58-664: The Pinjarra massacre , also known as the Battle of Pinjarra , occurred on 28 October 1834 in Pinjarra, Western Australia when a group of Binjareb Noongar people were attacked by a detachment of 25 soldiers, police, and settlers led by Governor James Stirling . According to Stirling, "about 60 or 70" of the Binjareb people were present at the camp and John Roe , who also participated, estimated about 70–80. This roughly agrees with an estimate of 70 by an unidentified eyewitness. The attack at Pinjarra
116-587: A "decisive action" that would end the attacks "once and for all". Stirling had wanted to begin on 17 October, but a Murray man seen in Perth was suspected of being a spy for Calyute and so the expedition was delayed one week. On the morning of Saturday 25 October, Stirling and Roe left Perth and travelled southwards to the Preston Ferry, there waiting for surveyor George Smyth and Corporal Julius Delmage, who had brought supplies south by boat from Perth. Spare horses from
174-480: A child living near the Murray River are found in his first novel The Young Desire It . In 1974, an alumina refinery was established by Alcoa Australia Ltd , causing a boost in the population of Pinjarra and nearby Mandurah . Pinjarra is also the site of the world's largest bauxite mine. Pinjarra contains Pinjarra Primary School, Pinjarra Senior High School , and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School. Pinjarra
232-403: A former State Premier - Sir Ross McLarty . It is near the site of the Pinjarra massacre , where between 14 and 80 Noongar people were killed by British colonists in 1834. The name was often shown spelt "Pinjarrup" on early maps, while the accepted spelling for many years was "Pinjarrah". There are conflicting theories regarding the meaning of the name, and it is usually said to mean "place of
290-543: A large part of the wheatbelt and southwest of the state, draining from 450 mm (18 in) per annum average rainfall country in the east near Pingelly , westward through the high rainfall parts of the Darling Range around Dwellingup with an average rainfall of 1,300 mm (51 in) per annum. The first of the two major tributaries, the Hotham River , starts its journey near Narrogin . The other major tributary
348-624: A short distance inland from present-day Rockingham and after climbing a small hill at what is now Baldivis , sighted a river in the distance. This was later named the Serpentine River , which is to the north of the Murray and for some time was confused with the Murray, which was not encountered until later that year. In November, Dr Alexander Collie and Lieutenant William Preston and crew from HMS Sulphur piloted two whaleboats out of Cockburn Sound and at midday on 17 November 1829 crossed
406-533: A significant part in the expansion of settlement in the area south of Perth after the arrival of British settlers at the Swan River Colony in 1829. It should not be confused with the Murray River in southeastern Australia, which is the longest river in the country. The river is one of the few major rivers close to Perth which is devoid of dams for public water supply. It includes a catchment area including
464-591: A soldier's attitude to crush a warlike group of Aboriginals and reduce them to a state of subjection. It was this unyielding, overbearing attitude that had alienated [Irwin] from the body of Swan River settlers and caused them to burn him in effigy on the eve of his departure. It was a narrow, regimented view of frontier problems and, perhaps, part of the blame for the Pinjarra massacre can be attributed to Irwin and his unsympathetic administration of Aboriginal affairs during James Stirling's absence. Stirling had been visiting
522-567: A swamp", as a corruption of the Aboriginal word "beenjarrup". However, Pinjarra is more likely to have been named after the Pindjarup people who frequented the area. Pinjarra is one of the earliest European settlements to occur in Western Australia; one of the first settlers in the area was Thomas Peel , who established a settlement at the mouth of the Murray River in 1830. In 1831, land
580-555: Is a town in the Peel region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway , 82 kilometres (51 mi) from the state capital, Perth and 21 kilometres (13 mi) south-east of the coastal city of Mandurah . Its local government area is the Shire of Murray . At the 2016 census , Pinjarra had a population of 4910. Pinjarra is an area rich in history, and is the home town of
638-444: Is also on the South Western Highway between Armadale and Bunbury , something which has both helped and hindered the town. Traffic through the town during holiday seasons has been known to stretch for kilometres north or south. As a result, there have been calls for the construction of a road bypass of the town. Murray River (Western Australia) The Murray River is a river in the southwest of Western Australia . It played
