The Australian Wars: The truth about the bloody battles fought to establish a nation

by Rachel Perkins, Mina Murray, Henry Reynolds

For the first time, The Australian Wars brings what for too long has been considered the historical past into connection with its reverberations in the present.

It is estimated up to 100,000 people died in the frontier wars that raged across Australia for more than 150 years. This is equivalent to the combined total of all Australians killed in foreign battles to date. But there are few memorials marking these first, domestic wars.

The Australian Wars was conceived by Rachel Perkins following her award-winning documentary series produced by Blackfella Films for SBS and edited along with Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray and Henry Reynolds. This is the first book to tell the story of the continental sweep of massacres, guerilla warfare, resistance and the contests of firearms and traditional Aboriginal weaponry as Indigenous nations resisted colonial occupation of their lands, territory by territory. At stake was the sovereignty of an entire country.

Black and white writers tell the stories of these battles across three crucial time periods, and all the states and territories. It notes the lands that were unconquered, as well as the role of disease, weapons and tactics, and the story of women on the frontier.

This history is still alive in those descendants who carry the stories of their ancestors. The Australian Wars brings what for too long has been considered the historical past into the present so that we might know the truth of the origins of this nation.

'As it peels back the enduring veils of silence and denial about our shared past, The Australian Wars exposes a complex legacy of shame, pride, crime and valour. It offers us an opportunity to ask ourselves, in a spirit of humility and honesty, what it truly means to be an Australian patriot. The authors of this work have delivered a huge favour wrapped in a hard lesson.' TIM WINTON

'An inspiring, game-changing work of collective truth-telling about our shared history.' KATE GRENVILLE

'This book provides the most comprehensive account available of the continental violence against Aboriginal people during the colonial settlement and some of its consequences today. Rachel Perkins and her fellow editors have done us all a great service in bringing this history together. Some opinions will be disputed and there will be debate about how these conflicts will be characterised and memorialised, but it is for all Australians, whether descended from the pioneer generations or not, to respond to this history by ensuring that every person in today's Australia is treated with equal respect and dignity, and provided with the opportunities that all people deserve' DAVID KEMP AC

'Together with the TV series The Australian Wars puts down a no more denial, no more cant. These wars happened and we cannot blink them away. The Australian frontier was a battlefield, and we should recognise this as we recognise those other battlefields in Turkey, France and New Guinea. We should remember the dead, honour the brave. It will give us a firmer basis for thinking clearly about who we are and what to do.' DON WATSON

'There was a fight for this country and in many places an intense one where the colonials were held at bay. This book has the best of contemporary research. It will ensure that the original people of this nation are not denied the dignity of their resistance and the truth telling has the edge it should.' KIM BEAZLEY

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Australia, Historical, War

405 pages, ebook

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Callum's Column · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Australian Wars were fought over 150 years, from 1790 to 1934. One hundred thousand people died, and the death toll was asymmetrical, with up to fifty Aboriginal deaths for every white death. This toll exceeds that of all foreign wars in which post-Federation Australia has participated combined. Yet a third of the country remains “unsure” of this history. Dare I say, many more would dispute the aforementioned numbers. This book is the first to provide a continental overview of the Australian Wars: wars of vanquish, wars of genocide.

The book follows Rachel Perkins’ documentary series of the same name and is edited alongside Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray, and Henry Reynolds. Both First Nations and non–First Nations writers depict our harrowing history. Some chapters are entwined with personal stories from Indigenous authors who are descendants of survivors; others remain largely academic. The book is chronologically arranged in three parts. Each part marks a distinct period in the wars and focuses on the primary geographic areas of warfare during that time.

The history relies on oral evidence, the traditional form of knowledge transfer among First Nations people, and primary sources. Practically all of the latter come from white people, with the consequent biases this may entail. To balance such perspectives, each chapter is preceded by a several-page introduction from a First Nations person of the region being examined—for example, Richard Franklin, a Gunditjmara man from Victoria. These preludes connect the past with the enduring present, a powerful literary device.

