The Battle of Broken River, also known as the Faithfull Massacre, sometimes spelt Faithful Massacre, is a battle that took place in 1838 when 20

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

attacked 18 European settlers, killing eight of them. Reprisals against the Aboriginal people continued for many years afterwards, killing up to 100 people.

Description

On 11 April 1838, by the Broken River at

Benalla Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River gateway to the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about north east of the state capital Melbourne. At the the population was 10,822. It is the administrative centr ...

, a party of some 18 men, employees of George and William Faithfull, were searching out new land to the south of

Wangaratta Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...

for their livestock. According to Judith Bassett, some 20

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

attacked and at least one

Koori Koori (also spelt koorie, goori or goorie) is a demonym for Aboriginal Australians from a region that approximately corresponds to southern New South Wales and Victoria. The word derives from the Indigenous language Awabakal. For some people an ...

and eight

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

s died. This was long known locally as the Faithfull Massacre. There are conflicting accounts of the reason for the attack: one account suggests that it was retribution for Faithfull’s men shooting at the Aboriginal men on the

Ovens River The Ovens River, a perennial river of the north-east Murray catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine and Hume regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features Formed by the confluence of the East ...

a week prior while another suggests that it was “revenge for the illicit use of Aboriginal women by the same party several weeks before”. While the incident has been referred to as a "massacre", the historian Chris Clark argues that "there is no reason to view this incident as anything other than a battle which the Aborigines won". The settlers may have been

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

on a ground reserved for hunting or ceremonies. The site of the incident was re-discovered in 1907.

A son's account of the incident

A 1906 newspaper account ("particulars of which ereobtained from a son of one of the number of the party") is as follows:

Reprisal killings

Around one hundred Aboriginal people were murdered in reprisal killings, which stretched on for many years. Reprisals occurred at

on the Ovens River, at Murchison (led by the native police under

Henry Dana Henry Edmund Pulteney Dana (1820–1852) established the Native Police Corps in the Port Phillip District (later Victoria) in 1842, he was responsible for two massacres of Aboriginal people one at Barmah Lake in 1843 and the other at Snowy River i ...

, with the young

Edward Curr Edward Curr (1 July 1798 – 16 November 1850) was an Australian settler and politician. Curr was born in Sheffield, England. He travelled to Hobart Town, arriving in February 1820. In 1823 he returned to England. In 1824 he was appointed ma ...

, who later said that he took issue with the official reports), Mitchelton and

Toolamba Toolamba is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is in the City of Greater Shepparton local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Toolamba and the surrounding area had a population of 873. ...

. The colonial government decided to "open up" the lands south of

Yass, New South Wales Yass () is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Council. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" (or "Yharr"), said to mean 'running water'. Yass is located 280 km s ...

after the Faithfull Massacre and bring them under British rule, with one of the aims ostensibly to help protect the Aboriginal people from reprisal attacks.

Description

A son's account of the incident

Reprisal killings

See also

References

Further reading