Lower Murray War and Resistance

Summary ▸

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

The following lists references to some people involved in this conflict. More may be added in future.

This information has been collected from various sources, including the Colonial Frontier Massacres, 1788-1930 project (Ryan et al, 2025) and the South Australian Frontier and it's Legacies project (Foster et al), as well as ongoing research in primary sources. Finding and gathering this much information in millions of pages of colonial texts and other sources would not be possible without the use of computer automation. All information is checked but human and computer error can persist. Please let us know any corrections. Where possible, links are provided to sources to read the full text.

Country/Nation/People/Language indicates which Indigenous group people belonged to. Different people in different places prefer different terminology, and sometimes the 'belonging' relates to one of these not another. In many cases, due to colonists' limited knowledge, the archival record only uses generalised and sometimes racist terms (eg: 'blacks' or 'Murrimbidgee blacks'). In the absence of any other detail, although people travelled and visisted, we may infer the people involved were the people of the region the event occurred.

Listed are:

  • Named Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander people. This includes people involved in violent action, or in some other way involved, such as messengers. In many cases only the colonists' name (alias or aka - 'also known as') for the person is available.
  • Colonists involved in the conflict. This includes people who were involved in violent actions such as massacres and shooting, or whose stock, runs or huts were raided, or similar. It may include people who played a significant role in the conflict in other ways, such as the Governor or regional administrators who ordered actions or established policies in relation to the conflict.
  • Unnamed individuals or groups of people. This is as specific as possible. If a group is mentioned that is indicated and if an individual is mentioned, we also list that individual. It may be difficult to disentangle which individuals and groups in source texts are the same, and which different. Indigenous people go unnamed in colonial records of conflict encounters more commonly than colonists, but sometimes reporting also did not refer to low status workers and convicts by name, and referred to them by role, such as 'a stockman', 'a shepherd', or by their employer's name, such as, 'Mr Smith's men'.
  • Auxilliaries. This is a general category for people aiding or working for one side or another, who might not be regarded as 'from' that side. Usually this means Indigenous people working for, or acting on behalf of colonists such as trackers, workers and Native Police. This can also apply to colonists working within and on behalf of Indigenous culture (such as William Buckley). The distinction is not always clear cut and some individuals acted on both sides of the conflict or changed sides. This may be voluntarily or by coercion.

Unnamed Aboriginal People

Number of people
5
Side
Aboriginal
Date mentioned
1840-09-19
Interaction type
attempted arrest; escape
Direct violence
No
Quotation
"we got information that the five black ringleaders who had committed the dreadful depredations at Dr. Mackay's station on the Ovens River, were there on the 19th instant, and that Mr Huon attempted to take them, but they made their escape by taking to the rivers and lagoons."
Citation
NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. (From various Correspondents.) HUME RIVER. (1840, October 30). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
URL
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
External ID
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265__event_001__actor_002
External system
openai_event_extract_v1
Number of people
5
Side
Aboriginal
Date mentioned
1840-09-26
Interaction type
assault; wounding
Direct violence
Yes
Quotation
"On receiving this intelligence the Commissioner and I remained there that night, with the intention of pursuing them the next day, but, about one o'clock in the morning those five black ruffians visited the station again and most brutally beat and left almost lifeless a poor old black man named 'Charley,' who was with his gins at camp, quite close to Mr. E. Huon's house where we were sleeping."
Citation
NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. (From various Correspondents.) HUME RIVER. (1840, October 30). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
URL
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
External ID
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265__event_002__actor_001
External system
openai_event_extract_v1
Number of people
5
Side
Aboriginal
Date mentioned
1840-09-26
Interaction type
pursuit
Direct violence
No
Quotation
"we got information that the five black ringleaders who had committed the dreadful depredations at Dr. Mackay's station on the Ovens River, were there on the 19th instant, and that Mr Huon attempted to take them, but they made their escape by taking to the rivers and lagoons."
Citation
NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. (From various Correspondents.) HUME RIVER. (1840, October 30). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
URL
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
External ID
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265__event_003__actor_006
External system
openai_event_extract_v1

Unnamed Colonists

Side
Colonist
Date mentioned
1840-09-26
Interaction type
pursuit
Direct violence
No
Quotation
"next morning very early Mr Bingham the Commissioner, with his two policemen together with Mr Huon, myself, and a few other volunteers started in pursuit of them."
Citation
NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. (From various Correspondents.) HUME RIVER. (1840, October 30). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
URL
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
External ID
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265__event_003__actor_004
External system
openai_event_extract_v1
Number of people
2
Side
Colonist
Date mentioned
1840-09-26
Interaction type
pursuit
Direct violence
No
Quotation
"With the assistance of our two blacks we traced them as far as the Ovens River where we lost their track."
Citation
NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. (From various Correspondents.) HUME RIVER. (1840, October 30). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
URL
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
External ID
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265__event_003__actor_005
External system
openai_event_extract_v1
Number of people
2
Side
Colonist
Date mentioned
1840-09-26
Interaction type
pursuit
Direct violence
No
Quotation
"next morning very early Mr Bingham the Commissioner, with his two policemen together with Mr Huon, myself, and a few other volunteers started in pursuit of them."
Citation
NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. (From various Correspondents.) HUME RIVER. (1840, October 30). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
URL
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265
External ID
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866265__event_003__actor_002
External system
openai_event_extract_v1

Unnamed Auxilliaries

This data has not yet been gathered. Research work is ongoing. To help, please consider donating or contact us to volunteer or about setting up research projects in your area.