Elliston Reconciliation Monument

The monument forms part of the 13.6 km walking and driving trail and acknowledges the death of Aboriginal people at Waterloo Bay in 1849.

Due to a lack of written evidence, this event has been subject to much speculation as to whether, or to what extent, it occurred. Limited archival records suggest that three Aboriginal people were killed in the incident and five were captured, however, accounts of the killing of up to 260 Aboriginal people at the cliffs have persistently circulated since the 1880s. Local Aboriginal people have oral history traditions that a large-scale massacre occurred.

The monument in Elliston has been awarded for its wording, which states that it “commemorates an incident, referred to by the traditional owners of this land as ‘The Massacre of Waterloo Bay.’” This wording allows the visitor to the monument to form their own interpretation of the incident, focusing less on the controversy and more on reconciliation.