Layer

NameMcIntyre River Wars and Resistance
Description

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

TypeOther
Content Warning
ContributorDr Bill Pascoe
Entries9
Allow ANPS? No
Added to System2025-08-11 14:35:30
Updated in System2025-08-11 14:35:46
Subject
Creator
Publisher
Contact
Citation
DOI
Source URL
Linkback
Date From
Date To
Image
Latitude From
Longitude From
Latitude To
Longitude To
Language
License
Usage Rights
Date Created (externally)

Details

Latitude
-29.139
Longitude
151.101
Start Date
1842-09-11
End Date
1842-09-11

Description

On 11 September 1842, one of the Irby brothers recorded a night time attack on a camp of 100 Anaiwan people located between '2 terribly steep ridges, about 20 metres above a gully. We completely routed them and remained in possession of the camp and all their traps. There were 102 sheep left. We made a large fire and burned everything belonging to them. We got home at 4pm next day, well satisfied with our success.' (Irby, 1908, pp 60-63) Carried out by Edward and Leonard Irby, John Windeyer, overseer Collins and one other on horseback and three other men on foot. Carried out in reprisal for the killing of a stockman.

Extended Data

Source_ID
588
LanguageGroup
Guyambal or Ngarabul or Marbal
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
NSW
PoliceDistrict
Armidale
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
20
VictimDescription
Aboriginal
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Settler(s), Stockmen/Drover(s)
CorroborationRating
*
War
McIntyre River
Stage
East
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te1697
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=588
Source
Irby 1908, pp 60-63, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2604939357/view?partId=nla.obj-2604968058#page/n61/mode/1up
Created At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46

Details

Latitude
-28.632
Longitude
150.388
Start Date
1844-01-01
End Date
1847-12-31

Description

Thomas Crampton was the first white man to occupy land near Goondiwindi in 1837 and held a working share in the Merewah run, owned by James Howe, a settler from the Hawkesbury and Hunter Rivers. One day Crampton went to check on the cattle at Crampton's corner and found some Aboriginal men in the tops of some trees armed with spears. He shot and killed 'no less than fifteen blacks' (Browne, 1922, pp 22-24; Copland, 1990, pp 18-19).

Extended Data

Source_ID
594
LanguageGroup
Gawambaraay or Bigambul?
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
QLD
PoliceDistrict
Warialda
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
15
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Settler(s)
CorroborationRating
*
War
McIntyre River
Stage
West
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te1698
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=594
Source
Copland, 1990, pp 17-19; Gunn, nd, Letter 'Goondiwindi and District file' Royal Queensland Historical Society; Browne, 1922, pp 22-24.
Created At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46

Details

Latitude
-29.163
Longitude
152.003
Start Date
1844-10-17
End Date
1844-10-17

Description

In daylight on 17 October 1844, Edward Irby and Thomas Windeyer and the latter's two servants Connor and Weaver, chased and then lost and then came upon, more by chance than by skill, a group of Bundjalung or Ngarabal (Marbal or Ngarbal speakers?) sheltering beneath the very rocks Irby and Windeyer found themselves upon. Irby and Windeyer lay on the rocks and began firing at the people below, knowing that their fire would bring up Connor and Weaver who joined the slaughter (Irby cited in Walker, 1996, p30). The massacre was in reprisal for the Aboriginal killing of a shepherd named Robinson, employee of Irby Brothers, lessees of Bolivia station (Schlunke 2005 pp 59-60).

