An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...

, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th century to the 1960s to keep Aboriginal people separate from the white Australian population. The governments passed laws related to such reserves that gave them much power over all aspects of Aboriginal people’s lives. Protectors of Aborigines and (later)

Aboriginal Protection Board Aboriginal Protection Board, also known as Aborigines Protection Board, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Aborigines Welfare Board (and in later sources, incorrectly as Aboriginal Welfare Board), and similar names, refers to a number of hi ...

s were appointed to look after the interests of the Aboriginal people.

History

Aboriginal reserves were used from the nineteenth century to keep Aboriginal people separate from the white Australian population, often ostensibly for their protection. Protectors of Aborigines had been appointed from as early as 1836 in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

(with Matthew Moorhouse as the first permanent appointment as Chief Protector in 1839). The

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

proclaimed that Aboriginal people were "to be considered as much under the safeguard of the law as the Colonists themselves, and equally entitled to the Privileges of British Subjects". Under the '' Aboriginal Orphans Ordinance 1844'', the Protector was made legal guardian of "every

half-caste Half-caste is a term used for individuals of Multiracial, multiracial descent. The word ''wikt:caste, caste'' is borrowed from the Portuguese or Spanish word ''casta'', meaning race. Terms such as ''half-caste'', ''caste'', ''quarter-caste'' an ...

and other unprotected Aboriginal child whose parents are dead or unknown". Schools and reserves were set up. Despite these attempts at protection, Moorhouse presided over the

Rufus River massacre The Rufus River Massacre was a massacre of at least 30–40 Aboriginal people that took place in 1841 along the Rufus River, in the Central Murray River region of New South Wales (now Australia). The massacre was conducted by a large group of ...

in 1841. The office of Protector was abolished in 1856; within four years, governments had leased 35 of the 42 Aboriginal reserves in South Australia to settlers. In 1839

George Augustus Robinson George Augustus Robinson (22 March 1791 – 18 October 1866) was an English born builder and self-trained preacher who was employed by the British colonial authorities to conciliate the Indigenous Australians of Van Diemen's Land and the Po ...

was appointed the first Chief Protector in what is now Victoria. In the second half of the 19th century, in an attempt to reduce the violence on the frontiers, devastation by disease, and to provide a "humane" environment for Aboriginal people, perceived as a dying race, the colonial governments passed legislation designed to "protect" them. The idea was that by legislating to create certain territory for Aboriginal people, the clashes over land would stop. Officials that the Aboriginal people could farm in their reserves and become less reliant on government rations.

s were created in most colonies/states: *Victoria passed the '' Aboriginal Protection Act 1869'' *

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

passed the '' Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897'', for the "better protection and care of the aboriginal and half-caste inhabitants of the colony"; it established the positions of regional Protectors and later Chief Protector. Further amendments and other Acts followed, but the effects were similar, until 1991. *

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

passed the '' Aborigines Act 1897'', abolishing the Aborigines Protection Board and establishing the Aborigines Department. *In

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, the '' Aborigines Protection Act 1909'' gave the Board for the Protection of Aborigines control of the reserves in New South Wales and the lives of the people who lived there. Amendments to the Act in 1915 gave the APB broad powers to remove Aboriginal children from their families, resulting in the

Stolen Generations The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Gover ...

. *In

, the protection of the Aboriginal people was mostly left to missionaries from 1856 to 1881 (after the office of Protector was abolished, the work being done by Sub-protectors reporting direct to the Commissioner of Crown Lands), when another Protector was appointed. In 1912, the Aborigines' Office (which had operated under a succession of different ministers) became the Aborigines' Department, initially a change in name only. In 1918, an Advisory Council of Aborigines was appointed under powers given by the '' Aborigines Act 1911'', to take control of the existing missions. The '' Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1939'' abolished the office of Chief Protector of Aborigines and the Advisory Council, and created the

Aborigines Protection Board Aboriginal Protection Board, also known as Aborigines Protection Board, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Aborigines Welfare Board (and in later sources, incorrectly as Aboriginal Welfare Board), and similar names, refers to a number of hi ...

, of which

Charles Duguid use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Kent Town, Adelaide , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = ...

was a founding member. *The ''

Northern Territory Aboriginals Act 1910 The ''Northern Territory Aboriginals Act 1910'' was an Act of the South Australian parliament (Act no. 1024/1910), assented to on 7 December 1910. The long name of the Act was "An Act to make Provision for the better Protection and Control of th ...

'' was an Act of the South Australian parliament, after having made no legislative provision for Aboriginal people in the NT for 47 years, soon before the NT was transferred to federal control. It was repealed by the ''Aboriginals Ordinance 1918'' on 13 June 1918, which combined and replaced the ''Northern Territory Aboriginals Act 1910'' and the ''Commonwealth Aboriginals Ordinance 1911''. These Acts established the

Northern Territory Aboriginals Department Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

and created the office of Chief Protector. The department was responsible for the control and welfare of Aboriginal people in the Territory, and under the Act, the Chief Protector was appointed the "legal guardian of every Aboriginal and every half-caste child up to the age of 18 years", and had the power to confine such children to an Aboriginal reserve or institution. The 1939 version of the Ordinance, intended to give effect to the change in policy (from protection to assimilation), did not allow for self-determination either.

