Our Indooroopilly - Bingle on Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Aust.

Readings from Primary Sources on Moreton Bay & Brisbane

These "Readings" from Bingle's "The Natives of Moreton Bay in 1822" are reprinted from J.G. Steele, The Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, Brisbane, 1972.
Written many years after the events described, Bingle's account may have some inaccuracies.
Note that Footnotes are per J.G. Steele.

In December 1821, Sir Thomas Brisbane became Governor of New South Wales. He had instructions from the British Government to waste no time in effecting "an entire separation of the convicts who are in a state of punishment from a participation in those comforts and advantages that seem to be inseparably connected with the progress of colonization". Part of the programme was to establish a new settlement for the worst of the convicts, possibly at Moreton Bay or Port Curtis. Accordingly, John Bingle, a retired naval officer, was placed in command of H.M. Cutter "Sally" with instructions to search for a large river supposed by Surveyor General Oxley to exist between Port Macquarie and Sandy Cape alongside which a settlement could be established. Bingle conveyed prisoners to the recently established convict settlement at Port Macquarie and then continued north. In early March 1822, he crossed the top of Moreton Bay as Flinders had done and then spent four days in Pumicestone Channel establishing that this was in fact a passage and not a river as Flinders had assumed. Curiously, Bingle did not seem to have asked the Aborigines if any big river flowed into the bay. He returned to Sydney to report there was none.

Extract from Bingle's "The Natives of Moreton Bay in 1822"

After anchoring, late in the evening, I early next morning prepared to visit the land to carry out my instructions,¹ but, before doing so, armed myself and men - no natives at that time had been seen,² nor their fires. Soon after landing, and looking around, I heard the shouting of many natives, and after some time had elapsed, an old grey-headed and bearded man³ made his appearance alone, with the bulk of his tribe behind him, creeping, and appearing greatly alarmed. I went to meet him, when he shrank back, and I had great difficulty in inducing him to meet me: so, to give him confidence, I held out a tomahawk to induce him to come forward, which he did with great fear and trembling. It took a long time before we met - more than an hour - and when we did it was only to touch each other's fingers. He was trembling all over and in a great state of excitement, so I laid down the tomahawk with a knife and some other trifles that I thought would be serviceable to him, retired a few paces, and then went forward to the boat to return to my vessel in the river. As soon as I got to it, the whole tribe came from their hiding place, out of the thicket or mangrove scrub, and were making signs to come to them, and shouting at the top of their voices, dancing and throwing up their hands to show they were unarmed, leaving their spears in clusters shoved into the ground, and their war weapons laid aside. I, returning on board, concluded the first interview. Just as I was getting into the boat a flight of wild ducks flew over the tribe, I up gun and shot one, tumbling him down amongst them. The noise of the report of the gun did not in the least alarm them, as they were not aware of its powers to kill,⁴ but as the bird fell at their feet, their astonishment was beyond description with their shouts of wonder. I left the shore, and went on board for the rest of the day. It was on a sandy beach I landed, and from the time I got on board, they assembled in hundreds to see the print of my foot, which to them - I having shoes on - must have been and was marvellous; the beach being lined the whole day with different intermediate tribes, as news had flown far and wide of the wonders they had witnessed. The next morning I went on shore, but the hesitation was not so marked, and after placing on the beach a number of what I considered useful articles to them, and my apparent confidence in them, they gradually crept towards me, seeing I had no intention of hurting them. The old man of my yesterday's acquaintance was the first to come forward, and took hold of my hand and made a great fuss, pawing me all over; as the rest of the tribe did as we became better acquainted. I had on my head an old Calcutta hat,⁵ which I put on his head to his great delight, considering himself clothed from head to foot. The whole tribe - men, women and children - were in a state of nudity, so there was no fear of petticoat interest, but the great wonder to all, and the difficulty to be solved, was my footprints in the sand, not being a foot like their own, so when most of them were assembled around me, I took off my shoe and stocking, convincing them I had a foot and toes like their own, and opened my shirt collar to show them I was flesh and blood as they were. I can never forget their surprise, their shouting, dancing and astonishment, hugging and making a great fuss over me, as you may well imagine, giving me their spears, war implements, baskets (made by the women), etc., a good collection for the Governor - Sir Thomas Brisbane. My gun was a great source of wonderment among them - they handled it with caution and examined it minutely. It so happened that a pelican was feeding on one of the sandbanks not very far distant, within range, so I pointed to it, making signs that I would kill it - fortunately I could depend on my fowling piece, it was a real good one; I fired, and down dropped the pelican to their great astonishment and delight, which was accompanied with the same outburst of shouting, etc. Every morning I remained in their river⁶ they brought me fish in abundance, enough for myself and ship's crew. When I left - with regret - the whole tribe were in great distress, following me four or five miles down the river, running on the beach with their women and children - shouting lamentations, throwing up hands, howling, and bewailing my departure. Still I always thought it prudent, both for myself and my men, to be on our guard and well armed. Fortunately no white man had been in that immediate neighbourhood before us,⁷ so we had nothing to fear, and others that followed us reaped the advantage of our friendly visit.⁸ At that time, early in 1822, I was little more than three months in the Colony.

1.	His instructions were to find a large river supposed to exist between Port Macquarie and Sandy Cape, collect water and soil samples, and make an accurate delineation of its course until it ceased to be navigable.
2.	The log of the "Sally" contradicts this.
3.	Possibly the same chief who befriended Finnegan, Pamphlett and Parsons in the following year.
4.	Flinders in the "Norfolk" had failed to kill the bird he fired at on 30 July 1799 yet the natives had learned to fear firearms.
5.	Flinders and Oxley both had first-hand experience of the fascination of natives in large hats.
6.	Pumicestone Channel. After this encounter of 7 March, he remained only until 7am on 8 Mar, so the natives could only have brought fish on two mornings.
7.	Flinders had been there in 1799.
8.	Finnegan, Pamphlett and Parsons were well-treated in 1823.