Wybalenna to Putalina/Oyster Cove: Remembrance

18 October 1847

Content note: This article discusses forced removal, incarceration and deaths.

Remembering a forced transfer

18 October 1847 marks the forced transfer of the surviving residents of Wybalenna on Flinders Island to Putalina/Oyster Cove, south of Hobart. The date is recorded in the Tasmanian Government’s Aboriginal historical calendar.

This is a remembrance of people and their experiences. The closure of Wybalenna did not restore freedom or Country to those held there: they were moved to another government-controlled place, a former convict station.

Exile, petition and survival

Aboriginal people had been forcibly removed from across Lutruwita/Tasmania and confined at Wybalenna. Illness, deaths and separation from Country marked the settlement’s history. Residents also resisted their treatment, including through a petition to Queen Victoria.

The University of Tasmania’s historical account describes harsh conditions at Oyster Cove and the people’s continued confinement. The National Museum records that, despite these conditions, residents continued to practise and pass on culture.

Their experiences must not be used to repeat the false claim that Tasmanian Aboriginal people became extinct. Living communities, descendants, cultural knowledge and continuing connections to Country remain central to this history.

Learning through place and community

The names Wybalenna and Putalina refer to distinct places with connected histories. An introduction should explain both, rather than treating the transfer as a single institution simply changing its name.

Use Aboriginal community sources alongside government records, which often describe people through the language and priorities of colonial administration. Ask whose decisions shaped the records and whose experiences are missing.

For school or workplace reflection, focus on the people’s lives, their petitions and resistance, and the continuing community. Follow local advice before visiting places of burial or using historical photographs. A remembrance activity should allow participants to step away from distressing material.

Sources and further reading

• October Aboriginal historical calendar — Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet
• Wybalenna — Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania
• Oyster Cove — University of Tasmania
• Putalina/Oyster Cove community history — National Museum of Australia

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