| Site Name | Blackfellows Creek, Upper Palmer River |
| Aboriginal Place Name | |
| Language Group | |
| Present State/Territory | QLD |
| Colony/State/Territory at the time | QLD |
| Police District | Palmer River |
| Latitude | -15.965 |
| Longitude | 144.681 |
| Date | Between 1 Jan 1875 and 31 Dec 1875 |
| Attack Time | Day |
| Victims | Aboriginal People |
| Victim Descriptions | Aboriginal |
| Victims Killed | 10 |
| Victims Killed Notes | |
| Attackers | Colonists |
| Attacker Descriptions | Native Police, Stockmen/Drover(s) |
| Attackers Killed | 0 |
| Attackers Killed Notes | |
| Transport | Foot, Horse |
| Motive | Opportunity |
| Weapons Used | Carbine(s) |
| Narrative | In a letter from a miner, dated 'Upper Palmer River April 16' and published in the Brisbane Courier and The Queenslander, he describes his camp at a place known locally as 'Blackfellows Creek'. 'To my enquiry as to why the locality was so named, the answer is that not long since "the niggers got a dressing there"...There have been, certainly, "dressings"...dealt out in this part of the country to the blacks.'.... 'Be that as it may, however, the Golgotha on which we are at present camped would well repay a visit from any number of phrenological students in search of a skull, or of anatomical professors in want of a "subject"' (Brisbane Courier, May 1, 1876, p 3). According to historian Jonathan Richards, in this incident, former Sub inspector DW Uhr from the native police, led the attacking party of miners. |
| Sources | Brisbane Courier, May 1, 1876, p 3 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1400591; The Queenslander, May 6, 1876, p 23
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18342317; Richards, 2008, p 264; Orsted-Jensen 2011, p 72. (Sources PDF) |
| Corroboration Rating | ** |
