After Bingara, the group travelled north-east towards Inverell and about midway along Bingara Road between Bingara and Delungra we visited the site where the 1838 Myall Creek Massacre was perpetrated.
The massacre of approximately 30 Wirrayaraay people at Myall Creek, the subsequent court cases and the hanging of the seven settlers for their role in the massacre was a pivotal moment in the development of the relationship between settlers and Aboriginal people. It was the first and last attempt by the colonial administration to use the law to control frontier conflict between settlers and Aboriginal people.
The Myall Creek massacre is outstanding in the course of Australia's cultural history as it is the last time the Colonial Administration intervened to ensure the laws of the colony were applied equally to Aboriginal people and settlers involved in frontier killings.
The Myall Creek Massacre Memorial consists of a large granite boulder with a plaque, erected on a hill overlooking the site of the massacre at Myall Creek. The path winding up to the monument has seven smaller rocks each containing some of the story, with a seat opposite each rock and situated under trees.
The Memorial brought together the descendants of the victims, survivors and perpetrators of the violence in an act of reconciliation which had implications for the whole community. On 10th June each year a commemoration ceremony is held at the site.
The site is becoming more frequently visited by non Indigenous people who are slowly becoming aware of the true history of Indigenous Australians and the struggle since the invasion.
The Myall Creek Massacre and Memorial Site was added to the National Heritage List on 7 June 2008.Sources:
1. Dept of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
2. "Blood On the Wattle - Massacres and Maltreatment of Australian Aborigines since 1788" by Bruce Elder, published by National Book Distributors (1988)