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#1733085550980696-662: Is navigable in small boats. The river then flows across the sand plain between the Darling Scarp and the coast to empty into the Peel Estuary near Mandurah . The canal development of North and South Yunderup is situated several kilometres upstream from the estuary. The first European exploration of the area was in July 1829 when a group, led by Captain Currie of HMS Challenger and accompanied by botanist James Drummond , marched
754-522: Is the Williams River , which starts between Williams and Narrogin. These two tributaries are the main rivers which drain the eastern wheat-belt. The Murray River then flows through forested high-rainfall parts of the Darling Range to emerge near Pinjarra. Another tributary, the Dandalup River , joins the Murray a short distance downstream of Pinjarra. This section is known as the lower Murray and
812-478: Is the operating base for the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway . Peel Zoo, known for its bird wildlife, is situated near Pinjarra. Pinjarra contains one shopping centre, Pinjarra Junction, which opened in 2008. Because of its close proximity to Mandurah and recent infrastructure and amenities investments, Pinjarra's population is likely to increase significantly through new subdivisions surrounding
870-624: The 12-day trip. This was their first actual encounter with the Murray River and it was named by Governor James Stirling after the Secretary of State for the Colonial Office in London , Sir George Murray . Within a few months, settlers from the Swan River had started to explore the river and choose blocks along its banks. Thomas Peel had left Britain with a promise that if he arrived at Fremantle by
928-418: The 400-kilometre-distant (250 mi) seaport of Albany and bad weather caused his return to be delayed until September. In response to calls from Pinjarra settlers for protection against the increased hostility of local Binjareb Noongars led by Calyute , Stirling organised a mounted force of police, bushmen and ex-soldiers. Their brief was to protect settlers, safeguard Aboriginal mail-carriers and confront
986-505: The Bindjareb people remain custodians and representatives of their culture. There had been numerous Aboriginal attacks on settlers in the preceding years. Notably, in February 1832, Private George Budge was ambushed by Bindjareb Nyungars, and speared to death near Peel’s garden. The following July, Sergeant Wood of the 63rd Regiment was speared and nearly killed. This was followed in July 1834 by
1044-438: The Binjareb on the Murray River . A small garrison at Dandalup had also been withdrawn from fear of Aboriginal reprisals. The Binjareb tribe had a reputation with other local Aboriginal tribes for their aggression and attacks on other Aboriginal people and settlers. It is possible that their motives for attacking the local settlers were part of an attempt to assert their power amongst other local tribes and to take advantage of
1102-584: The Binjareb, he declared, "no one would be allowed to remain alive on this side of the Mountains" (the Darling Scarp ). The massacre seemed to have increased and intensified the settlers' fears rather than allayed them. The belief that Aboriginal people would unite to drive the colonists out persisted into the 1850s when there was another massacre of Aboriginals gathering for a corroboree at Whiteman Park near Guildford. Mounted police continued regular patrols in
1160-470: The Oakley brook at about 8:35 am. Peel approached along the western bank of the river and returned to tell of a settlement of about 20 bark beehive-shaped mia-mias in the bend of the river. The weather broke and it started to rain heavily as Ellis, Charles Norcott and three of the police attacked from the south. The Aboriginal men gathered up their spears and woomeras , as the women and children fled towards
1218-525: The ambush and murder of Hugh Nesbitt, a servant of Thomas Peel and the wounding of Edward Barron . Following the Binjareb looting, by means of armed robbery, of the flour mill that provided rations to settlers and Noongars in the district, as well as the murder and mutilation of Nesbitt, Captain Frederick Irwin , the lieutenant governor in Stirling's absence, is said to have inflamed the situation by adopting
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#17330855509801276-555: The ambush and, when all had been slain, the posse remounted to chase the others who had fled north into the bush. By 10:05 am it was all over and, because of the serious condition of two of the British wounded, Stirling returned immediately to Mandurah. On the Aboriginal side, there are conflicting reports. 60–70 Aboriginal men, women and children in the camp had been subjected to intensive fire of 24 guns for an hour, and for another half-hour
1334-445: The area, and the police force at Mandurah continued, though there was no further trouble. Peel continued to call for action to wipe out and exterminate the rest of the Binjareb, whom he called "a nest of hornets", although there were no further payback reprisals. The killing of so many Binjareb caused a major population imbalance between rival Aboriginal groups, with Swan and Canning Wadjuk and York Balardong attempting to profit from
