| Site Name | Fitzroy River Valley, West Kimberley |
| Aboriginal Place Name | |
| Language Group | Bunuba, Nyikina, Unggarangi |
| Present State/Territory | WA |
| Colony/State/Territory at the time | WA |
| Police District | Fitzroy Crossing -West Kimberley |
| Latitude | -19.004 |
| Longitude | 123.846 |
| Date | 14 Aug 1896 |
| Attack Time | Day |
| Victims | Aboriginal People |
| Victim Descriptions | |
| Victims Killed | 9 |
| Victims Killed Notes | |
| Attackers | Colonists |
| Attacker Descriptions | Police |
| Attackers Killed | 0 |
| Attackers Killed Notes | |
| Transport | Horse |
| Motive | Reprisal |
| Weapons Used | Snider(s), Revolver(s), Winchester(s) |
| Narrative | In May 1896 police reported that groups of Aboriginal people, possibly the Unggarangi people on the flat Fitzroy River floodplains, attacked the manager of Noonkanbah Station, William Cox, and stole firearms, and that Noormandie (aka Albert) and Darbelin speared a boundary rider named Duncan. Sub Inspector Craven Ord, along with native assistants and PC Phillips, went after the offenders on 27 July 1896. PCs Pilmer and Nicholson from Fitzroy Crossing joined up later. After tracking them for over ten days they came upon the group and killed three unnamed individuals, the rest escaping into the ‘almost inaccessible stronghold in the St George's Range’. They continued tracking the group until 14 August when they surprised them in a dawn raid and ‘dispersed the mob’, killing six and wounding two although 'the alleged ringleaders escaped punishment' (SROWA, Cons. 430, File 2301/96). |
| Sources | 'Native Troubles on the Fitzroy,' West Australian, August 21, 1896, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3098102; WAPD, Telegram to Commissioner of Police from Sub Inspector Ord. 7 August 1896, SROWA, Cons. 430, File 2301/96; McGregor, 1985, pp 103-122; McGregor, 1993, pp 63-82; Muecke, et. al, 1985, pp 81-100; Owen, 2016, pp 326-330. (Sources PDF) |
| Corroboration Rating | *** |
