Cullin-La-Ringo massacre

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The Cullin-La-Ringo massacre, on 17 October 1861, was the biggest massacre of whites by aborigines. 19 of the 25 members of a travelling party led by Horatio Wills were murdered on the farming property of Cullin-Ra-Ringo in central Queensland. The 6 surviving members included Wills' son Thomas Wills and four others who were absent, as well as a John Moore who managed to avoid being seen, and who reported the massacre afterwards. Moore was the only white eyewitness to the event.

The party, an enormous settlement train including bullock wagons and more than 10,000 sheep had set out from Brisbane 8 months earlier, to set up a farm at Cullin-La-Ringo, a property formed by amalgamating 4 blocks of land with a total area of 260 km². The size of the group had attracted much attention from other settlers, as well as the native aboriginal people.

According to Moore's account, aborigines had been passing through the camp all day, building up numbers until there were at least 50. Then, without warning, they attacked, murdering all the men, women and children with nulla nullas, apparently motivated by greed. The victims appear to have defended theselves with tent poles and pistols.

In response, a large group of police, native police and civilians tracked down the suspected murderers, and killed 60 to 70 aborigines before running out of ammunition.