1392-419: The beginning of November 1829 with 400 settlers, he would be allocated a grant of 1,000 square kilometres (250,000 acres), comprising much of the land on the south bank of the Swan River to Cockburn Sound . As he arrived six weeks late and with only 169 settlers, the offer was withdrawn by Stirling as the land had been granted to established settlers. Peel was offered an alternative grant from Woodman Point to
1450-516: The dead, their task was almost impossible. Amongst the dead were Unia, Calyute's youngest son, and Gummol who had been flogged for his part in the earlier attack on Shenton's Mill. Two of Calyute's wives were amongst the wounded; Yornup's lower leg had been shot away, and Mindip had been shot in the left arm and right thigh. At the end of the hostilities, Stirling gave the Noongar people a terrifying threat. If there were any retaliatory payback killings from
1508-566: The decimation of the Murray Binjareb. Stirling also personally profited, as he was able to take ownership of Binjareb lands in the Harvey district, untroubled. Five months after the massacre, the Murray group sent a deputation to the governor seeking an end to hostilities and the later killings that had followed. Maigo, of the Wadjuk, went as a messenger, and the Binjareb promised support for actions of
1566-502: The estuary, a distance of about 40 kilometres (25 mi). The problem was exacerbated by extensive clearing of trees in the foothills which would have otherwise helped remove the excess water. Settlers described a giant wetland with travel impossible for several months each year. From 1900 to about the end of the Second World War, a concerted effort at draining the flood-prone areas was made and today, about one-third of all land with
1624-432: The ferry were loaded with supplies as the party set off to Hamilton Hill , skirting Fremantle to the east. There they were joined by Ellis and the five mounted police, superintendent Richard Meares and his son, Seymour. They then rode south to Peel's homestead where they were joined by Peel and two others. On the morning of 27 October, ten soldiers of the 21st Regiment , two corporals and eight privates, arrived to join
1682-552: The governor. With the Wadjuk camped at the fresh water Doodinup spring at what is now Spring Street, and the Binjareb camped at the Deedyallup water-hole, near the present ABC building in Fielder St, Perth, a joint corroboree and distribution of 50 loaves of bread sealed the peace. Calyute survived the massacre, but his continued existence annoyed Peel. Calyute equally hated Peel, biting his beard whenever he saw his old enemy. Since 1991,
1740-424: The hills. Daisy M. Bates , writing for local newspaper The Western Mail , 5 August 1926, said Noonaar had been in the act of throwing a spear at Norcott when he was shot dead. She also wrote that eight women and some children were spared and assured of their personal safety, held during the fighting, then released afterward, on realising this some men "cried out that they were of the other sex". Stirling, hearing
1798-512: The infamous Pinjarra massacre in October 1834 during which an uncertain number of Noongar people of the local Pindjarup tribal group were killed. The massacre by a detachment of 25 soldiers, police and settlers, led by Stirling, followed a raid in Perth by members of the Murray River tribe. The following year, a formal truce was made between the Murray River and the Swan River Noongars and
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1856-465: The late afternoon, they camped at Jinjanuk, 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the mouth of the Murray River, so that they could begin the attack early next morning when they judged the Aboriginal group would be least prepared. The group woke two hours before dawn on 28 October and ate breakfast in the dark. By 8:00 am, the party had rejoined the Murray where the river was 30 metres (98 ft) wide, between steep red loam banks, continuing northwards to cross
1914-402: The massacre is annually remembered by the Binjareb people on 28 October; the commemoration is named Back to Pinjarra Day. Binjareb Noongar man Theo Kearing and his wife Roseanne Kearing were central figures in starting this memorial, after many years of work, to have the event recognised as a massacre. It is performed at a memorial site in Pinjarra. Pinjarra, Western Australia Pinjarra
1972-412: The men, women and children little cover as they tried to hide behind what logs or bushes there were. Many ducked into the water, holding their breath as long as they could. Some tried to float downstream out of range, but the water was too shallow to permit their escape. They, too, were shot. Roe's journal records "Very few wounded were suffered to escape". Soldiers fired indiscriminately at those caught in
2030-474: The newcomers. Indeed, Monang, some of his counterparts, and those who came after, were to contribute in a variety of ways to the development of the area into what it is today. Monang and Denmar, both involved in the murder of Nesbit, and originally on the list of "wanted" Nyungar men, in fact became the first "native" policemen at Pinjarra in 1838. Monang also developed a close association with Henry Bunbury and would accompany Bunbury on his expeditions. Presently,
