Site Name | Goanna Headland, Evans Head |
Aboriginal Place Name | Dirawong |
Language Group | Bundjalung |
Present State/Territory | NSW |
Colony/State/Territory at the time | NSW |
Police District | Grafton |
Latitude | -29.113 |
Longitude | 153.445 |
Date | Between 1 Jan 1843 and 31 Dec 1843 |
Attack Time | Day |
Victims | Aboriginal People |
Victim Descriptions | Aboriginal |
Victims Killed | 100 |
Victims Killed Notes | Killed: M,F |
Attackers | Colonisers |
Attacker Descriptions | Settler(s), Stockmen/Drover(s), Sailor(s) |
Attackers Killed | 0 |
Attackers Killed Notes | |
Transport | Horse |
Motive | Reprisal |
Weapons Used | Firearm(s), Musket(s), Pistol(s), Sword(s), Blade(s) |
Narrative | Following the Bandjuling killing of five white men at Pelican Creek in 1843, a posse of 11 stockmen attacked a Bundjalung camp at Evans River and drove the Aboriginal people towards Goanna Headland where two schooners were sheltering from the southerly gale. The sailors on board joined in the shooting. Men, women and children were killed (Medcalf 1993, pp. 5-7). According to journalist Rory Medcalf (1993, p.7), only two children survived. |
Sources | Medcalf 1993, p 5-7. (Sources PDF) |
Corroboration Rating | * |