Pemulwuy and the Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars (1794–1816)

A Bidjigal warrior led more than a decade of resistance around early Sydney. After he was killed in 1802, his head was sent to England.

As the colony at Sydney spread west to the rich river flats of the Hawkesbury and Nepean, farms were built on land that Dharug and neighboring peoples used for food and ceremony. From 1794, clashes over crops, land and killings became a sustained conflict that lasted until about 1816.

Pemulwuy

Pemulwuy, a Bidjigal man from the Botany Bay area, became the best-known leader of the resistance. In 1790 he speared the governor’s gamekeeper, John McEntire. Over the next twelve years he led raids on farms and was wounded several times, including at the Battle of Parramatta in 1797.

In 1802 he was shot and killed by settlers. Governor Philip Gidley King had his head removed, preserved in spirits and sent to Sir Joseph Banks in England, describing Pemulwuy as a “terrible pest” but also “a brave and independent character.” The remains have never been found. Descendants and communities continue to call for their return.

How the wars ended

Resistance continued under his son, Tedbury, and other leaders. In 1816 Governor Lachlan Macquarie sent soldiers against Aboriginal people in the region. On 17 April 1816, troops killed at least fourteen Dharawal men, women and children at the Appin massacre. It is remembered each year.

Part of the Boston Made Reader’s special collection Courage, Conscience & Service. Written for the Reader and free to read here.