The “Frontier Wars” has long been the preferred term to describe the conflict analysed in this book. However, in both Perkins’ and Reynolds’ view, the term inadvertently downplays the true scale of Australia’s wars. Across the Tasman, there were the New Zealand Wars, a series of conflicts between Māori and Pākehā for control of all of New Zealand. They defined what New Zealand would become. It was the same in Australia, “not because of how they were fought, but because of what they were fought about: a way of life and sovereignty of a whole continent.”

Māori warriors of this period are widely considered noble patriots. So too are those who fought on the side of the British Empire. Both sides are duly commemorated at Auckland’s War Memorial Museum. There is also Te Pūtake o te Riri (National Day of Commemoration), which includes honours for those who fought on both sides of the New Zealand Wars. Comparable recognition is absent in Australia. First Nations patriotic courage is barely alluded to at our National War Memorial. By explicitly describing frontier conflict as the Australian Wars, such omissions become glaring.

The Australian Wars were characterised by Aboriginal guerrilla tactics and brutal reprisals from settlers and colonial forces. While land was the central prize, violence flared when Aboriginal women were taken, livestock killed, or cultural boundaries crossed. In the earliest phase of colonisation, the British Army led campaigns against Aboriginal resistance. Over time, conflict increasingly involved settlers and squatters, and later the Native Police: Aboriginal men recruited, armed, and commanded by white officers to suppress their own people.

Although battles occurred, “massacre” is the more accurate term in most cases. Historians have identified more than 400 massacres, defined as the “unlawful killing of six or more undefended people in one operation.” On the Aboriginal side, leaders such as Yagan and Jandamarra became emblematic of resistance. On the settler side, there were both perpetrators and bystanders, though claims to innocence are difficult to reconcile with the sheer scale of Aboriginal victimhood: people largely defenceless and fighting for their traditional lands.

The book adopts a moral-revisionist historiographical lens, evident from the outset as Perkins foregrounds the injustice of colonial warfare and the erasure of First Nations resistance. It plays a pivotal role in reframing the Australian Wars by highlighting Indigenous agency, patriotism, and the ethical dimensions of colonial violence—violence aimed at dispossession rather than defence. However, by prioritising this framework, the book underplays the warfare-as-politics theoretical nexus and comparative dimensions of Australia’s warfare.

Henry Reynolds used Clausewitzian theory in Forgotten Wars to frame frontier conflicts as “policy by other means.” While compelling, he admits he is not a military historian and lacks the depth for full theoretical analysis. The Australian Wars adopts his thesis of Indigenous dispossession but only briefly and implicitly explores how political aims, strategy, and tactics intersect. A military theorist could have developed this further, showing how guerrilla resistance and colonial reprisals operated as strategic tools rather than improvised responses.

A Clausewitzian lens clarifies how political objectives shaped Indigenous guerrilla tactics and colonial reprisals as strategic instruments of policy. This perspective reveals calculated logic behind irregular warfare, where resistance aligned with goals of sovereignty and survival. Extending Ray Kerkhove’s vignette on military strategy and tactics through this lens would have sharpened the analysis of asymmetric conflict as a deliberate contest of power. It also frames the Australian Wars as expressions of political will, with tactics and organisation aligned to strategic aims.

A chapter at the beginning of the book expanding on the New Zealand Wars comparison would have added valuable context. While I encountered these conflicts during postgraduate study in New Zealand, most Australians are unlikely to share that background. An overview of shared causes, particularly the strategic use of warfare by First Nations peoples and Māori to resist land dispossession, would have strengthened the rationale for using “Australian Wars” instead of “Frontier Wars” and highlighted trans-Tasman parallels in Indigenous resistance to colonial expansion.

