Significant Dates for Indigenous Australians in September

Significant Dates in September: Indigenous Australian History, Resilience and Justice

September holds deep significance in Indigenous Australian history.

Across almost two centuries, its dates tell stories of frontier violence and resistance, racism and deaths in custody, alongside extraordinary achievements in art, sport, culture, political participation and the protection of Country.

Together, these events remind us that Australia’s journey towards truth, justice and recognition is both historical and ongoing.

12 September 1843 – The Battle of One Tree Hill

On 12 September 1843, one of the best-known Aboriginal victories of the frontier wars occurred at One Tree Hill, now Tabletop Mountain, near Toowoomba, Queensland.

Led by Jagera warrior Multuggerah, Aboriginal fighters ambushed an armed convoy carrying supplies into the Darling Downs. When colonists returned with reinforcements, Multuggerah and his warriors again resisted them.

Although brutal reprisals followed, the Battle of One Tree Hill remains a powerful story of Aboriginal resistance, strategic leadership and determination to defend Country.

3 September 1884 – The Wulwulam Massacre

In September 1884, the Wulwulam people of the Northern Territory, also known as Woolwonga or Wolwanga, faced devastating reprisals after resisting European miners encroaching on their Country near Mount Haywood.

Following the spearing of four miners, a series of retaliatory attacks known as the Coppermine Massacres began. At Blackfellow Creek, an estimated 150 Wulwulam men, women and children were killed.

The violence devastated the Wulwulam population and affected neighbouring peoples. Yet descendants survived, making this history a story not only of colonial brutality, but also of survival and continuing connection to Country.

28 September 1983 – John Pat Dies in Custody

On 28 September 1983, 16-year-old Yindjibarndi boy John Pat died following an altercation involving off-duty police officers in Roebourne, Western Australia. Witnesses described him being struck and kicked before he was taken into police custody, where he was later found dead.

The subsequent acquittal of the officers caused national outrage. John Pat’s death became one of the cases examined by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and an enduring symbol of injustice.

More than four decades later, Aboriginal deaths in custody remain one of Australia’s most pressing justice issues.

3 September 1996 – Passing of Emily Kame Kngwarreye

Emily Kame Kngwarreye, an Anmatyerre Elder from Utopia in the Northern Territory, died in September 1996, leaving one of the most extraordinary artistic legacies in Australian history.

Beginning her painting career late in life, Emily produced thousands of works in less than a decade. Paintings such as Big Yam Dreaming transformed ancient cultural knowledge into powerful contemporary visual expression.

Her works are held in major collections around the world, and she remains one of Australia’s most internationally celebrated artists.

25 September 2000 – Cathy Freeman Wins Olympic Gold

Few moments in Australian sporting history are as memorable as Cathy Freeman’s victory in the women’s 400 metres at the Sydney Olympic Games.

On 25 September 2000, the proud Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman carried enormous expectations onto the track and won Olympic gold.

Her victory lap carrying both the Australian and Aboriginal flags became an enduring image of Indigenous pride and reconciliation. Her legacy continues through Murrup, formerly the Cathy Freeman Foundation, supporting educational opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

25 September 2008 – A Racist Name Disappears from Toowoomba’s Sporting Landscape

For decades, a Toowoomba sports ground contained a grandstand named after rugby league player Edwin Stanley Brown using a deeply offensive racial slur - the “E S ‘N*gger’ Brown Stand.”

Aboriginal activists campaigned for years against the public display of the word, while others defended it as part of local sporting history.

The stand was demolished in September 2008, and the offensive name was not carried into the replacement facilities. The controversy demonstrated how difficult removing even overt symbols of racism can become when discrimination is defended as tradition.

1 September 2025 – Larrakia Cultural Treasures Returned

Thirty-three culturally significant objects held by Bristol Museum & Art Gallery in England were formally returned to the Larrakia people.

The objects, including spears and spear throwers, had been removed from Larrakia Country around Darwin during the colonial period.

Their repatriation represented more than the return of museum objects. It restored important cultural heritage to its rightful custodians and reflected growing international recognition of First Nations peoples’ authority over their own cultural material.

8 September 2025 – Inquest into the Death of TJ Denniss

A major coronial inquest began into the 2023 death in custody of 33-year-old Wiradjuri man Tian Jarrah “TJ” Denniss at Sydney’s Silverwater Correctional Complex.

The inquest examined his treatment and supervision before his death and heard troubling evidence about failures of care and allegations of racist and derogatory language.

More than three decades after the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the case again raised serious questions about the safety and treatment of Aboriginal people within Australian prisons.

9 September 2025 – Victoria Takes Historic Step Towards Treaty

The Victorian Government and First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria announced an in-principle agreement on a Statewide Treaty, and the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 was introduced into Parliament.

The landmark development followed generations of First Nations advocacy and years of formal negotiations. The legislation subsequently passed Parliament in October, making Victoria the first Australian jurisdiction to legislate a statewide Treaty with First Peoples.

12 September 2025 – Further Protection for Murujuga

The Australian Government granted additional protection to parts of Murujuga in Western Australia’s Pilbara under federal Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation.

Murujuga contains one of the world’s most extraordinary concentrations of ancient rock art and holds profound cultural and spiritual significance for its Traditional Custodians.

The decision followed the inscription of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2025, bringing international recognition to a cultural landscape created and cared for by First Nations people over tens of thousands of years.

18 September 2025 – Indigenous Voter Enrolment Reaches Historic High

The Australian Electoral Commission announced that an estimated 93 per cent of eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were enrolled to vote.

For the first time, the estimated number of Indigenous electors exceeded 600,000.

Given the long history of exclusion and discrimination experienced by First Nations Australians within Australia’s political system, the milestone represented an important achievement in democratic participation.

Remembering the Past, Recognising the Present

These September dates span almost two centuries, yet striking connections remain.

The Wulwulam Massacre and Multuggerah’s resistance remind us of the violence and dispossession of colonisation. The deaths of John Pat and TJ Denniss remind us that questions of justice, institutional accountability and Aboriginal deaths in custody remain unresolved.

But September also tells stories of extraordinary strength and achievement — Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s artistic genius, Cathy Freeman’s Olympic triumph, the return of Larrakia cultural heritage, protection of Murujuga, progress towards Treaty and record Indigenous participation in Australia’s democracy.

These are not separate histories. Together, they form part of Australia’s story.

Truth-telling means acknowledging injustice while also celebrating the resilience, cultural strength, achievements and continuing leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Remembering these stories helps us understand how the past has shaped the present — and how much work remains to build a more just and respectful future.