The killing was recorded separately several years later by William Thomas and George Augustus Robinson, based on testimony from Aboriginal sources.
Early European settlers in the Western Port and Gippsland regions of Victoria were told that there had been a long-running conflict between indigenous groups, with "each carrying out surprise attacks on the other and killing several people at a time".
[3] The Yowengerre (or Yowenjerre) were the easternmost clan of the Bunurong people, occupying the Tarwin River watershed and parts of Wilsons Promontory.
In an 1840 letter to Superintendent Charles La Trobe, he wrote that "about four years ago 77 people were killed at Little Brighton not nine miles from Melbourne".
On a large gum tree in Brighton, on the estate of Mr McMillan was a host of blacks lying as dead carved on the trunk for a yard or two up.
Near this spot in the year 1833 or 4, the Gippsland blacks stole at night upon the Western Port or Coast tribe and killed 60 or 70 of them.
[7] Cooper states:[11] The aboriginals told the settlers of a tradition which they had of a great tribal fight in the vicinity of Landcox Park.
John Butler Cooper's history of Brighton states that the first European settlers found bones in the area and were told of "a great tribal fight in the vicinity of Landcox Park".
[17][18] However, Robinson's hypothesis about unburnt country as evidence of depopulation has been challenged by Ian Clark, who believes it was based on a false analogy with other areas.