Extended Data

Source_ID
593
LanguageGroup
Bundjalung, Marbal or Ngarbal
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
NSW
PoliceDistrict
Armidale
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
10
VictimDescription
Aboriginal
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Settler(s), Stockmen/Drover(s)
CorroborationRating
***
War
McIntyre River
Stage
East
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te1699
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=593
Source
Irby 1908, p 77-80, 88-90, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2604939357/view?partId=nla.obj-2604971617#page/n76/mode/1up; Schlunke 2005, pp 59-60; Walker, 1966, p 30.
Created At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46

Details

Latitude
-29.27
Longitude
151.628
Start Date
1845-03-01
End Date
1845-03-01

Description

A party of border police lead by Oliver Fry, Crown Lands Commissioner for the Clarence Pastoral District, 'fired without warning on a party of Aborigines near the Windeyer family's "Deepwater" station at New England killing seven men, four women and five children.' (Richard Craig to Deas Thompson, 1 July 1846, CSIL, 4/2719, 46/5747 cited in Reece, 1974, p 187)

Extended Data

Source_ID
596
LanguageGroup
Guyambal or Ngarabul or Marbal
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
NSW
PoliceDistrict
Armidale
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
16
VictimDescription
Aboriginal
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Border Police
CorroborationRating
**
War
McIntyre River
Stage
East
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te169a
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=596
Source
Walker 1966, p 30; Reece 1974, p 187.
Created At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46

Details

Latitude
-28.725
Longitude
150.552
Start Date
1847-09-12
End Date
1847-09-30

Description

Aboriginal people killed James Marks's son, 'Johnny', on 10 September 1847 in retaliation for his shooting and killing an Aboriginal messenger 'boy' at 'Goodar' station on the Weir River a week earlier. James Marks gathered a posse of settlers and stockmen and rode south to 'Boonall' station on the MacIntyre River where they 'found forty Aboriginal people encamped in the bend of the river' (Telfer, 1980, p 39). It appears that they shot them all and then burnt the campsite. There is no indication that the Aboriginal group was involved in the killing of Marks's son (Telfer, 1980, p 39). This was the first of several revenge killings and massacres led by Marks over more than six months in reprisal for the killing of his son.

Extended Data

Source_ID
601
LanguageGroup
Bigambul or Gawambaraay
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
NSW
PoliceDistrict
Warialda
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
40
VictimDescription
Aboriginal
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Settler(s)
CorroborationRating
***
War
McIntyre River
Stage
West
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te169b
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=601
Source
Bligh, CCL, Gwydir to CCCL, 10 Jan 1849; SRNSW, 2/7634; Watts, 1901, p 20; Webb, 1922, pp 7-12; Telfer, 1980, p 39; Copland, 1990, pp 52-54.
Created At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46

Details

Latitude
-28.525
Longitude
150.152
Start Date
1847-10-01
End Date
1847-10-05

Description

Following the massacre of forty Aboriginal people at Boonall Station by squatter James Mark in retaliation for Aboriginal people killing his son, he continued his revenge rampage with native police from Warialda and shot 47 Aboriginal people at Callandoon station (Copland, 2001, p 86). Copland wrote that, 'Marks travelled throughout the district recruiting white stockmen and landholders for a vigilante party to avenge the death of his son...' and they were joined by Chief Constables McGee and Hancock. 'From October 1847 a number of attacks upon camps of Aborigines occurred. Primary sources suggest that at least 47 Aboriginal people were killed at the hands of Marks' men.' (Copland, 2001)

Extended Data

Source_ID
602
LanguageGroup
Gungabula
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
QLD
PoliceDistrict
Warialda
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
47
VictimDescription
Aboriginal
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Native Police, Settler(s), Stockmen/Drover(s)
CorroborationRating
*
War
McIntyre River
Stage
West
Region
East
Period
South

Carbucky Station

Type
Event

Details

Latitude
-28.624
Longitude
149.981
Start Date
1849-05-01
End Date
1849-05-31

Description

The massacre was carried out by 14 native police and 20 squatters and their men, led by Frederick Walker, as revenge for deaths of stockmen in the region (Collins, 2002, p. 63). W B Tooth, MLA, the local member, participated in the event. He said in evidence to an inquiry that 'Mr. Walker met the blacks killing cattle close to my camp, and they had a stand up fight for it. The blacks were so completely put down on that occasion and terrified of the power of the Police, that they never committed any more depredations near there. The place was quiet at once, and property became fifty per cent more valuable' (NSWLC V&P 1858 vol 2 p 880). The estimate of 100 Aboriginal people killed comes from the drover William Telfer, Jr (cited in Collins, 2002, p 63).

