Dangar attacked by 'Bathurst Blacks'

Date: 14 Oct 1824
Place: Mt Macarthur, north of Merriwa
In October 1824 Assistant Surveyor Henry Dangar set off from the Hunter River on an ‘expedition’ to determine its ‘nature and point of junction’ with the Goulburn River, and to find a good route over the ranges to the Liverpool Plains. On 14 October, Dangar’s party was preparing to cross the Liverpool Range near what Cunningham had earlier called Mount Macarthur, when they were ‘attacked by a large body of natives’. For three hours, a fight ensued between what Dangar described as ‘the Bathurst Blacks’ and his party. Dangar’s men were undoubtedly well-armed and probably took cover while the warriors, wary of musketry from recent experiences, tried to pick them off. They managed to spear one man in the head and ‘killed a horse’ before departing with a packhorse laden with provisions. Dangar later wrote that he and his party ‘were near being cut off and annihilated by the natives’. How Dangar knew that it was ‘the Bathurst Blacks’ they had fought with at ‘Mount Macarthur’, north of Merriwa – well over 200 kilometres from Bathurst – can be attributed to the members of Dangar’s party. Along with another surveyor, John Richards, and ‘two servants Williamson and Allen’, was an unnamed ‘black boy’. The fact the warriors had attacked Dangar’s party without hesitation suggests it may well have been Windradyne’s warband, on the move away from Morisset’s September campaign. One historian suggests there were 'possibly 150' warriors but provides no source for this.

People involved

This data has not yet been gathered. Research work is ongoing. To help, please consider donating or contact us to volunteer or about setting up research projects in your area.

Sources

  • Gazette, 4 November 1824, p. 2; Dunn, The Convict Valley, p. 124. According to Wood they were attacked by ‘possibly 150 in number’. Wood, Dawn in the Valley, pp. 43–45; Gray, ‘Dangar, Henry (1796–1861)’, ADB.

Event mentions

  • Dangar attacked by 'Bathurst Blacks'
    14 Oct 1824 — Mt Macarthur, north of Merriwa
    In October 1824 Assistant Surveyor Henry Dangar set off from the Hunter River on an ‘expedition’ to determine its ‘nature and point of junction’ with the Goulburn River, and to find a good route over the ranges to the Liverpool Plains. On 14 October, Dangar’s party was preparing to cross the Liverpool Range near what Cunningham had earlier called Mount Macarthur, when they were ‘attacked by a large body of natives’. For three hours, a fight ensued between what Dangar described as ‘the Bathurst Blacks’ and his party. Dangar’s men were undoubtedly well-armed and probably took cover while the warriors, wary of musketry from recent experiences, tried to pick them off. They managed to spear one man in the head and ‘killed a horse’ before departing with a packhorse laden with provisions. Dangar later wrote that he and his party ‘were near being cut off and annihilated by the natives’. How Dangar knew that it was ‘the Bathurst Blacks’ they had fought with at ‘Mount Macarthur’, north of Merriwa – well over 200 kilometres from Bathurst – can be attributed to the members of Dangar’s party. Along with another surveyor, John Richards, and ‘two servants Williamson and Allen’, was an unnamed ‘black boy’. The fact the warriors had attacked Dangar’s party without hesitation suggests it may well have been Windradyne’s warband, on the move away from Morisset’s September campaign. One historian suggests there were 'possibly 150' warriors but provides no source for this.
    Source: Gazette, 4 November 1824, p. 2; Dunn, The Convict Valley, p. 124. According to Wood they were attacked by ‘possibly 150 in number’. Wood, Dawn in the Valley, pp. 43–45; Gray, ‘Dangar, Henry (1796–1861)’, ADB.