Pinjarra MassacrePrint Page 
The monument commemorates those who were killed in the Pinjarra Massacre in 1834.
The Battle of Pinjarra, which occurred in 1834, is one of the most notorious massacres of Aborigines in Australian history. Captain James Stirling, Governor of the Colony of Western Australia, responded to continuing requests for military protection from a small group of settlers on the Murray River.
The new settlement at Pinjarra lay some 80 kilometres south of the Swan River settlement. Stirling formed a party of about twenty-five that was a mixture of police, soldiers and a few settlers. Their plan was to punish any Aborigines in the local area in order to drive home the message that the settlers and their cattle must not be attacked or speared. One account of the massacre explained the rationale for the attack as simply that the moment was considered favourable for punishing the perpetrators of such acts.
The party came across a group of seventy Aborigines. The Aborigines, sensing trouble, fled into the bush. Stirling divided the party and attempted to encircle the fleeing group. They caught them at a river crossing and when the Aborigines showed signs of retaliation, Stirling and his men opened fire. No one knows how many people were killed. Estimates vary from fourteen to thirty.
Location
| Address: | McLarty Road, Battle of Pinjarra Memorial Park , Pinjarra, 6208 |
|---|---|
| State: | WA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -32.641667 Long: 115.869444 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | Frontier |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 28-October-1834 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 28-October-1834 |
| Link: | https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colo… |
Dedication
Kaadaka-longka maaman, yoka, koolangka Binjareb Noongar moort Colonial Officer Ngiyan noyitj nidja 28th October 1834.
Bangka winyam moolymari moolymari moort-moort Koora kedala
Maali bilya colony, Kaada-kwadji wern bardip kadak nidja boodja.
Ngala koorl kodjookat dandjo nakaal
Weyaroniny keyen djoorap
moort nidja boodjak Mila djoowaka.
[ In memory of the men, women and children of the Binjareb Noongar people and a Colonial Officer who died here on the 28th October 1834 as part of confrontations in the early days of the Swan River Colony. Remembering the spirit of the traditional owners of this land, we go forward together in peace, building a united nation for future generations. ]
