Early Gin Gin
& the Blaxland Tragedy
As read by ARTHUR LAURIE,
a Vice-President of the
Historical Society of Queensland
at the meeting of the Society
on 27th November 1952
The town of Gin Gin is situated on the Bundaberg
Mt. Perry line about twenty-nine miles from Bundaberg.
It has a population of 660 people and is in the
Kolan Shire Council area and Gin Gin is the administrative
centre.
It is also the centre for dairying, beef
cattle raising, sugar growing, general farming and
timber getting. To the average person visiting the
town, whether as a tourist in a bus or a traveller racing
through the district in a high-powered car, it is
just another small town. He would give no thought to
what had been its past, and would be amazed if he was
told that the first settlers there were on the frontier
of civilization and carried their lives in their hands
and had to fight for their right to live against savages,
as well as suffering other troubles such as shortage of
rations and isolation.
As the first settlement was the station, it is one of
the oldest in the Wide Bay district, following closely
behind Maryborough in "1847 and Gayndah in 1848."
It can also claim some distinction from the fact that
its previous owners occupied high positions in public
life. Wm. Forster became a Premier of New South Wales,
and later two owners in partnership. Sir Thos.
Mcllwraith and Sir Arthur Palmer, became Premiers
of Queensland and each of these gentlemen have had
their names written large in the records of the State,
either connected with legislative enactments, or in the
advancement of settlement in different parts of
Queensland. Gin Gin had its beginning not earlier
than April 1847 and I say that definitely because
writers to the Press and publishers of historical
brochures have at different times given the place an
earlier starting period, by saying it was first settled in
1845. My assurance in making this statement lies in
the report made by J. C. Burnett, a surveyor-explorer
who was commissioned by the New South Wales
Government to trace the river Boyne on which stations
had been formed only a few years previously.
The belief was that the Boyne known to those
settlers was the same river that emptied into the sea
in the neighbourhood of Port Curtis. Burnett fol-
lowed the river through the locality that afterwards
became Gayndah when it turned in an easterly direc-
tion, and he only stopped when he encountered dense
scrub country which could only be penetrated with
great difficulty; this scrub was no doubt the famous
Wongarra scrub, which now grows sugar cane outside
of Bundaberg. He knew he was close to the coast, as
the river was under the influence of the tides. On his
return journey he stopped for a time at Hawkins
Station, then known as Boojinbah, which is now
Boonara. It was here that he wrote a report of his
activities to the Colonial Secretary, Deas-Thompson,
in Sydney. This letter was dated 13th April 1847, and
the last paragraph says: "No Stations have as yet
been established beyond latitude 26 degrees; this
which is the northernmost is in latitude 26 1 48. I
believe, however, that much of the country I have been
over will be taken up shortly."
That statement convinces me that Gin Gin was not
occupied previous to that date as Burnett would have
known if there was any settlement north of that loca-
tion. Burnett's letter to Deas-Thompson was pub-
lished in the New South Wales Government Gazette
dated 22nd June 1847. Incidentally, at a later period
Burnett rowed up this river as far as the tidal waters
went, and definitely proved that it was not the Boyne.
He was rewarded for his efforts by having the river
named after him. Unfortunately he did not live long
after his success, as he died in 1854, ho doubt as a
result of the privations he had suffered while
exploring.
Returning to the first settlement of Gin Gin it is
on record that Messrs. Gregory Blaxland and Wm.
Forster had station properties in the Clarence River
district in the early 1840's, and they were interested
in the reports of good pastoral country to the north of
the Darling Downs which at this period was already
settled but not fully developed. Gregory Blaxland was
the seventh and youngest son of Gregory Blaxland, who
shared the honour with Wm. Chas. Wentworth and
Wm. Lawson, who opened up access across the Blue
Mountains in 1813; this range of mountains had defied
all explorers from the date of settlement in Sydney in
1788. Blaxland and Forster were related, being uncle
and nephew in that order. Their expedition started
from Envay, Clarence River, in 1847, led by Blaxland
and accompanied by Forster, and it is stated that their
stock numbered 30,000 sheep and -800 cattle and a
large number of horses. The number of sheep appears
to be very large when there was no fixed destination in
view, but there was a large party travelling—shep-
herds, bullock drivers, and other employees. Included
in the group was a widow and family, Mrs. Pegg,
whose husband had been an employee of the firm and
had been drowned about two years previously. Mrs.
