<P> The following is a list of massacres and mass murders that have occurred in Australia and its predecessors (numbers may be approximate). </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Date </Th> <Th> Location </Th> <Th> Deaths </Th> <Th> Injuries </Th> <Th> Notes </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Shipwreck of the Batavia </Td> <Td> 1628 </Td> <Td> Houtman Abrolhos (Western Australia) </Td> <Td> 0110! 110 </Td> <Td> Many </Td> <Td> Dutch shipwreck survivors are murdered by a break - away group of survivors </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cape Grim massacre </Td> <Td> 10 February 1828 </Td> <Td> Cape Grim, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) </Td> <Td> 0030! 30 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians by four shepherds </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Convincing Ground massacre </Td> <Td> 1833--34 </Td> <Td> Portland, Victoria </Td> <Td> 0200! 60--200 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians after a heated dispute between whalers and Aboriginal tribes </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Pinjarra massacre </Td> <Td> 28 October 1834 </Td> <Td> Pinjarra, Western Australia </Td> <Td> 0040! 14--40 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Massacre by British colonists led by Governor Stirling against the Pinjarup people </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Waterloo Creek massacre / Slaughterhouse Creek massacre </Td> <Td> January 1838 </Td> <Td> Waterloo Creek, NSW </Td> <Td> 0041! 40--70 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians as part of a clash between mounted police and Indigenous Australians </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Myall Creek massacre </Td> <Td> 10 June 1838 </Td> <Td> Myall Creek, NSW </Td> <Td> 0030! 27 - 30 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians . The attack was racially motivated, and subsequently the colonists who carried out the attack were hanged </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Murdering Gully massacre </Td> <Td> 1839 </Td> <Td> Mount Emu Creek, near Camperdown, Victoria </Td> <Td> 0040! 35--40 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians undertaken by Frederick Taylor apparently in retaliation to Aborigines having killed the colonists' sheep </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Campaspe Plains massacre </Td> <Td> June 1839 </Td> <Td> Campaspe Creek, Central Victoria </Td> <Td> 0040! up to 40 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians led by commander Charles Hutton as a reprisal raid against Aboriginal resistance to the invasion and occupation of their lands </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Shipwreck survivors of the Maria massacred </Td> <Td> 1840 </Td> <Td> Coorong, SA </Td> <Td> 0025! 25 </Td> <Td> 13 people survived </Td> <Td> Ship travelling from Port Adelaide to Hobart was shipwrecked on the SE coast of South Australia, with all surviving the wreck . The survivors were being guided to safety by the local Narrindjeri people, but were massacred when they breached local law . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Gippsland massacres </Td> <Td> 1840 - 1850 </Td> <Td> Gippsland, VIC </Td> <Td> 0450! 300 - 1000 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians, combined with the introduction of diseases by the British Colonists which also contributed to the heavy losses of the Aborigines . The technical superiority of the Europeans' weapons gave the Europeans an absolute advantage over the Aborigines and, as a result, very few white settlers died during the course of the massacres . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cullin - La - Ringo massacre </Td> <Td> 17 October 1861 </Td> <Td> Central Queensland </Td> <Td> 0019! 19 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Massacre of white settlers by Indigenous Australians </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Flying Foam massacre </Td> <Td> February--May 1868 </Td> <Td> Flying Foam Passage, WA </Td> <Td> 0150! 20--150 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians after a series of confrontations between white settlers and Aboriginal people near the Flying Foam Passage </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Palmer massacre </Td> <Td> August 1878 </Td> <Td> Palmer River, Queensland </Td> <Td> 0150! 20--150 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre by Cantonese and Pekinese against each other . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ching family murders </Td> <Td> 16 November 1911 </Td> <Td> Alligator Creek, Mackay, Queensland </Td> <Td> 0006! 