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

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au  

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group 

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.