Impact

The Aboriginal laws gave governments much power over all aspects of Aboriginal people’s lives. They lost what would later be considered

basic human rights Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning th ...

like freedom of movement, custody of children and control over property. In some states and the Northern Territory, the Chief Protector had legal guardianship over all Aboriginal children, ahead of the parents. These policies were at their worst in the 1930s. "In the name of protection", suggest the authors of the 1997 ''

Bringing Them Home ''Bringing Them Home'' is the 1997 Australian ''Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families''. The report marked a pivotal moment in the controversy that has come to ...

'' report, "Indigenous people were subject to near-total control". The forcible removal of children from their families led to what became known as the

Examples

New South Wales

Broadly speaking, there were three types of spaces formally set aside by the government specifically for Aboriginal people to live on: Aboriginal reserves: Aboriginal reserves were parcels of land set aside for Aboriginal people to live on; these were not managed by the government or its officials. From 1883 onwards, the Aboriginal people who were living on unmanaged reserves received rations and blankets from the

(APB), but remained responsible for their own housing. Such reserves included Forster and Burnt Bridge. Aboriginal missions: Aboriginal missions were created by churches or religious individuals to house Aboriginal people and train them in Christian ideals and to also prepare them for work. Most of the missions were developed on land granted by the government for this purpose. Around ten missions were established in NSW between 1824 and 1923, although missionaries also visited some managed stations. Many Aboriginal people have adopted the term ‘mission’ or ‘mish’ to refer to reserve settlements and fringe camps generally. Aboriginal stations: Aboriginal stations or ‘managed reserves’ were established by the APB from 1883 onwards, and were managed by officials appointed by that Board. Education (in the form of preparation for the workforce), rations and housing tended to be provided on these reserves, and station managers tightly controlled who could, and could not, live there. Many people were forcibly moved onto and off stations. Managed stations included Purfleet, Karuah and Murrin Bridge near Lake Cargellico. Many other Aboriginal people did not live on Aboriginal missions, reserves or stations, but in towns, or in fringe camps on private property or on the outskirts of towns, on beaches and riverbanks. There are many such places across the state that remain important to Aboriginal people. Since 1983, Local Aboriginal Land Councils have managed land and housing in similar and other settings. See also

List of Aboriginal Reserves in New South Wales Aboriginal reserves in New South Wales, together with Stations, and List of Aboriginal missions in New South Wales, Aboriginal Missions in New South Wales were areas of land where many Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal people were forced to li ...

and

List of Aboriginal missions in New South Wales Aboriginal missions in New South Wales, together with reserves and stations, were areas of land in New South Wales where many Aboriginal people were forced to live due to government laws and policies. The missions were established by religious ...

South Australia

Several Aboriginal

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

s, including Point McLeay (1916) and Point Pearce (1915) became Aboriginal reserves, as recommended by the 1913 Royal Commission on the Aborigines in its final report in 1916. Included in the recommendations was that the government become the legal guardian of all Aboriginal children upon reaching their 10th birthday, and place them "where they deem best". Seven years after the Final Report of the Commission, the ''

Aborigines (Training of Children) Act 1923 Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), the oldest inhabitants of central Italy in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of sev ...

'', in order to allow

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

children to be "trained" in a special institution so that they could go out and work. Most of what is now the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY lands) was formerly the North-West Aboriginal Reserve.

Queensland

Before the ''Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897'', various religious organisations had established a number of mission stations, and the

Colony of Queensland The Colony of Queensland was a colony of the British Empire from 1859 to 1901, when it became a State in the federal Australia, Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. At its greatest extent, the colony included the present-day Queensland, ...

government had gazetted small areas as reserves for Aboriginal people to use. Once the Act was passed, all Aboriginal reserves became subject to the Act. For several of these reserves, Superintendents were appointed to carry out the provisions of the Act, and

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

who had been running Aboriginal settlements also became Superintendents. However, the majority of reserves in Queensland were never "managed" reserves; they had no Superintendent and were usually controlled by the Local Protector of Aborigines.

Victoria

Victoria had a number of ''Aboriginal stations'' and ''

Native Police Australian native police were specialised mounted military units consisting of detachments of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers appointed by British colonial governments. The units existed in va ...

reserves'' (run by the colonial government), and ''missions'' (run by religious organisations). In 1860, the missions were taken over by the state, becoming stations, though were still often administered by the same religious groups. The stations were run by ''Superintendents'' (earlier ''Assistant Protectors''). The government also operated ''depots'', (run by ''Guardians'') which provided food, clothing and blankets, but not somewhere to live. A number of closed stations were subsequently used as depots. From 1886, after a contested situation at

Coranderrk Coranderrk was an Aboriginal reserve run by the Victorian government between 1863 and 1924, located around north-east of Melbourne. The residents were mainly of the Woiwurrung, Bunurong and Taungurung peoples, and the first inhabitants chose ...

