Explorers' Memorial

Explorers’ Memorial is a memorial in Esplanade Park, Fremantle, Western Australia. In memory of three explorers who were killed by Aboriginal people near Boola Boola in November 1864. Apparently Messrs. Panter, Harding, and Goldwyer met their deaths when they accidentally trespassed on sacred aboriginal ground and were murdered by Aborigines.

In early 1865 a search party who were sent out to discover the remains of the explorers killed between 15 and 20 Aboriginal people in revenge. This party returned the explorers’ remains for burial in East Perth cemetery, and nearly half of Perth’s population watched the solemn funeral procession. The verdict of the time was engraved on the explorer’s memorial, which read ‘murdered by treacherous natives’.

The Aboriginal people succeeded in 1994, after six years of effort, in having an alternative description of the incident it reads “This plaque was erected by people who found the monument before you offensive. It describes the events from one perspective only. No mention of the rights of aboriginals to defend themselves is made.”