interest in settlement at kelmscott waned soon after the township was established, the district's inaccessibility (no road from perth having yet been formed) and a general shortage of labour being factors mitigating against farming in that area. however, several large land grants had been taken up in the district, including one of over 8000 acres (location 31) initially held by john adams, and over the next few decades this allocated land presented a constraint to others seeking land for settlement in the area. parts of these larger allocations were subdivided and on-sold, and smaller allocations were taken up alongside them. thus, during the 1840s a number of farming properties were established in the foothills along the canning river, neerigin brook, wongong brook and beenyup brook. names of these early settlers included white, stuart, martin, armstrong, and mead.