Extended Data

Source_ID
609
LanguageGroup
Wiriyaraay or Gawambaraay
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
NSW
PoliceDistrict
Warialda
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
100
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Native Police, Stockmen/Drover(s)
CorroborationRating
***
War
McIntyre River
Stage
West
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te169d
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=609
Source
Skinner 1975, pp 29-31 https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:193014 ; NSWLC V&P 1858 vol. 2. p 880 https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/digitised_collections/remove/91884.pdf; Copland 1990, p 111 https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:328072 ; Collins 2002, p 63 https://www.goodbyebussamarai.com/text.
Created At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46

Severn (Dumaresq) River

Type
Event

Details

Latitude
-29.085
Longitude
151.185
Start Date
1849-05-01
End Date
1849-05-31

Description

Drawing on the personal reminiscences of John Watts, a former member of the Qld Legislative Assembly, Skinner (1975, p 30) says that a native police detachment led by Frederick Walker, hid under the dray of the carrier known as 'The Smiler' when he arrived at Beebo station on the Macintyre River. When a group of Aboriginal warriors arrived at the carrier's camp, 'dressed in "war paint", the police discharged their guns and the natives immediately retreated into the scrub where formerly they were safe as no white man dared follow.' However the Native Police immediately followed the Aborigines and in the words of Watts, 'the number they killed no one but the commander and themselves ever knew' (Skinner, 1975, pp 30-31).

Extended Data

Source_ID
610
LanguageGroup
Marbal or Guyambul
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
QLD
PoliceDistrict
Warialda
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
6
VictimDescription
Aboriginal
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Native Police
CorroborationRating
*
War
McIntyre River
Stage
East
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te169e
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=610
Source
Skinner, 1975, pp 30-31.
Created At
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Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46

Details

Latitude
-28.323
Longitude
150.113
Start Date
1849-06-01
End Date
1849-06-30

Description

A detachment of Native police, possibly led by Frederick Walker, attacked Umbercollie Station (leased by Jonathan and Margaret Young) during the day in June 1849 and slaughtered 12 of their Bigumbal workers. It appears to have been a follow up of the attack on Umbercollie station by settler James Mark and seven stockmen a year earlier in June 1848 where two Bigumbal women were killed. The reason for the second attack appears to have been in reprisal for Jonathan Young's report of the earlier attack to Police Magistrate Richard Bligh (Tonge, nd). Bligh, however, was unable to get Jonathan and Margaret Young to openly identify four of the killers that he arrested following their identification by one of the Young's Aboriginal workers. Bligh charged the four men with murder and sent them to Maitland for trial at the District Court on 12 February 1849. When Bligh sent the papers for the case to the Attorney General in Sydney, he was told that unless the Youngs were prepared to openly identify the killers, a conviction was unlikely. So the case did not proceed and the four stockmen held in custody at Maitland were released. Copland (1990) suggests that the June 1849 attack was designed to further intimidate the Youngs for daring to break the code of silence that prevailed on the frontier about the unrestrained killing of Aboriginal people.

Extended Data

Source_ID
993
LanguageGroup
Bigambul
Colony
NSW
StateOrTerritory
QLD
PoliceDistrict
Warialda
Victims
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead
12
VictimDescription
Aboriginal
Attackers
Colonists
AttackersDead
0
AttackerDescription
Native Police
CorroborationRating
***
War
McIntyre River
Stage
West
Region
East
Period
South

Sources

TLCMap ID
te169f
Linkback
https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=993
Source
Tonge, (ML); Copland, 1990, pp 52-77; Goodall, 1999, pp 260-279.
Created At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
Updated At
2025-08-11 14:35:46
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