| Rufus River massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Australian frontier wars | |
.jpg) A photograph of the Rufus River | |
| Location | Rufus River, New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 34°03′S 141°15′E / 34.050°S 141.250°E |
| Date | 1841 August 27 |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | 30+ killed |
| Victims | Indigenous Australians |
| Perpetrators | South Australian Police led by Sub-Inspector Bernard Shaw and British colonists led by William Robinson.[1] |
The Rufus River Massacre was a massacre of at least 30–40 Aboriginal people that took place in 1841 along the Rufus River, in the Central Murray River region of New South Wales (now Australia). The massacre was conducted by a large group of South Australian Police, who were sent to the region by the Governor of South Australia, George Grey, after Indigenous warriors carried out a series of effective raids against settler overland drives. The police were augmented by armed volunteers and a separate party of overlanders who were already battling with Aboriginal people in the Rufus River area. The colony's Protector of Aborigines, Matthew Moorhouse, accompanied the punitive expedition. He was unsuccessful in his efforts to mediate a solution before the massacre occurred.[1]