The Myall Creek Massacre

It’s an hour and a half before sunset on a Sunday afternoon in June, 1838.

A group of Indigenous Australians, the Wirrayaraay people, are cooking their evening meal. As the day nears its end, things are quiet. Calm. 

They’re at Myall Creek Station, in north western NSW, between the towns of Bingara and Delungra. They’ve been camped there for a few weeks, seeking safety and protection from stockmen who have been roaming the district, killing any Indigenous person they could find. 

And then they hear something.

A rumbling. The sound of horses hooves. Eleven men can be seen in the distance, galloping towards them at speed. 

The women grab their children. Two young boys run and dive into a nearby creek. The rest of the group - about 28 in total - scramble towards the huts, hoping that the white men would protect them.

Instead, they were tied up, and led away from the huts. 

What happened would come to be known as the Myall Creek massacre - a crime Australians must never, ever forget.

CREDITS

Guest: Mark Tedeschi QC

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Leah Porges

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