Some chapters stand out more than others. The Queensland and Tasmania sections offer compelling insights into Aboriginal resistance tactics against colonisers. Others, however, feel underdeveloped. For example, having read Jandamarra and the Bunuba Resistance, I expected more depth on how he psychologically and tactically outmanoeuvred Kimberley police. Such detail is what made his story remarkable. Yagan similarly receives only one or two pages of passing coverage—surprising, given his symbolic importance and the nine-metre statue in central Perth.

This leads to my main critique: the book is too short. For a conflict lasting 150 years, 350 pages—especially with numerous images and chapter introductions—feels inadequate. This is striking when compared to David Marr’s Killing for Country (~450 pages, focused on a few individuals in Queensland) and Mary Anne J. Tobin’s Every Mother’s Son is Guilty (~600 pages, focused on the Kimberley). Given the ongoing “history wars,” the book’s brevity somewhat limits its ability to fully engage with and contextualise this contested national history.

My critiques, however, are likely beside the point. For First Nations people, the impact of the Australian Wars is not an intellectual curiosity—it is their reality. Most Australians remain unaware of the full scope of the conflicts that shaped our nation’s founding. This book offers the first continent-wide history of the wars. It demonstrates colonisation as a brutal struggle and frames truth-telling as integral to national healing. The Australian Wars is essential reading for anyone concerned with history, justice, and reconciliation in Australia.

Subscribe for free to receive new posts direct to your inbox here: https://callumscolumn.substack.com/

[Georgia Mackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So important!

View my kindle highlights for some of the quotes that particularly stood out to me.

[Zara Chauvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important read. Usually I’m not a fan of military-specific histories, but these are stories (and corrections of the flagrantly biased and baseless histories that are usually taught) that need telling.

Careful scholarship, drawing on Indigenous traditional and archival-colonial sources to present a balanced and accurate historical analysis. Very conservative in many regards, careful not to misrepresent or cherry-pick conflicting data (in MOST cases, the book presents both/all sides of conflicting accounts in history, such as around the death toll of specific massacres).

[Beth Mowat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of the brutal and relentless violence carried out towards Aboriginal people, during colonial settlement. Interesting & shameful truth-telling.

[Beth Sunderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important pieces of truth telling literature this nation has ever seen. I will be recommending this to everyone I meet from here on.

Post referendum it has become evident that many Australians have no idea of our history. One thing that has always frustrated me is how much this nation reveres the ANZACs and yet dismisses the wars that happened on our own soil and the warriors that fought in them.

This book is phenomenal. It legitimizes Indigenous resistance by reframing it from “sporadic” resistance to deliberate guerrilla warfare tactics that were advanced and very successful.

I especially like how this book breaks down the violence between states and regions, and over different time periods, separating initial colonization of the southern regions of Australia, with the second phase of colonization of pastoral leases across the north. I liked how this highlighted why some states have different approaches or feel more sinister in their policies (eg. Nearly 70% of Queenslanders voted no in the referendum and after reading this book I can understand more of the context of why so many QLDers have no idea of their history).

Not only does this book detail specific statistics of massacres using primary sources, collating whispered histories into one damning account, but I also learnt lots of non violent history that I had no idea about. I learnt heaps about the Torres Strait (or as I now know Zenadth Kes) as well as history of each respective state and more about the geography of each.

