Australian Wars in Victoria

A collection of maps related to ongoing research conducted through the Victorian Indigenous Research Centre, State Library of Victoria.

Colonial violence. Historical sources may contain racist attitudes and language of the time.

General location of Aboriginal peoples of present day Victoria, according to 'The Kulin People of Central Victoria' brochure.

Victorian Aboriginal Peoples, The Kulin People of Central Victoria (brochure) https://www.nccma.vic.gov.au/media/documents/kulin_people_brochure.pdf (accessed February, 2026)

Locations and spellings are general and indicative only.

In 1840 four stations or homesteads were established for the 'Protectors of Aborigines' to offer asylum to Aboriginal people from the conflict and with plans for removing people to them.

"The homesteads for the Assistant Protectors are intended to serve as centres of operation for their district, and as asylums for such of the aboriginal natives as are disposed to settle... unless coercion be used in retaining the tribes of each district within the limits of the res-pective reserves, this scheme will also prove a failure. In short, anxious inquiry and some experience has fully satisfied the author in his creed, that— First.—Only a systematic separation of the children from their parents can ever promote the chance of a civil and religious education, which must, in itself, be founded upon habits of industry, to bring forth fruit either in youth or manhood. Second.—That collision and extermination can only be prevented by confining the natives in the reserves appropriated for their use."

This was following the "Black War" in Lutruwita, a genocide at the end of which there was an attempt to establish a reserve for survivors - "Mr Robinson's success among the aborigines of Van Diemen's Land pointed him out as the person best fitted to superintend this mission, and his experience was also unfortunately con-sidered sufficient to render the whole immediately effective."

EXTRACT FROM ARDENS " LATEST INFORMATION WITH REGARD TO AUSTRALIA FELIX." (1840, December 26). The Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), p. 2. Retrieved February 5, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36851361

Colonial violence including acts of genocide.

Descriptions of colonial frontier violence in the Australian Wars in Victoria from squatters journals. This is based on archival research with the Victorian Indigenous Research Centre, State Library of Victoria.

Colonial violence. Historical sources may include racist attitudes and language.

In 1842 prominent colonists in Port Phillip District (Victoria) frustrated by ongoing resistance of Aboriginal people and attacks by bushrangers met to establish a militia of volunteer yeomenry (in the British tradition yeomen were owners of wealthy farms who could afford horses - something like an agrarian middle class or patrician class - consequently a 'Yeomenry Corp' meant a volunteer cavalry or mounted militia). This style of colonial organisation has precedent in other parts of the British Empire, such as South Africa where Boers in particular were very effective in the use of locally organised agrarian militia who could be called up and assembled quickly and as needed - the Commandos. This type of warfare was known to colonists in Australia. For example De Villier, had attempted to establish the Native Police based on models he had seen in South Africa in the Xhosa Wars, and others must have also have had knowledge from across the empire. The proposal to form a Yeomenry was commended yet rejected by Governor Gipps who objected to anyone but the government being able to appoint officers. The colonial government was probably wary of colonists forming militia groups which might develop into rebellion against the government, as had occured in America. The government insisted on controlling policing and de facto military activity for which it levied taxes from squatters and settlers. Squatters resented these taxes as they saw government police as expensive and ineffective. They believed a volunteer yeomanry would be affordable and effective. In the meeting concerns were raised that the Yeomenry Corp would use it as an excuse to persecute Aboriginal people. It was clarified that the purpose was not only to protect colonists life and property from 'the outrages of bushrangers and blacks' but against 'unauthorised aggressions of any description'. In practice 'self defence' sometimes meant violent confrontation and sometimes killing and massacres of Aboriginal people. The proposed militia was not approved and did not go ahead, but colonists none the less cooperated to form reprisal parties. The following is a map of the proposed districts which indicates how colonists saw Port Phillip District (Victoria) in military terms, and the scale at which mounted colonists could be organised into reprisal groups. 

PORT PHILLIP VOLUNTEERS. (1842, June 6). Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser (Vic. : 1839 - 1845), p. 2. Retrieved March 26, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226511993

Colonial violence.

Listen

Lovett-Gardiner, Iris Chimney Flats Victorian Collections, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tK1lRxlcv4&t=147s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tK1lRxlcv4&t=147s

Notes

Events in this conflict will be added as Australian Wars and Resistance research continues.

At present this data combines massacre data generously shared from 2 projects:

• Colonial Frontier Massacres, Australia, 1788 to 1930 https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/map.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/map.php (This data includes massacres of 6 or more people only)
• The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/4755c59ae93447a9b0acf9b2b0b265f6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/4755c59ae93447a9b0acf9b2b0b265f6 (This includes any recorded incident of conflict between colonists and Indigenous peoples, only within South Australia, with several incidents on the Victorian side of the border)

With permission.

Events in this conflict will be added as Australian Wars and Resistance research continues.

Events in this conflict will be added as Australian Wars and Resistance research continues.

Events in this conflict will be added as Australian Wars and Resistance research continues.

Locations of squatting runs according to Ham's Squatting Map, 1849 edition in Victoria and southern NSW (Tumut District). This map is particularly useful for locating places referred to Australian colonial history, as squatters runs were often the main point of reference, along with rivers. Accurate to only approx. 5km due to quality of the historical map and time. An attempt has been made to situate map points relative to landmarks, such as on the right side of the river. Locations of squats were broad and general in any case. Refer to the source map and other information if more precision is needed.

Ham, Thomas. (1849). A map of Australia Felix Retrieved October 4, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231450539

Public Domain