 Early squatters moved into the area in the 1840s with their flocks of sheep, thus displacing the indigenous people.There were many clashes between the two groups, some fatal, with the local people spearing the sheep for food as their usual food sources were adversely affected by the newcomers.In order to protect the Aboriginal population in Victoria, the colonial government appointed a Chief Protector and four deputies to "watch over the rights and interests of Natives, to protect them from any encroachments on their property."