Pegg was befriended by the partners and her elder
sons were employed as shepherds. The expedition
travelled slowly and they were altogether twelve
months on the road, part of the time delayed by lamb-
ing, and in the period the flock was shorn, and the
wool had to be carted to the nearest port, which would
be either Brisbane or Ipswich, the latter town being
the head of navigation on the Brisbane River and its
tributary the Bremer. However, in the period they
got beyond Ned Hawkins' Station, Boojinbah, about
sixty miles, which was then the furthest out settle-
ment.
After examining the country in the neighbourhood
of what was the lately named Burnett River they
picked on the site where the station now stands, which
was on the bank of a creek with flowing water. The
station was originally named Tirroan, and it held that
name for a number of years until it changed ownership
and then it was called Gin Gin.
There is no fixed date of settlement in the records,
but it would not be earlier than 1848 according to the
calculation of travelling time. The location was found
to be good pastoral land, but there was one great draw-
back—the settlers found themselves in the centre of a
savage tribe of blacks. They ensured a certain amount
of safety by putting up strong buildings of bush timber,
some of which can be seen to-day. They were really
blockhouses loopholed ready for attack. Their stores
and wool were protected, but the management of the
stock had to be attended to in the open and they were
only safe in the dark hours of the night when the
blacks, who were superstitious, did not make an attack
until early dawn. Just the same there was a twenty-
four-hour service in operation as the sheep had to be
folded and watched at night, and this had to be done
continuously
The blacks made sporadic attacks on the shep-
herds whenever they saw an opportunity, and often
broke up the flocks which suited them to get a feast
of mutton; sheep would be easier to catch and kill than
kangaroos. The first real tragedy occurred on 4th
June 1849, when the two Pegg brothers were killed a
few miles from the Station. Blaxland organized a
punitive party to deal with the savages. He secured
some help from his neighbours, Thompson brothers,
who had taken up Walla Station on the Burnett River
about fourteen miles away. Having the help of friendly
blacks, who tracked the savages who had travelled in
the direction of the coast, they caught up with them
about fourteen miles from Gin Gin at a place now
known as The Cedars, which is now part of (iibson and
Howes' sugar plantation at Bingera. This locality was
then scrub land and Blaxland and his party took up
positions suitable for an attack. The blacks were
shown no mercy, but it is on record by Blaxland himself,
and also by a younger brother of the victims,
Abraham Pegg, who was an eye witness, that the
blacks put up a mighty fight against the firearms of
the whites, they of course having no better weapons
than spears. There were no repeating rifles in those
days, the weapon was the muzzle loader, which was
slow to load at any time but in scrub land would be
awkward to handle.
Another feature on the blacks' side was the
absence of the woomera or throwing stick, as these
savages did not use it. They grasped the spear in the
centre and propelled it just by the strength and length
of their arm. In the fight they were beaten and many
were able to escape by swimming the Burnett River,
which was about half a mile away.
Over sixty years later ploughmen on the Cedars
plantation unearthed skulls, bones and weapons, which
was believed to be the site of the battle. It was
thought that after the lesson the blacks had received
that they would have quietened down and accepted the
presence of the white men on Gin Gin as being a factor
t h a t they were incapable of removing from their midst.
If so it must have been sullen acquiescence, and no
doubt they were awaiting another opportunity for revenge.
Blaxland would be regarded as their chief
enemy as all actions against the blacks was directed
by him. Just over twelve months after the Pegg
brothers were killed Blaxland was found to be missing.
A search was started by his partner, Forster, and
others, and after some hours his body was found. No
white person had any idea how he was first attacked,
but appearances show that he must have been clubbed
to death. One report says he was in the act of filling
water containers in the creek and surprised that way,
but that could only be conjecture.
In the uncertain state of the times when settlers
were living among treacherous savages, and when a
white man was missing and a search was made and he
was not found within an hour or so then the worst was
expected. In this case it was quickly noticed that the
local blacks disappeared while the search was on with
the exception of a gin, who showed friendliness to the
whites. When Blaxland was buried, which would not
be long after he was found, a plan of punitive action
was organised as quickly as possible.
