Broadly, the ‘Frontier Wars’ comprises the times of greatest hostility and conflict between Aboriginal groups and European invaders (settlers). For the region of the Sunshine Coast, it ran from the 1830s to 1870s, with worst incidents in the 1840s to 1860s – concurrent with the advancing tide of settlement of the district.
Sadly, our understanding of ‘Frontier Wars’ in Australia is marred by extreme vagueness, inaccuracy and hearsay. Rarely did perpetrators wish to detail their atrocities or offer exact coordinates and dates. Often, accounts of ‘outrages’ were either greatly exaggerated (if perpetrated by Indigenous people) or entirely hushed up if the perpetrators were non-Indigenous. In some cases, the actual events occurred elsewhere, and the writers presumed that those reminiscing were discussing their own region. Consequently, much of what is documented here will require many years of research to either verify or amend.
Another problem is the confusion between localised instances of crime and Frontier War incidents. The random theft of some flour or an axe, or a personal dispute between Aboriginal and European individuals that ended in homicide, does not necessarily relate to the grand scheme of resistance. Broad plans of resistance and invasion certainly existed, but the motivation for individual homicides, vandalism or theft cannot be determined in every instance. In 1842 between 30 and 60 Gubbi Gubbi people and their allies died after eating poisoned flour given them at the Kilcoy station, which is west of the Sunshine Coast local government region but within Jinibara country. In response to this massacre, Aboriginal resistance increased in the Sunshine Coast area.
The line between a crime spree and rebellion is often vague. Aboriginal resistance usually took the form of economic sabotage (sacking storehouses and destroying crops and flocks) which coincidently also provided a means of sustenance. This complicates matters further. The line between a crime spree and rebellion is often vague. In this booklet, as far as possible, any events that cannot be directly linked to resistance or reprisal have been excluded.
