The murder of John Francis Dowling and the massacre of 300 Aborigines / Paul Dillon

“John Francis Dowling rode out on his trusty steed from the Paroo with his black pilot beside him hoping to make a line to Mt Murchison Station on the Darling. … Dowling was found murdered by the blacks. His trusty guide in a moment of madness struck him about the head … then decamped. … Arising out of this tragedy, 300 Aborigines were said to have been massacred by the whites. This book is an attempt to tell that story as best as one can with the information that still exists. … Should we see it as the loss of a pioneer attempting to settle the Australian outback, attempting to advance Australia. Or is the real story the relentless march of the white man’s livestock trampling the flora and fauna and encroaching on koori country. Who should come first the wool or the environment? John Dowling had a job to do. He never expected to be killed in carrying out the ambitions and aspirations of the white citizens of Queensland. On the other hand, the intrusion of foreign squatters onto the fields and streams of the outback has left a lasting trail of regret in the minds of some.”--Back cover.