About this period Gin Gin would have a few more
neighbours. Walla was formed in 1849 by Thompson
brothers. Monduran was occupied and owned in 1850
by Landsborough brothers, Kolonga in 1850 by J.
Blackman, Eureka by J. Barker, and there were
stations in the Upper Burnett, Boonara, Barambah,
Boobyjan, and some others.
A force was organized among all these settlers
and their employees, and they set out on their mission
of revenge guided by the friendly gin already referred
to. The fugitive blacks were tracked down the Burnett
River, where they had foregathered at a place now
called Paddy's Island, not far from the mouth of the
river. It was estimated by the white party that there
were about a thousand blacks congregated here when
the attack was made, and the result was the blacks
suffered severely. The avenging whites were determined
to end the antagonistic blacks' attitude towards
their settlements.
It is not known how many blacks were killed in
this fight, but they must have numbered hundreds;
but it is also known that a large number escaped into
the Wongarra scrub on the south side of the river.
This attack really broke the power of the blacks in this
region. They continued to be hostile often in individual
cases, but were never afterwards a serious menace.
I now come to the date of Blaxland's death. There
are written records that differ widely. One says he
was killed in 1848, and others say in 1849. In fact one
report says it was Forster that was killed and not
Blaxland. However, a search in the "Moreton Bay
Courier" dated 31st August 1850 reveals this:
Murder by Blacks
"It is our melancholy task to record the murder
of Mr. Gregory Blaxland of the firm of Forster and
Blaxland by the aboriginal natives of the Burnett district.
The only particulars at present known have
been communicated in a letter to a gentleman in Brisbane.
It appears that the body of the deceased was
discovered by his servants within two hundred yards
of his head station; spear wounds and other marks of
violence showing clearly that the unfortunate gentleman
had met his death from the hands of native
blacks. Captain O'Connell, Commissioner of Crown
lands for the district, held an investigation and came
to the conclusion that the deceased had been treacherously
murdered by the natives. Only a few numbers
back we alluded to the probability of some such terrible
catastrophe as this resulting from the continued
absence of the Native Police."
This report, which is dated 31st August 1850,
allows a reasonable deduction of time, in determining
the date of Blaxland's death. There was no telegraph
or telephone communication in those days, there would
be a horse mail from Gayndah or Maryborough or perhaps
Ipswich once a fortnight, and the murder would
be about a month old when the news was published.
This item of news in the "Moreton Bay Courier" shows
the parlous condition of the settlers in what was then
known as the unsettled districts. It shows that the
pioneer who had courage and enterprise in opening up
the country had to take great risks and also had to
undertake the responsibility of his own protection.
In after years, and that was early in the present
century, curious and interested people in the district
raised the question where was the last resting place
of Gregory Blaxland and the two Pegg brothers. Up
to the present time there is no certainty, but the location
of all three must be somewhere within a handy
distance of the station. There is a record in the Oxley
Memorial Library, Brisbane, in the form of a newspaper
cutting which says (and this quotation is abbreviated) :
"In 1905 a new road was formed from Gin Gin homestead
to the Gin Gin reserve passing through
the stud paddock, and when a fairly thick patch of
timber was cleared for the purpose of erecting new
gates four posts that had been burnt off about a foot
from the ground were found. It was evidently a
grave."
The question was then raised could these posts be
the marking of Blaxland's grave. It was then too late
to alter the position of the gates so we left things as
we found them. This was rather a cryptic decision,
and it is a great pity, in view of the interest that is
being taken to-day of where Blaxland was buried, that
further investigations were not carried out. I would
say even after one hundred and two years this could
be Blaxland's grave, the mourners fenced it with the
idea of permanently marking the spot, but as the
station changed ownership less than two years afterwards,
and in succeeding years there were other
changes. The new owners and their successors would
not have the same interest, as the originals, so neglect
can be blamed for the lack of knowledge to-day.
The same condition applies to the position of the
graves of the two Pegg brothers. The general belief
is that they were buried close to station, but there
are no markings to that effect. Another record to be
seen in the Oxley Library, which was dated 1888, was
that on Gramanbulyan Creek there was to be seen the
remains of yards and a hut and mounds believed to be
shepherds' graves who had been murdered by blacks.
