| Site Name | Wombunderry Waterhole, Cooper Creek |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Place Name | |
| Language Group, Nation or People | Kungkari |
| Present State/Territory | QLD |
| Colony/State/Territory at the time | QLD |
| Police District | Bedourie |
| Latitude | -25.908 |
| Longitude | 142.301 |
| Date | Between 1 Jan 1872 and 31 Dec 1872 |
| Attack Time | Day |
| Victims | Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People |
| Victim Descriptions | |
| Victims Killed | 40 |
| Victims Killed Notes | |
| Attackers | Colonists |
| Attacker Descriptions | Native Police |
| Attackers Killed | 0 |
| Attackers Killed Notes | |
| Transport | Horse |
| Motive | Reprisal |
| Weapons Used | Firearm(s), Carbine(s) |
| Narrative | According to historian Timothy Bottoms (2013, pp 65-66), some time in 1872 stockman Maloney, aged 18, who was one of two stockmen on Alex Reid's station at Wombunderry, was killed when fishing in one of the tributaries of Cooper's Creek by Birria people for shooting one of their dogs. Richard Welford of Welford Downs, who had arrived from England in 1869, was also killed in 1872. A stockman rode to Charleville to report the death of Welford. Meanwhile, John Costello send news of Maloney's murder to Thargomindah. When sub-inspector Gilmour and a detachment of native police arrived at the station and found Maloney's body in the creek, they shot an entire camp of Kungkari at Wombunderry waterhole. |
| Sources | Bottoms, 2013, pp 66-67; Durack, 2008, p 139. (Sources PDF) |
| Corroboration Rating | ** |
