Eumeralla Wars

The Eumeralla Wars were the violent encounters between European squatters and Gunditjmara aboriginals in south west Victoria.

Named after stations on the Eumeralla River between Port Fairy and Portland where much of the conflict was located.

The wars lasted a number of years and conflict was so violent that the Native Police Corps were deployed from Melbourne to assist. Many hundreds of Aboriginal people were killed.

To the Eumeralla wars, Rolf Boldrewood noted of the local squatters:"'We were all pretty good shots. For one reason or other the gun was rarely a day out of our hands. We were therefore in a position to do battle effectively for our homesteads and means of subsistence if these were assailed'."The remains of people involved in the conflict are at the Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area.