Site Name Benalla: Faithfull Massacre
Aboriginal Place Name
Language Group Taungurung
Colony PPD
Present State/Territory VIC
Police District Melbourne
Latitude -36.549
Longitude 145.976
Date 12 Apr 1838
Attack Time day
Victims Colonisers: Shepherd
Victims Killed 8
Victims Killed Notes Killed: M 8; Wounded: M F
Attackers Aboriginal People: Warriors
Attackers Killed 1
Attackers Killed Notes Killed: M F; Probable: M F; Possible: M F; Wounded: M F
Transport Foot
Motive Reprisal
Weapons Used spears, waddies
Narrative Ten stockmen overlanding cattle for William and George Faithfull were sent to camp at the Broken River (Benalla) - an important ceremonial site and Taungurong meeting place - after shooting an unknown number of Taungurong and Waveroo people at the Ovens River. When they arrived at the Broken River on 6 April they found at least 10 Taungurong men and their families already camped at the meeting place. On 7 April nine of Faithfulls' shepherds arrived with 4,000 sheep and camped at the meeting place and sought women from the Taungurong camp. That night 8 sheep went missing and on the following day, 8 April, the 19 stockmen and shepherds moved camp to the south bank of the Broken River only to be followed by the Taungurong. On 9 April more Taungurong arrived and on 11 April, Faithfulls' men prepared to strike camp with the stockmen departing first. Then 20 Taungurong warriors attacked. One of the shepherds fired and killed a warrior, another fired and missed and the other 8 shepherds ran away only to be struck down and killed. Four or five stockmen escaped to report the incident. According to Bassett who conducted the most detailed research on the massacre, it 'bore all the hallmarks of traditional and specific revenge, whereby a small, ritually sanctioned group of Aborigines took their victim(s) by surprise and then returned quickly to their camp.'(Bassett 1989:23) They did not seek to kill every white man present. If this is the case then it suggests that the whites had killed 8 Taungurong and Waveroo people at the Ovens River.
Sources Cannon 1982: 312-334; Bride 1983: 217-9; Atkinson & Aveling 1987: 45-54; Bassett 1989: 18-34; Russell 2002: 50-1; Argus Sept 13, 1883 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11828136. (Sources PDF)
Corroboration Rating ***