Site NameSt Paul's River
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Place Name
Language Group, Nation or PeopleParedarerme / Oyster Bay or Tyerrernotepanner or Ben Lomond
Present State/TerritoryTAS
Colony/State/Territory at the timeVDL
Police District
Latitude-41.814
Longitude147.951
Date31 Jan 1829
Attack Time
VictimsAboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
Victim DescriptionsAboriginal
Victims Killed9
Victims Killed Notes9 killed and 3 wounded.
AttackersColonists
Attacker Descriptions
Attackers Killed0
Attackers Killed Notes
Transport
MotiveReprisal
Weapons Used
NarrativeIn December 1828 by warriors carried out a series of raids on various farms that included the killing of James Shirton, a servant of settler Mr Hawkins, and an attack by twelve warriors on John Allen's farm at Great Swanport on 14 December 1828. The attack at John Allen's farm was visually recorded in a sketch (ML, SLNSW). A correspondent from Great Swanport reported that, in retaliation, two massacres had been carried out. In the first 'Nine were killed and three taken, near St. Paul's River, ten days back.' The other was 'near the Eastern Marshes' (Launceston Advertiser, February 9, 1829, p 2).
SourcesLA February 9, 1829 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/8721080; 'The Aborigines of Van Diemen's Land endeavouring to kill Mr John Allen in the District of of Great Swanport on the 14th December 1828', ML, SLNSW. (Sources PDF)
Corroboration Rating*