I hope that this book becomes essential curriculum in schools and universities.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a storybook (even thought it’s nonfiction) and needs the writers to fact check their work. I am only giving a simple example of poor quality. In the first story, it mentions 600 marines came in the first fleet. This is false. They can easily see that 212 to 247 (possible that high) came if they bothered to look up the list of people. There are many more, I was excited to read this, came away deciding this is politically motivated.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a more in-depth look at the wars between colonists/invaders and the local Indigenous populations as the invasion spread further into the continent. I had read The Sydney Wars 6 or7 years ago, and the book Tongerlonger about 5 years ago) and this is an expansion of that work. Heavily researched, taking from the written correspondence of colonial officials, pastoralists, religious ministers and Indigenous oral histories passed on down through families, often only one generation removed. These wars began in earnest in 1788 through to 1934. Parts One (NSW) and Two (Tasmania) thus were already familiar to me, with some expansion of what I knew from further research which has happened since I read those earlier books. In the section for west of NSW, there is a story about a 60th anniversary celebration of the Cowra Cemetery, known as the Japanese War Cemetery, where Japanese prisoners of war of WWII, and who died in captivity were buried. When the author of this section Mina Murray went to the 60th anniversary of the Cowra breakout, she was bothered by something that made no sense to her: why is there no Wiradyuri War Cemetery for Windradyne and his warriors? There is also the Australian myth of the country built upon peaceful occupation and battlers building the sheep and cattle industry. In truth by Federation, for example in QLD, he leadholder numbers were 1161, down from 3145 twenty-five years earlier, or less than 0.2% of the settler population. And the bulk of these properties were owned and managed by global corporations and thus survival of the fittest, became survival of the richest. Interesting that before Federation these wars were discussed vigorously in the press and taught in classrooms, but starting the early days of Federation the wars were whitewashed out the history of Australia in education departments throughout the newly unified country. There was also the issue of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, who's museum board and directors still refuse to include the Australian Wars within it's confines, although cracks in that policy are starting to show with hope they may soon change their tune.

[Jena-Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished The Australian Wars, and I’m struggling to put into words what it has left sitting in my heart.

Deep grief for the Warriors whose names and stories were forgotten.

Immense pride in the courage, strength and determination of my people — who fought, resisted and survived in the face of forces determined to take what was, and still is, rightfully ours.

And anger. A deep anger at the patriarchy and the damage its systems of power have inflicted upon people, Country and this world.

Perhaps what troubles me most is the question of how any of it was ever justified in the minds of those who carried it out — and how something so devastating could be so deliberately reframed, minimised or simply not recognised for what it was: warfare, dispossession and attempts to destroy peoples and cultures.

This history is heavy.

But I don't want to carry only anger.

I pray for peace for all the lost souls — Indigenous and otherwise. I pray for healing across the generations that have carried the wounds of this history.

Because I don't want anyone left behind.

I want healing. I want truth. I want justice.

And ultimately, I want us all to make it.

Together. 🙏🏽

[Maya Papastergiadis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook.
Regrettably, as a younger student I always thought of Australian history as boring — a perspective that isn’t uncommon in students, and one that was mentioned in the conclusion of the book. Yet, this perspectives of a “boring” and “uneventful” history is a consequence of the myth of a “peaceful” colonial conquest that is perpetuated throughout all of Australian society. A denial of our history only bolsters this myth and the colonial agenda, while simultaneously denying indigenous people of their own history and agency. While I’m ashamed that this history isn’t one I was aware of sooner, I am so glad I came across this book now!!
two things that stuck with me the most:
- Australia’s first germ warfare being the smallpox outbreak exposed onto indigenous populations at the arrival of colonial powers (what the fuck????)
- the fact that the Australian wars (aka the frontier battles/the fight for the conquest of Australia) lasted from the end of the French Revolution to the First World War (also what the fuck???)

Definitely need to re-listen to some of the chapters as I feel I did not fully appreciate the gravity of them. Would highly recommend!

[Paul Medlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important book. The book makes clear what an Aboriginal 'war' is and that of the over 250 'nations' in existence at first settlement the book documents that very few engaged in that activity. I do agree with the request that these 'wars' should be included in the Australian War Museum. I have used 'war' to indicate that the settlers didn't see these actions as war in their sense.

I was lucky to do Australian History in year 10 and have had a continuing interest so I was aware of most of the more egregious massacres carried out by settlers that are documented in this book. As a young South Australian I wasn't aware of the 1840 Maria Massacre, the largest recorded killing of colonists by Aboriginal people in Australia.

The 1836 colonial Supreme Court of New South Wales case confirming that Aboriginal people were regarded as British subjects and subject to English law is mentioned but not stressed. So at least from then Aboriginal peoples were British Subjects and therefore entitled to be treated as such. This book makes it abundantly clear that many were not. This abject failure of the colonial authorities needs to be dealt with.

