however, the dense forests and steep terrain of the eastern strzeleckis initially discouraged attempts to open up the hill country until later. then in the early 1880s, selectors began penetrating the forest, selecting land in jumbuk, boolarra, budgeree and callignee. the rainfall was higher in the densely forested strzelecki ranges, and it was wrongly assumed the land was fertile because of the giant trees that grew there. in the aftermath of the end of the victorian gold rush there was a severe economic recession in the 1890s. many melbourne families believed the county offered a better life but with most of the easier grazing land in western victoria and gippsland already selected they moved into the remaining land in the eastern strzelekis. ahead of them was the herculean task of clearing the giant trees and of trying to get their produce to market.