Flying Foam Massacre (Murderer Pool)

As the name suggests, this is a tragic site. The Jaburara people from the Burrup Peninsula and nearby islands had little to do with Europeans until pearl shell was found at Nickol Bay (which is the seaside area between the two peninsulas) in 1865.

In February 1868, an Aboriginal man was arrested for stealing flour from a pearling ship and chained to a tree by two policemen. That night, a group of Aboriginals rescued him and speared to death the policemen and a pearler camping nearby. At Roebourne, 15 pastoralists and pearlers were sworn in as "special constables" to arrest (mind this word!) the leaders of the rescue.

A group of these surprised an Aboriginal camp at the Burrup Peninsula on February 17th and opened fire. A second group shot Aboriginals as they tried to cross the Flying Foam Passage on logs. While official sources reported 5 to 10 Aboriginals killed, the settlers and Jaburara people counted up to 60 [1]. An entire tribe, a language, a people were erased.

This site is hard to find as no sign leads you there. There you'll find a plaque which reads:

More information about massacres

Read about the Myall Creek Massacre, the only massacre where the white murderers have been trialled.

Blood on the Wattle by Bruce Elder informs about massacres and maltreatment of Aboriginal people. It was voted one of the most influential works of Australian non-fiction by newspaper readers in the 'Spectrum Poll of the Century'.

Make sure to pick up the third edition which includes a new chapter on the massacres in the New England area of NSW and around the Three Rivers - the Hastings, the Macleay and the Manning.

[1] Exhibition at WA Museum, Perth