[liv (≧▽≦) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If any book desperately needs to be shoved down the throats of the Australian people, it's this one. Compulsory reading in schools ASAP.

It goes without saying, this was harrowing. Such a well researched yet raw account of colonisation. The photos that accompany - especially the ones of First Nations people in shackles bought me to tears. I found the way the book is sectioned into the history of each state really easy to follow, was certainly the best way to present all the information without jumping all over the place. Each author gave a unique voice to their respective contributions and it was good to hear from Indigenous voices rather than the usual white man history lesson.

I cannot recommend this book enough, even if you think you know a lot about colonisation or Indigenous history in Australia. Read it.

[Wally Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a gut-wrenching book! I came about this book searching for another book for a family member. I knew about the TV Series, but I haven't had an opportunity to watch that yet. I am a new Australian, and my line of work has allowed me to get deep into the stories and intricacies of the First Nations peoples of Australia. I work with First Nations people and businesses on a regular basis. So, the book is incredible, and whilst is portrayed from the views of the First Nations people, it too accounts for how both parties (whites and blacks) fought to defend what they considered their rights. I had to stop several times, compose myself, close my eyes and cry a little, before continuing the reading, as the stories written in the book aren't easy to read or assimilate. But I Loved the book and how it opened my eyes about Australia history (and future).

[Zach Tempany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sombre collection of stories from black and white writers on the battles that occurred post colonisation. This is an essential book for the future generations of Australia.

Like many millennials, my understanding of how Indigenous Australian were treated began with Rabbit Proof-Fence, this book goes to a whole another level. The Tasmanian and Victorian chapters definitely hit hard, the full-continent wide chapters starting from NSW set the scene well. A story that every Australian deserves to know.

[Tehya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and important read. I found having personal anecdotes between or corresponding the chapters really interesting. I felt different parts of Australia were not represented as much as others, however, I am cognisant that there is only so much that can be covered in an individual novel, availability of historical records vary and anecdotes are limited to availability of participants.

[Dot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be compulsory reading in all schools. Time for the truth to be told

[Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

we have so much to learn

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important reading, and very interesting

[Craig Penfold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read book for everyone calling Australia home. I was never tought this at school and it's important to understand the truth so that we can move forward.

[Jim Rimmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be required reading for all Australians.

[SA Lillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As best summed up by Mina Murray on page 334: 'Living in denial is as exhausting for the individual as it is for a society. After more than 200 years, have we not all had enough? '

[Warrren Gardiner]

A book for the ages

[Jon Opprecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Australian Wars is a confronting read. But above all, it’s the commitment to truth-telling that stayed with me — a reminder of just how much Australian history has been silenced, and apparently still is.

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that all Australians should read. An insightful look at the tragic history of our country. Australia has a black history that should not be silenced.

[The_enchanted.Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

History is always perspective and it’s dangerous the way history has been controlled by the winners. The truth is slowly being revealed as the lies uncoil. Australia struggles to see the truth of their country’s history and this book is long overdue. It’s a must read!

The massacres and the genocide of Australia’s First Nations has always been swept under the carpet. It’s been excused and shooed away. Not anymore!

A lot of examples in this book are crucial : Pemulwuy is always underrepresented as a warrior. Not just physically but morally and with honour. He never gets enough mention. The guerilla tactics utilised in their uprisings as well as the heart wrenching Tasmanian massacres. The germ warfare was incredibly vicious.

Just two things that I have to get off my chest. I don’t like it when books claims that indigenous languages or culture has been “lost” - it makes it sound like our First Nations people have misplaced it; like it’s their fault when it was being systematically destroyed by the British.
And the other thing is when all Europeans are put into the colonisation and imperialism blanket. Only Western Europe partook in colonisation, slavery not the other half. Eastern Europe had nothing to do with it.