Attempted capture at the corroborree ground

Date: 11 Oct 1840
Event type: attempted capture; police expedition
Direct violence: No
Military, Border Police, and constables proceeded at night to the Aboriginal people's festivities and attempted their capture after reports of a corrobborra before a battle.

People involved

Sources

  • THE BLACKS. Port Phillip Gazette (Vic. : 1838 - 1845), Wednesday 14 October 1840, page 3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225005950
  • DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2546927
  • PORT PHILLIP. Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28652699
  • Port Phillip. Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser (NSW : 1838 - 1841), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32186095
  • PORT PHILLIP EXTRACTS. Commercial Journal and Advertiser (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), Wednesday 28 October 1840, page 4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/226456914
  • PORT PHILLIP EXTRACTS. Tasmanian Weekly Dispatch (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1839 - 1841), Friday 30 October 1840, page 6 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/233619804
  • LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser (Vic. : 1839 - 1845), Monday 12 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228130297
  • THEATRICALS. Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Thursday 29 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36849333
  • PORT PHILLIP. Hobart Town Advertiser (Tas. : 1839 - 1861), Friday 30 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/264585546
  • Port Phillip. Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839 - 1843), Thursday 29 October 1840, page 4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31729652
  • PORT PHILLIP. (1840, October 27). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 3. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866210

Event mentions

  • Attempted capture at the corroborree ground
    14 Apr 1840 – 14 Oct 1840 — vicinity of the town — attempted capture; police expedition
    Military, Border Police, and constables proceeded at night to the Aboriginal people's festivities and attempted their capture after reports of a corrobborra before a battle.
    People: The Military | Captain Smith | Lieutenant Vignolles | the Border Police | Major Letsom | Mr. Russell | a number of Constables
    Source: THE BLACKS. Port Phillip Gazette (Vic. : 1838 - 1845), Wednesday 14 October 1840, page 3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225005950
  • Attempted capture of tribes near town
    24 Apr 1840 – 24 Oct 1840 — capture attempt; police expedition
    Military, Border Police, and constables proceeded at midnight to the natives' festival between two and three miles from town to attempt the capture of several tribes of Aboriginal people.
    People: the Military | Captain Smith | Lieutenant Vignolles | Major Letsom | Mr. Runsell | the Border Police | a number of constables
    Source: DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2546927
  • Attempted capture of Aboriginal tribes near town
    24 Apr 1840 – 24 Oct 1840 — between two and three miles from the town — police expedition; attempted arrest
    The military, Border Police, and constables proceeded at midnight to the place where Aboriginal people were holding a corrobora, in order to attempt their capture.
    People: the Military | Captain Smith | Lieutenant Vignolles | Major Lettsom | Mr. Russell | the Border Police | a number of constables
    Source: PORT PHILLIP. Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28652699
  • Police and military arrest Aboriginal people near Melbourne
    24 Apr 1840 – 24 Oct 1840 — near Melbourne — arrest; police expedition
    Major Lettsom and other police and military forces surrounded the encampment near Melbourne and captured most of the Aboriginal people there.
    People: Major Lettsom | Mr. Russell of the Mounted Police | Captain Smith | Mr. Vignolles | the military and police forces
    Source: Port Phillip. Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser (NSW : 1838 - 1841), Saturday 24 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32186095
  • Capture of Aboriginal people near the town
    28 Apr 1840 – 28 Oct 1840 — capture; pursuit
    The military, border police, and constables attempted to capture several Aboriginal people gathered for a corrobbora between two and three miles from the town.
    People: the military | the border police | a number of constables | the blacks
    Source: PORT PHILLIP EXTRACTS. Commercial Journal and Advertiser (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), Wednesday 28 October 1840, page 4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/226456914
  • Attempted capture of Aboriginal tribes near the town
    30 Apr 1840 – 30 Oct 1840 — vicinity of the town — attempted arrest; police expedition
    The military, Border Police, and constables went at midnight to attempt the capture of several Aboriginal tribes gathered for a corrobborra near the town.
    People: the military | Captain Smith | Lieutenant Vignolles | the Border Police
    Source: PORT PHILLIP EXTRACTS. Tasmanian Weekly Dispatch (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1839 - 1841), Friday 30 October 1840, page 6 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/233619804
  • Capture of Aboriginal people near the town
    11 Oct 1840 — near the town — capture; pursuit
    The Crown Commissioner, the Officers of the 28th regiment, and the Mounted Police captured about two hundred Aboriginal people of different tribes near the town and brought them in.
    People: the Crown Commissioner | the Officers of the 28th regiment | the Mounted Police | the Goulburn tribe
    Source: LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser (Vic. : 1839 - 1845), Monday 12 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228130297
  • Capture of Aboriginal people near Melbourne
    22 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — police expedition; capture
    The military and police forces captured most of the Aboriginal people near Melbourne during the night operation.
    People: the whole of the military and police forces | Major Lettsom | Mr Russell | Captain Smith | Mr Vignolles
    Source: THEATRICALS. Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Thursday 29 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36849333
  • Arrest of Aboriginal people at the encampment
    25 Oct 1840 — black encampment — arrest; police expedition
    Bodies of the military and mounted police surrounded the Aboriginal encampment near daybreak and arrested a number of Aboriginal people.
    People: Major Lettsom | Capt. Russell | Capt. Smith | Lieut. Vignolles | the military and mounted police
    Source: PORT PHILLIP. Hobart Town Advertiser (Tas. : 1839 - 1861), Friday 30 October 1840, page 2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/264585546
  • Arrest of Aboriginal people near Melbourne
    25 Oct 1840 — Heidelberg road, about three miles from Melbourne — arrest; police expedition
    About five hundred Aboriginal people were surrounded and arrested at an encampment about three miles from Melbourne on the Heidelberg road.
    People: Major Lettsom and Captain Russell, of the mounted police, and Captain Smith and Lieut. Vignolles, of the 28th Regiment | bodies of the military and mounted police
    Source: Port Phillip. Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839 - 1843), Thursday 29 October 1840, page 4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31729652
  • Capture of Goulburn and Melbourne Aboriginal people near Melbourne
    27 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — capture; arrest
    Mounted and Border Police and military surrounded the camp of nearly 500 Aboriginal people near Melbourne and captured them.
    People: the whole of the Mounted and Border Police and the military stationed in Melbourne | the Goulburn blacks | the Melbourne blacks
    Source: PORT PHILLIP. (1840, October 27). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 3. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866210
  • Shooting of Winbury during capture
    27 Oct 1840 — Melbourne — shooting; assault
    Sergeant Larey shot Tinbury as he attempted to escape after knocking Mr. Vignolles down.
    People: Sergeant Larey of the Police | Tinbury | Mr. Vignolles
    Source: PORT PHILLIP. (1840, October 27). The Sydney Herald (NSW : 1831 - 1842), p. 3. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12866210