An extremely significant map of early Victoria before statehood, highlighting the originally proposed boundary line with New South Wales along the Murrumbidgee River. It is the first map to identify the numerous "Squatting Stations" throughout the territory, and soon became known as "Ham's Squatting Map of Victoria" (from 1851). Originally published with an accompanying booklet with a key to the Squatting Stations, not present here.

The mapmaker
Thomas Ham (1821-1870) became Victoria's premier engraver, lithographer, and publisher, when in 1843 hew was commissioned to engrave "the corporation seal for the Town of Melbourne. With his business in Collins Street, East Melbourne, he was sole contractor for engravings and lithography for the government and designed and engraved currency notes for various banks. He also took up land with a brother, Jabez, on the River Plenty in 1845 and in 1846-47 at Lalbert in the Wimmera district. In 1847 he published a map showing the squatting districts of 'Australia Felix'; it ran to six editions in 1851-61. Other maps published in 1849-54 included 'Melbourne and Geelong Districts' (1849), 'Map of the Suburban Lands of the City of Melbourne' (1852) and 'Plan of the City of Melbourne' (1854). Ham lithographed the first Victorian stamps issued in January 1850: 1,800,000 'Half-length' stamps for 1d., 2d. and 3d. values, and also lithographed fifty brass cancelling-seals. In 1852 he engraved the plate for the 2d. 'Queen-on-Throne' stamps and printed 500,000 direct from the plate" (Mclaren for ADB online).