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Wills Massacre Print Page Print this page

05-July-2021
05-July-2021

Photographs supplied by Henry Moulds

The graves and site commemorate the massacre of nineteen Europeans by Aborigines from the Kairi tribe on "Culling-La-Ringo" Station. This was the largest recorded massacre of Europeans in Australian history. Horatio Wills (station owner) and his people were buried in a grave at the scene of the massacre, which is remembered in a headstone.

It was a retaliatory massacre, part of the savage frontier guerrilla war that was being waged at the time. Eighty kilometres from Cullin-la-ringo and north of the Expedition and Staircase Ranges, some local graziers in 1861 were poisoning Kairi Kairi water holes and shooting Aboriginal people, while the Native Mounted Police were being encouraged to forcibly evict Aboriginal people from station and river camps.

Note: It is believed permission may be required to view this site. Ask at Springsure Visitor Information Centre in William Street for details. 
 

Location

Address:Garden Creek Road, via Birtley Road, Springsure, 4722
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -23.974234
Long: 147.910339
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Grave
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:Frontier
Actual Event Start Date:17-October-1861
Actual Event End Date:17-October-1861
Link:https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colo…

Dedication

Front Inscription

Headstone :

                     In
             Memory Of
HORATIO SPENCER WILLS
             Of Victoria
        Aged 49 Years
Who With His Whole Party
Consisting Of 19 Persons, Men Women
And Children, Were Barbarously
Murdered By The Blacks On This
Spot On The 17th Of October
                 1861

Headstone :

        R. I. P

GEORGE ELLIOTT
    THOMAS

Killed By Blacks
17 - 10 - 1861

Headstone :

        R. I. P
Mr. & Mrs. TOM BAKER
And Children
ELIZABETH, DAVID, IDEN
And Infant Daughter

Mr. & Mrs. PATRICK
And Children
MARY ANN, MAGGY
And Infant Daughter
Also GEORGE LING, EDWARD M`CORMACK, HENRY PICKERING
JAMES SCOTT & CHARLES WEEDON.
Killed By Blacks
17 - 10 - 1861

 

 

Inscription in Proximity

This is the site of the massacre of 19 people by a local Aboriginal tribe on 17 October 1861

The people killed were in a party led by Horatio Wills and were resting in the early afternoon when the tribe moved into camp  and killed the ten men, two women and seven children

Source: MA, ADB
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au
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