2088-406: The north bank of the Murray River and from the ocean to the Darling Scarp . Peel's remaining settlers arrived shortly after and settled initially at Clarence before moving to the site of present-day Mandurah, which he named Peeltown . Despite many problems faced by the settlers, the area gradually expanded, and a settlement at Pinjarra was established by late 1830. Pinjarra was approximately
2146-414: The number killed as between 15 and 20. An unidentified eyewitness counted about 25–30 killed, including 1 woman and several children. In addition, suggesting it was "very probable that more men were killed in the river and floated down with the stream". The number of Binjareb people injured remains unknown, as do the number of deaths resulting from injuries sustained during the attack. The Pinjarra Massacre
2204-565: The ocean bar and sailed south along the coast as far as the Collie and Preston Rivers and the Leschenault Inlet before returning to the Peel-Harvey estuary on 28 November 1829. From there they explored the Murray River delta, which at the time included five entrances into the estuary. The boats managed to navigate about 3 kilometres (2 mi) up the river before returning to Fremantle after
2262-581: The ocean bar at present-day Mandurah. After camping overnight, they sailed south down the Peel-Harvey Estuary to the southern extreme near the delta of the Harvey River , where they had an amicable encounter with some local Aboriginal people . Due to strong winds, they sailed north out of the estuary without exploring the Eastern shore where the Murray River enters the estuary. The group then exited through
2320-540: The original town-site. Armadale Railway Line also planning to extend till Byford in first phase and till Pinjarra in second phase. Pinjarra is home to both Thoroughbred Horse Racing and Harness Racing at Pinjarra Park and Pinjarra Paceway, respectively, under the authority of Racing and Wagering Western Australia . The feature race events held at these venues are the Pinjarra Cups, held in April and March of each year at
2378-410: The party. Ammunition was issued to a party on 27 October 1834, and they were issued with several weeks' supplies, as the soldiers were to remain at Pinjarra and establish the planned garrison there. Leaving Peel's farm they crossed the Serpentine River and went forward to the Murray delta where tracks of a sizeable group of Aboriginal men women and children were discovered heading towards Pinjarra. In
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2436-461: The political upheaval caused by the arrival of the British settlers, and the death of many Perth Wadjuk people. Stirling and others, drawing on the experience of Scottish clans and native American Indians of North America, were afraid of a possible alliance between the Binjareb and Weeip 's Wadjuk people in the Upper Swan, and sought to prevent such an alliance by an attack on the Aboriginal people to
2494-448: The population of the town was 400, 300 males and 100 females. A British child migration scheme run by Kingsley Fairbridge established a farm school in the area in the early 1900s. Hundreds of orphaned children were educated at Fairbridge Farm between 1913 and 1981. Fairbridge Chapel was built at Pinjarra, in 1924 to Herbert Baker 's design. The author Kenneth (Seaforth) McKenzie grew up in Pinjarra, and parts of his experiences as
2552-649: The respective venues. Pinjarra and the Peel Region is also one of the major centres for WA Racing, with a number of trainers and breeders established in the region. Pinjarra station is located on the South Western Railway and served by Transwa 's twice daily Australind service from Perth to Bunbury . In September 2012 a Transperth bus service was inaugurated between Murray Hospital in southern Pinjarra and Mandurah railway station , via Mandurah Forum on Pinjarra Road , and Pinjarra town centre. Pinjarra
2610-459: The river, where Stirling, Meares, Peel and 12 others were waiting in hiding. Ellis was soon in a melee with the Noongars, and Norcott, recognising a troublemaker called Noonaar, shot him with his double-barrelled shotgun , causing the first casualty. Five or more Aboriginal people were killed in the first clash, and the remainder then turned and ran towards the river, intending to cross and scatter into
2668-465: The river, which forced the people into the river where they caught the victims, mostly women and children, in a crossfire. Many bodies were left to float downstream. Official reports referred to it as a battle, and it was only over 150 years later that it was recognised as one of many colonial massacres in Australia. Surveys were carried out in 1836 and land allocated to settlers in 1837. By early 1898,
