Special places archive
July 2017
A map of massacres
Colonial frontier massacres in eastern Australia 1788–1872 is an online map that plots the sites where massacres are known to have been perpetrated.
From the moment the British invaded Australia in 1788 they encountered active resistance from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owners and custodians of the lands. In the frontier wars which continued until the 1960s massacres became a defining strategy to eradicate that resistance. As a result thousands of Aboriginal men women and children were killed. This site presents a map, timelines, and information about massacres in Eastern Australia from 1794 when the first massacre was recorded until 1872. Only events for which sufficient information remains from the past and can be verified are included. The map also includes information about the six known massacres of British colonists in Eastern Australia in the same period.
—from the introduction to the website
This site comes with a warning that it contains information about acts of violence that may be distressing. Yes, the information is distressing—but necessary.
Each known massacre site is marked on the map; clicking on the marker reveals information about the event.