Risdon Cove: remembrance

3 May

Content note: This page discusses colonial violence and loss of life without graphic descriptions. Linked historical sources may contain distressing accounts, outdated language, and names or images of deceased people. You can choose how much to read.

3 May marks the anniversary of the violence at Risdon Cove in 1804, when Aboriginal people were fired upon near an early British colonial settlement beside the River Derwent in lutruwita/Tasmania. The date calls for remembrance, careful truth-telling and respect for the continuing Tasmanian Aboriginal community.

The history behind the date

Historical research identifies 3 May 1804 as the day a large Aboriginal group approached the settlement while pursuing kangaroos and was fired upon by members of the colonial party. People were killed and injured.

The University of Tasmania’s Companion to Tasmanian History, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s historical material and the University of Newcastle’s research identify the same date. The anniversary belongs within the wider history of colonisation and dispossession in Tasmania.

Reading differing accounts carefully

Surviving sources do not establish an uncontested number of people killed. Accounts also differ in how they identify the Aboriginal group and describe the sequence of events. This page does not turn one estimate of the death toll into a settled total.

Such limits need to be stated clearly without allowing debate over numbers to eclipse the people who suffered. Historical evidence can be examined critically while still acknowledging the violence and its place in the history of Tasmanian Aboriginal people.

Whose history is being told?

Colonial documents are evidence of what their authors recorded, understood or wished to communicate. They do not provide a complete view of Aboriginal lives, intentions or knowledge. Ask who wrote an account, when it was written and which voices it includes.

Later scholarship and museum interpretation can help readers compare sources and understand how the event has been represented. Tasmanian Aboriginal perspectives remain essential to the meaning of remembrance, and should not be treated as an optional addition to a story told entirely through colonial officials.

Remembrance and continuing community

The anniversary should honour lives and families while recognising that Tasmanian Aboriginal people, cultures and connections with Country continue. A focus on survival and present-day community helps avoid presenting Aboriginal Tasmania only through accounts of historical loss.

For schools and workplaces, preview resources, allow people to step away and avoid graphic material or reenactments. Do not expect Aboriginal participants to disclose personal experiences or resolve historical debates for others.

Marking the date

This entry marks the historical date of 3 May. It is not an invitation to a particular ceremony or permission to enter or photograph a place. Follow current community guidance about visits, access, stories and images.

A considered response may be to read Tasmanian Aboriginal accounts, learn how historical sources are interpreted, and reflect on the responsibilities that accompany public acknowledgement. Any proposed contribution by a community member should be discussed and agreed with them, including payment and permissions.

Sources and further reading

The resources below provide historical records, community or institutional perspectives, and further learning. Linked material may include historical language, names or images of people who have died.

Frontier Conflict. University of Tasmania, Companion to Tasmanian History. Historical context identifying 3 May 1804. Contains descriptions of violence and historical terminology.
Frontier Conflict

Risdon Cove, River Derwent. University of Newcastle, Colonial Frontier Massacres research. A research entry with source references and discussion of the event. Contains distressing detail.
Risdon Cove, River Derwent

Shaping Tasmania historical collection. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. An object-based account connecting the date with the early settlement’s history. Contains distressing historical material.
Shaping Tasmania historical collection

The Risdon Cove site. Monash University research record. Further scholarly discussion of the site’s contested historical interpretation.
The Risdon Cove site