6 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> George David Silva murdered six members of the Ching family by shooting and bashing . Silva was hanged at Boggo Road Gaol in Brisbane on 10 June 1912 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Battle of Broken Hill </Td> <Td> 1 January 1915 </Td> <Td> Broken Hill, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0004! 4 </Td> <Td> 0007! 7 </Td> <Td> Spree shooting by two Ghans gunmen - Terror attack - by modern definition </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mowla Bluff massacre </Td> <Td> 1916 </Td> <Td> Kimberley, Western Australia </Td> <Td> 0400! Up to 12 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians . Aboriginal Men, women and children were rounded up and subsequently shot and their bodies burned </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Forrest River massacre </Td> <Td> May--July 1926 </Td> <Td> Kimberley Region of Western Australia </Td> <Td> 0011! 11 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Massacre of Indigenous Australians by law enforcement . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Coniston massacre </Td> <Td> 14 August--18 October 1928 </Td> <Td> Coniston, Northern Territory </Td> <Td> 0170! 60--170 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Probably the last known massacre of Indigenous Australians </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hope Forest massacre </Td> <Td> 6 September 1971 </Td> <Td> Hope Forest, SA </Td> <Td> 0010! 10 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Rampage killing by Clifford Bartholomew, who shot dead ten members of his family </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub fire </Td> <Td> 8 March 1973 </Td> <Td> Fortitude Valley, Queensland </Td> <Td> 0015! 15 </Td> <Td> Unknown </Td> <Td> Arson attack that killed 15 people and injured many more at a nightclub </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Campsie murders </Td> <Td> 24 September 1981 </Td> <Td> Campsie, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Rampage killing by Fouad Daoud, who shot dead five members of his family before killing himself </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Wahroonga murders </Td> <Td> 1 June 1984 </Td> <Td> Wahroonga, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Rampage killing by John Brandon, who shot dead five members of his family before killing himself . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Milperra massacre </Td> <Td> 2 September 1984 </Td> <Td> Milperra, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0007! 7 </Td> <Td> 0028! 28 </Td> <Td> Shootout between two rival motorcycle gangs . 1 bystander was among those killed in the incident </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Top End Shootings </Td> <Td> June 1987 </Td> <Td> Top End, Northern Territory </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Spree killing by Joseph Schwab over a five - day period . Shot dead by police </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hoddle Street massacre </Td> <Td> 9 August 1987 </Td> <Td> Clifton Hill, Victoria </Td> <Td> 0007! 7 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> A Spree shooting by Julian Knight </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Canley Vale Huynh family murders </Td> <Td> 10 October 1987 </Td> <Td> Canley Vale, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Rampage killing by John Tran, who shot dead 5 members of a family </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Queen Street massacre </Td> <Td> 8 December 1987 </Td> <Td> Melbourne, Victoria </Td> <Td> 0008! 8 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> A spree shooting / murder--suicide by Frank Vitkovic </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Oenpelli shootings </Td> <Td> 25 September 1988 </Td> <Td> Oenpelli, Northern Territory </Td> <Td> 0006! 6 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Rampage killing by Dennis Rostron, six members of his family at a remote Arnhem Land outstation in Oenpelli </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Surry Hills shootings </Td> <Td> 30 August 1990 </Td> <Td> Surry Hills, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> 0007! 7 </Td> <Td> A spree shooting by Paul Anthony Evers who killed 5 people and injured 7 with a 12 gauge pump - action shotgun at a public housing precinct in Surry Hills before surrendering to police . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Strathfield massacre </Td> <Td> 17 August 1991 </Td> <Td> Strathfield, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0007! 7 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> A spree shooting / murder--suicide by Wade Frankum </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Central Coast massacre </Td> <Td> 27 October 1992 </Td> <Td> Terrigal, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0006! 