A LAUDED University of Newcastle program delving into the dark chapters of Australian history has entered a new phase.
The Colonial Frontier Massacres project, a collaboration between the university and Guardian Australia, has added sites in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to its map of massacres. The research now details the deaths of 8400 people in 311 massacres between 1788 and 1930, with the vast majority of victims Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.
The third stage, unveiled on Monday, has added more than 50 sites. Research team lead Professor Lyndall Ryan said the important truth-telling project could alter how Australians understood the nation's story.
"In the past there has been a denial of the violence that took place, and Australia's true history has largely been invisible," Professor Ryan said. "Our work mapping the massacres of the colonial frontier changes the way we understand that period in our history. We now know that it was a very violent time.
"What we hope our research can achieve is to put a spotlight on the truth, to bring about historical acceptance and in doing so hopefully we can contribute to a path towards reconciliation."
The project, which has been shortlisted for a Walkley award for excellence in journalism, stems from sources including settler diaries, newspaper articles, testimony from the time and more.
The researchers found massacres became more violent, systematic and calculated as time went on, with many occurring along major rivers as settlers spread out.
The project is funded by the Australian Research Council.
