Site Name | Mission Beach (3) This massacre is part of a group of massacres |
Aboriginal Place Name | |
Language Group | Djiru |
Present State/Territory | QLD |
Colony/State/Territory at the time | QLD |
Police District | Cardwell |
Latitude | -17.893 |
Longitude | 146.085 |
Date | Between 8 Mar 1872 and 15 Mar 1872 |
Attack Time | Day |
Victims | Aboriginal People |
Victim Descriptions | Aboriginal |
Victims Killed | 45 |
Victims Killed Notes | MWC |
Attackers | Colonists |
Attacker Descriptions | Sailor(s) |
Attackers Killed | 0 |
Attackers Killed Notes | |
Transport | Boat |
Motive | Reprisal |
Weapons Used | Muzzle Loading Rifle(s) |
Narrative | As the third reprisal following the Djuru massacre of 14 crew of the wreck of the schooner Maria on Bramble reef on 26 February 1872, Captain Moresby from HMS Basilisk, landed at Mission Beach with a party of sailors and killed a further 45 Djuru men, women and children at their campsite at Clump Point (Moresby, 1876, pp 28-29). In all, 146 Djuru were recorded killed in the three massacres over the week 8-15 March 1872 in reprisal for the Djuru killing 14 crew of the schooner Maria. |
Sources | Moresby, 1876, pp 28-30 http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1301151h.html; Queenslander April 6, 1872, p 9 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27270473 and April 13, 1872, p 8 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27270598; Bottoms, 2013, pp 134-135. (Sources PDF) |
Corroboration Rating | *** |