This spot is about seven miles east of Gin Gin and the
creek is a tributary of the Burnett River, and the
name still appears on the modern maps in the Lands
Department. This could possibly be the graves of the
Peggs, but no names are mentioned. Abraham Pegg,
the youngest son, remembered the three murders in
his early childhood, and he lived in the district all his
life and passed away early in 1908. He could not have
left any information about the sites of the burial
places as there are people living to-day who remember
him well. The Kolan Shire Council has made investigations
without result. It is their intention to have a
memorial erected to the memory of the first settler,
Gregory Blaxland. After the tragedy the other partner,
Wm. Forster, found himself in an unsettled state
and was anxious to dispose of the stock and the
station.
Negotiations were entered into and a sale was
made to two brothers, Alfred and Arthur Brown. It
was then that the name of the station was changed
from Tirroan to Gin Gin. This would be about 1851.
The Browns came from Western Australia where they
had a property called Gin Gin, and that is the assumption
of why the name was changed. A controversy
has been raised even over that because one writer has
stated that the name was given because one of the
Browns asked a blackfellow what was the name of the
place, and he answered, "All about Chin Chin." The
new owners were progressive men. They improved
the station and the stock, especially the horses. They
also took up other properties, Kolan in one case and
Barolin in another.
The possession of Barolin and the method of
selection became a contentious matter, and was the
subject of investigation. It became a political controversy
and was the subject of debates in the Queensland Parliament
for years afterwards. Wm. Forster
when he gave up his interest in Gin Gin went south,
and later entered the New South Wales Parliament.
He eventually became Premier and later again was
appointed Agent-General in London for New South
Wales. He had another distinction standing to his
credit, and that was he was the discoverer of that
living fossil the "Ceratodus" or the lung fish, which
is found only in the Burnett and Mary Rivers. This
find created great interest among scientists all the
world over, and they gave this fish the name Ceratodus
Forsterii,, which was a great compliment to Forster.
The story of Gregory Blaxland's death has an air of
mystery in so far as there is very little detail on
record. There is no doubt that he was killed by the
blacks, who must have been awaiting the opportunity.
They could have been watching his every movement
about the station, but it does seem strange that he
could be done to death without someone on the station
other than blacks seeing or hearing the attack being
made.
It was the practice in those days when stations
were formed to have hut keepers employed. These
men were watchmen, guard, or sentry. Their job was
to keep an oversight on the stores, goods and chattels,
against the trepidations of marauding blacks, and
they were assisted by dogs. The "Moreton Bay
Courier's" report says that Capt. O'Connell, the commissioner
for Crown Lands, had made an investigation into the crime.
His finding was, "Blaxland was
treacherously murdered by the blacks." The full report on this
matter must be somewhere. Has it ever
been published? Capt. O'Connell was not on the spot
when the murder was committed, and his investigation
must have taken place some time afterwards. His
district would be a large one, and he would have to be
found by searching as there was no telegraph system
operating then. Locomotion would be no quicker than
the fastest horse he had to ride. The "Courier" deplored
the lack of Native Police in the district, but in
those days a Land Commissioner had a troop of Native
Police for escort and protection.
There is no record whether Capt. O'Connell took
part in the action against the blacks after the murder.
I have made searches through Government Gazettes
up to twelve months after the date of the crime, and
have been unable to find any report.
In conclusion, I want to pay a tribute to the great
pioneering expedition of Gregory Blaxland and Wm.
Forster, also the Widow Pegg and her family. She
suffered the most of all. Inside of three years she
lost her husband and two sons under most tragic circumstances.
I am not overlooking the rest of the
party, whose names are unpublished, as they all
played a part in the enterprise.
At the same time I want to say a word on behalf
of the aborigines. This was their land, and they had
been in possession for thousands of years. Our race,
the whites, came along and stole their country from
them, and they cannot be blamed for defending their
rights of ownership. Whatever they did, it was no
worse than the actions of the invaders. History
nearly repeated itself less than a decade ago, when
Australia was threatened with invasion by an alien
force, and it was only due to the fact that we had a
superior fighting force ready in the nick of time that
we did not suffer the same fate as the original Australians.