| Site Name | Dead Man's Flat |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Place Name | |
| Language Group, Nation or People | Marrawarra, Ngintait |
| Present State/Territory | SA |
| Colony/State/Territory at the time | SA |
| Police District | Adelaide |
| Latitude | -34.107 |
| Longitude | 139.955 |
| Date | Between 1 Sep 1839 and 30 Nov 1839 |
| Attack Time | Day |
| Victims | Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People |
| Victim Descriptions | |
| Victims Killed | 8 |
| Victims Killed Notes | |
| Attackers | Colonists |
| Attacker Descriptions | Stockmen/Drover(s) |
| Attackers Killed | 0 |
| Attackers Killed Notes | |
| Transport | |
| Motive | Reprisal |
| Weapons Used | Firearm(s), Musket(s) |
| Narrative | Overlanding groups passing through this region in 1839, such as Lachlan Mackinnon’s party and John Finnis’s, as well as George McLeod and Robert Flood taking bringing provisions from Adelaide were attacked by Aboriginal people (Burke et al, p 154). In 1841 O'Halloran recorded in his diary, described:
'a spot where several parties have been attacked (Mr Eyre,52 Tooth & others) and where a European was killed by the natives and lies buried between 2 trees with an F upon one, this man belonged to Mr McKinnon's party – I shall therefore distinguish our present encampment as the "Dead Man's flat" ... From what I can gather from some of the men who came overland – several natives have been killed upon different occasions – I understand the latter nearly took the life of Mr Tooth and Eyre was turned back and obliged to get further strength ere he could pass.' (O’Halloran cited in Burke et al, p 154) While details on the killing in this region in 1839 are unclear, Burke et al distinguish Dead Man's Flat from the location of other killings in 1839 at Langhorne's Ferry at Rufus River (pp 154-161). |
| Sources | Burke et al, 2016, pp 154 https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n2179/pdf/article06.pdf (Sources PDF) |
| Corroboration Rating | * |
Colonial Frontier Massacres
in Australia, 1788-1930
