorities gradually legitimised their claims through licensing systems and later land laws, often favouring those who were the first (and sometimes only) European settlers in a region.

Source: Wikipedia — Squatting (Australian history) (CC BY-SA 4.0)