Event: Cape Grim Massacre (10 February 1828)

From
10 February 1828
Cape Grim
To
10 February 1828

Details

The massacre took place just north of the present day Cape Grim, adjacent to two small islands called the Doughboys. It was a result of violence initiated by the Van Diemen's Land Company.

In December 1827, Aborigines were killed while protecting their women from molestation by company shepherds. Aborigines responded by destroying 118 sheep, triggering a company punitive expedition in early February 1828 that killed twelve Aborigines. On 10 February 1828, thirty Aborigines died in the Cape Grim massacre. Shepherds shot Aboriginal hunters on the high ground and then threw their bodies down upon the rocks after firing upon their families camped on the beach. Curr, the responsible Magistrate, disputed the figures, initiated no investigation into the incident, and did not report the matter to Lieutenant-Governor Arthur.

Ian McFarlane

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