6 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> A spree shooting by Malcolm George Baker </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1993 Cangai siege </Td> <Td> March 1993 </Td> <Td> Cangai, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Leonard Leabeater, Robert Steele and Raymond Bassett went on a nine - day rampage resulting in their taking hostages in a siege in a farmhouse at Hanging Rock Station in Cangai </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hillcrest murders </Td> <Td> 25 January 1996 </Td> <Td> Hillcrest, Queensland </Td> <Td> 0006! 6 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> Rampage killing by Peter May, who shot dead six members of his family before killing himself </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Port Arthur massacre </Td> <Td> 28 April 1996 </Td> <Td> Port Arthur, Tasmania </Td> <Td> 0035! 35 </Td> <Td> 0024! 24 </Td> <Td> A spree shooting by Martin Bryant </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Murder Suicide </Td> <Td> 28 June 1997 </Td> <Td> Richmond, Tasmania </Td> <Td> 005! 5 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Peter Shoobridge cut the throat of his 4 daughters whilst they slept then took his own life with a rifle after cutting off one of his hands with an axe . <P> </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Wright St Bikie Murders </Td> <Td> 8 October 1999 </Td> <Td> Adelaide, Australia </Td> <Td> 0003! 3 </Td> <Td> 000! 0 </Td> <Td> Hell's Angels feud </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire </Td> <Td> 23 June 2000 </Td> <Td> Childers, Queensland </Td> <Td> 0015! 15 </Td> <Td> unknown </Td> <Td> Arson attack by Robert Paul Long, which killed 15 international backpackers </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Monash University shooting </Td> <Td> 21 October 2002 </Td> <Td> Melbourne, Victoria </Td> <Td> 002! 2 </Td> <Td> 005! 5 </Td> <Td> Mass shooting attack by Huan Yun "Allen" Xiang </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Churchill Fire </Td> <Td> 7 February 2009 </Td> <Td> Churchill, Victoria </Td> <Td> 0010! 10 </Td> <Td> unknown </Td> <Td> Arson attack by Brendan Sokaluk that killed 10 people, during the Black Saturday bushfires period </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lin family murders </Td> <Td> 18 July 2009 </Td> <Td> North Epping, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> unknown </Td> <Td> Blunt instrument attack that killed 5 members of the Lin family </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Quakers Hill nursing home fire </Td> <Td> 18 November 2011 </Td> <Td> Sydney, NSW </Td> <Td> 0011! 11 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Arson attack by Roger Kingsley Dean, a nurse, which killed 11 people </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Rozelle fire murders </Td> <Td> 4 September 2014 </Td> <Td> Rozelle, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0003! 3 </Td> <Td> 0002! 2 </Td> <Td> Arson attack by Adeel Khan which killed 3 and injured another 2 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hunt family murders </Td> <Td> 9 September 2014 </Td> <Td> Lockhart, New South Wales </Td> <Td> 0005! 5 </Td> <Td> 0000! 0 </Td> <Td> A Mass shooting and Familicide by Geoff Hunt who killed his wife and three children before turning the gun on himself </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Sydney Siege </Td> <Td> 15 - 16 December 2014 </Td> <Td> Sydney, NSW </Td> <Td> 0008! 3 </Td> <Td> 0001! 4 </Td> <Td> Siege . A lone gunman, Man Haron Monis, held hostage ten customers and eight employees of a Lindt chocolate café located at Martin Place in Sydney, Australia . The NSW Police Tactical Operations Unit shot Monis dead, after he executed a hostage . In the exchange five others were hit by Police bullet fragments, causing accidental death to one of them . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cairns child killings </Td> <Td> 19 December 2014 </Td> <Td> Cairns, Queensland </Td> <Td> 0008! 8 </Td> <Td> 0001! 1 (self - inflicted by perpetrator) </Td> <Td> Stabbing attack . 8 children aged 18 months to 15 years killed . Thirty - seven - year - old woman also found injured . The woman, Raina Mersane Ina Thaiday, was later charged with the murder of the children, 7 of whom were hers, plus her niece . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2017 Melbourne car attack </Td> <Td> 20 January 2017 </Td> <Td> Melbourne, Victoria </Td> <Td> 0006! 6 </Td> <Td> 0030! 30 </Td> <Td> Vehicular attack . Dimitrious Gargasoulas drove a Holden Commodore into Bourke St Mall, resulting in the deaths of 6 people and injuring 30 + others . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Date </Th> <Th> Location </Th> <Th> Deaths </Th> <Th> Injuries </Th> <Th> Notes </Th> </Tr>

When was the last time there was a mass shooting in australia