| Site Name | Butchers Creek, Gippsland |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Place Name | |
| Language Group, Nation or People | Tatungalung |
| Present State/Territory | VIC |
| Colony/State/Territory at the time | PPD |
| Police District | Melbourne |
| Latitude | -37.881 |
| Longitude | 147.869 |
| Date | Between 1 Jan 1841 and 31 Dec 1841 |
| Attack Time | Day |
| Victims | Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People |
| Victim Descriptions | Aboriginal |
| Victims Killed | 30 |
| Victims Killed Notes | |
| Attackers | Colonists |
| Attacker Descriptions | Settler(s), Aboriginal Assistant(s) |
| Attackers Killed | 0 |
| Attackers Killed Notes | |
| Transport | Horse |
| Motive | Reprisal |
| Weapons Used | Firearm(s) |
| Narrative | According to Gippsland historian Peter Gardner, after 'the Kurnai speared cattle on the Avon River,' in 1841, a reprisal party of 12 armed settlers pursued them on horseback and after 'crossing the Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo Rivers,' eventually trapped them at Butchers Creek, a small inlet of Lake Victoria just to the east of Metung, where they were slaughtered. The details of the massacre were later provided by Colin McLaren, one of the killers. The other killers 'were Angus McMillan, Dr Arbuckle, Tom Macalister, Colin Macalister, McDonald, Bath, Conners, Lawrence, Gilbert and at least two Omeo Aborigines.' According to Gardner, 'This list is by no means exhaustive, it being possible that Ronald Macalister was also an early participant' (Gardner, 2001, pp 49-52). |
| Sources | Gardner, 2001, pp 49-52; Gardner, 2010, pp 3 and 9 https://petergardner.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/A-Grampians-Massacre.pdf. (Sources PDF) |
| Corroboration Rating | * |
Colonial Frontier Massacres
in Australia, 1788-1930
