Ironing and gaoling of suspected Aboriginal people

Date: 11 Oct 1840
Place: Melbourne
Event type: imprisonment; restraint
Direct violence: No
Thirty-three Aboriginal people believed to have been concerned in the late murders and outrages were ironed together and lodged in gaol for identification.

People involved

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Sources

  • LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser (Vic. : 1839 - 1845), Monday 12 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228130297
  • LATE AFFAIR WITH THE ABORIGINES. Port Phillip Gazette (Vic. : 1838 - 1845), Saturday 17 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225005618
  • DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2546927
  • Port Phillip. Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser (NSW : 1838 - 1841), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32186095
  • HIGHLAND COLONY. Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839 - 1843), Tuesday 24 November 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31729927
  • NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), Monday 2 November 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12866311
  • THEATRICALS. Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Thursday 29 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36849333
  • PORT PHILLIP. (1840, October 27). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 3. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866210

Event mentions

  • Detention of thirty-three Aboriginal men
    17 Apr 1840 – 17 Oct 1840 — imprisonment; detention
    Thirty-three of the captured Aboriginal men were detained as implicated in robberies and murders.
    People: thirty-three
    Source: LATE AFFAIR WITH THE ABORIGINES. Port Phillip Gazette (Vic. : 1838 - 1845), Saturday 17 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225005618
  • Detention of thirty-three Aboriginal people for trial
    24 Apr 1840 – 24 Oct 1840 — detention; trial
    Thirty-three Aboriginal people were detained in jail to await trial or further orders.
    People: The thirty-three natives
    Source: DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2546927
  • Aboriginal prisoners taken to Melbourne prison yard
    24 Apr 1840 – 24 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — imprisonment; arrest
    The captured Aboriginal people were marched into Melbourne and lodged in the yard behind the hospital; some were then identified and sent to jail.
    People: the captives | The blacks suspected of being concerned in the murders of Mr. Waugh's and Dr. Mackay's stations
    Source: Port Phillip. Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser (NSW : 1838 - 1841), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32186095
  • Aboriginal people detained in Government store near barracks
    24 Apr 1840 – 24 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — imprisonment; disarmament
    The remaining Goulburn Aboriginal people were placed in the new Government store near the barracks and disarmed.
    People: The Goulburn blacks | the remnant of the Goulburn tribe
    Source: Port Phillip. Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser (NSW : 1838 - 1841), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32186095
  • Imprisonment of Aboriginal coadjutors after Winberry's capture
    24 May 1840 – 24 Nov 1840 — imprisonment
    Winberry's coadjutors were temporarily imprisoned after the capture of the tribe.
    People: his coadjutors
    Source: HIGHLAND COLONY. Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839 - 1843), Tuesday 24 November 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31729927
  • Ironing and gaoling of suspected Aboriginal people
    11 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — imprisonment; restraint
    Thirty-three Aboriginal people believed to have been concerned in the late murders and outrages were ironed together and lodged in gaol for identification.
    People: thirty-three
    Source: LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser (Vic. : 1839 - 1845), Monday 12 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228130297
  • Removal of suspected Aboriginal people to temporary jail
    18 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — detention; removal
    The Aboriginal people on whom suspicion rested were drafted off during the day and lodged in the temporary jail.
    People: the blacks on whom suspicion rested
    Source: NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR. Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), Monday 2 November 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12866311
  • Detention of Aboriginal captives in Melbourne
    22 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — imprisonment; detention
    The captured Aboriginal people were marched into Melbourne and confined in the yard behind the hospital, with some placed in jail.
    People: the captives | The blacks suspected of being concerned in the murders at Mr Waugh's and Dr Mackay's stations
    Source: THEATRICALS. Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Thursday 29 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36849333
  • Detention of Goulburn Aboriginal people in Melbourne
    27 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — detention; imprisonment
    The captured Goulburn Aboriginal people were held in a yard adjoining the hospital and some suspected of murder were lodged in the jail.
    People: the captives
    Source: PORT PHILLIP. (1840, October 27). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 3. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866210