2726-412: The shots, reacted quickly. Roe was sent with four others to prevent the group escaping south and guard the pack horses at the ford. The governor and 14 others in a line abreast then ambushed the Noongar people who had crossed the river. Ellis had been dislodged from his horse but Norcott continued pushing the group into the river where they were caught in a withering crossfire. The flood-scoured slopes gave
2784-424: The site of the incident, implied that many more were killed than officially acknowledged, as he found several mass graves, but the rain and his fear of an attack made exhuming the bodies for an official count impossible. Advocate-General George Fletcher Moore estimated from his own investigations (he was not present) that between 25 and 30 were left dead on the field and in the river. On the settlers side, Heffron
2842-481: The south. Stirling's attack at Pinjarra was specifically to collectively punish the Binjareb for their earlier individual attacks, to re-establish a barracks on the road to the south, and to enable Peel to attract settlers into his lands at Mandurah . This followed an earlier failure by Surveyor General Septimus Roe and pastoralist Thomas Peel , who had led an expedition to the area with the goal of improving security and negotiating peaceful co-existence. Stirling wanted
2900-467: The survivors were hunted through the bush. No male prisoners were taken alive and all wounded were immediately shot. At the end of hostilities, eight women and a few children were taken as captives. In his report, Stirling claimed 15 Aboriginal men had been killed. Roe estimated the dead at 15–20. But these numbers do not seem to have included women and children. Captain Daniel, whom Stirling later sent to survey
2958-402: The upper limit of navigable water along the Murray River. It also had a natural ford for travellers at nearby Oakley Brook. More land allocations along the southern bank of the river were made; however, settlement seemed to be limited to no further south than the Murray River grants, partly because of continuing and increasing conflicts with local Aboriginal people. These conflicts culminated in
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#17330855509803016-404: The white settlers. Relative peace was established and expansion around the towns of Pinjarra increased. The opening of the Perth to Bunbury railway in 1893 further expanded the area. Almost immediately after farming commenced, settlers realised that the soils surrounding the lower reaches of the river suffered badly from annual flooding caused by a very low fall between the base of the scarp and
3074-409: The whites in their district". Some Binjareb did continue to fight back, while others sought peace. The effects of the attack's outcome were devastating for the Binjareb, allowing "surrounding groups to exploit the weakness of the once powerful Binjareb". Despite this, some of the younger generation of Binjareb (notably Calyute's son Monang and another individual called Denmar) later became involved with
3132-547: Was given a woomera by a survivor shortly after the ambush, a description of which was printed in the Perth Gazette ; an image drawn on the object depicted a river, horses, humans and the graves of the slain. Armstrong and Peel later attempted an official count by interviewing the Aborigines Ninda and Colling, who had been present. Some 11 names were given but, in view of the prohibition in Noongar culture against speaking of
3190-543: Was in response to sustained aggression by the Binjarebs, including robberies and murder of settlers and members of other Nyungar tribes. On the attacking side, Captain Theophilus Tighe Ellis died and Corporal Patrick Heffron was injured. On the defending side an uncertain number of Binjareb men, women, and children were killed. Stirling quantified the number of Binjareb people killed as probably 15 males; Roe estimated
3248-427: Was reserved for a townsite near a ford over the river. By 1834, word had spread about the rich loamy soils and pastures, bringing more Europeans to the area. In 1834, at the insistence of Thomas Peel, a group was organised and led by Governor James Stirling to do something about the Aboriginal people; this group attacked the village consisting of over 20 mia-mias just after dawn. They approached from both sides of
3306-518: Was the culmination of increasing tension and violence between newly arrived settlers, who were appropriating the land for farming, and the Noongar peoples, who lived on it as hunter-gatherers. After the attack, Governor Stirling was "effectively threatening to kill 80% of the Noongar population of the South West". Stirling claimed as justification for the attack that the Binjareb had threatened to "destroy all
3364-454: Was wounded in the arm, but recovered. Ellis was suffering concussion, either from a glancing blow from a spear or from the fall off his horse, and died on 11 November, having been in a coma for two weeks. Later that week The Jackets of Green , a folk ballad honouring Ellis, was published and sheet music sold at hotels in Guildford and Perth. The colony's native interpreter, Francis Armstrong ,
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