In April 1840 the Fighting Waterholes massacre of up to 60 Jardwadjali Aboriginal people of the Konongwootong Gundidj clan occurred near the current day Konongwootong reservoir (then known as Den Hills creek), near present-day Coleraine, Victoria, Australia.
Aboriginal protector Charles Sievwright investigated the incident but was unable to secure evidence from any third party witnesses, despite depositions from the participants admitting to the killing.
On 1 April, after the Konongwootong Gundidj stole sheep, the Whyte brothers and station hands Henry Skilton and William Fox rode off looking for the offenders.
[2] Later, news stories attributed the massacre to retaliation organised by the Whyte brothers to avenge the killing of a white shepherd in the area of Merino Downs.
[8] A commemorative site at the Konong Wootong reservoir, named the Konongwootong Quiet Place, was created in 2014 to acknowledge the event.