, the stations were progressively shrunk and closed. Only Lake Tyers and Framlingham were left by the early 1920s. At this time,

Framlingham Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it appears in the 1086 Domesday Book and was part of Loes Hundred. The parish had a population of 3,342 at the 2011 census and an estimated 4,016 in 20 ...

became an unsupervised reserve where many Aboriginal people lived. In 1958 and 1960, two new Aboriginal settlements were built by the government in northern Victoria to provide transitional housing for people living in camps. Within a few years, the residents had chosen to transition to mainstream Housing Commission housing, and the settlements closed. In 1971, Lake Tyers and Framlingham were given to Aboriginal trusts to own and manage. Established before

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

* Yarra (Tromgin, on the current Royal Botanic Gardens site), 1837–1839 * Nerre Nerre Warren (Westernport Protectorate,

camp, Dandenong Police Paddock), 1837–1853 Established during Protectorate * Buntingdale (Birregurra, near Colac), 1839–1850 * Tubberubbabel (Westernport Protectorate, Arthurs Seat, near Tuerong), 1839–1840 * Yerrip Hills (Loddon Protectorate, near Sunbury), ''c.''1839–1840 * Neeriman (Loddon Protectorate, near Baringhup), ''c.''1839–1840 * Mitchellstown (Goulburn Protectorate, near Nagambie), 1839–1840 *

Goulburn River The Goulburn River, a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the Alpine, Northern Country/North Central, and Southern Riverina regions of the Australian state of Victor ...

(Goulburn Protectorate, near Murchinson), 1840–1853 * Kangerong (Westernport Protectorate, near Safety Beach on Brokil Creek), 1840 * Buckkermitterwarrer (Westernport Protectorate, near Dromana on Bald Hill Creek), 1840 * Tarrengower Hill (Loddon Protectorate, near Maldon), 1840–1841 * Franklinford (Loddon Protectorate, Mount Franklin, Mount Franklyn, Jim Crow Hill), 1841–1864 *

Merri Creek Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia, which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins near Wallan and flows south for 70 km until joining the Yarra River at Dights Falls. The area where th ...

(Westernport Protectorate, Native Police camp, Aboriginal School, near Fairfield), 1841–1851 *Keilambete (Western Protectorate, Lake Keilambete, near Terang), ''c.''1841 * Lake Terang (Western Protectorate, near Terang), ''c.''1841 * Mount Rouse (Western Protectorate, Penshurst), 1842–1858 Established between Protectorate and Board of Protection *

Warrandyte Warrandyte ( ) is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham Local government areas of Victoria, ...

(on the Yarra River's Pound Bend), 1849–1854 * Pirron Yallock (near Colac), 1849–1855 *Maffra Native Police reserve, 1850–''c.''1860 * Lake Boga (near Swan Hill), 1851–1856 * Camperdown, 1851–1883 * Mordialloc, 1852–1863 * Yelta (near Mildura), 1855–1868 * Acheron, 1859–1860 * Ebenezer (Lake Hindmarsh, Wimmera, Dimboola), 1859–1906 * Polo Hill (in Mortlake) Established under Board of Protection * Mohican (Jones' Station, on the Acheron River), 1860–1863 *Steiglitz (Moorabool and Werribee, Little River, Beremboke, Bacchus Marsh, in the Brisbane Ranges), 1860–1902 *

(Hopkins River, Warrnambool), 1861–today * Duneed (Mount Duneed, near Geelong), 1861–1907 * Karngun (near Winchelsea), 1861–1875 *Woori Yaloak (near Lilydale), 1862 *

Maffra Maffra is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Wellington local government area and it is the second most populous city of the Shire. It relies mainly on dairy farming and other agricu ...

(Green Hills, Mafra), 1862–1863 * Tangambalanga (near Kiewa), 1862–1873 * Ramahyuck (Lake Wellington, near Bairnsdale and the Avon River), 1863–1907 *

(Gracedale, Badger Creek, near Healesville), 1863–1950, 1998–today * Lake Tyers (near Lakes Entrance), 1863–today * Chepstowe (near Ballarat on Baillie Creek), ''c.''1865–1901 * Kangerton (near Hawkesdale, north of Warrnambool), 1866–1879 *

Lake Condah Lake Condah, also known by its Gunditjmara name Tae Rak, is in the Australian state of Victoria, about west of Melbourne and north-east of Heywood by road. It is in the form of a shallow basin, about in length and wide. The lake is loca ...

(between Portland and Hamilton), 1867–1951, 1987–today * Elliminyt (near Colac), 1872–1948 * Dergholm (Roseneath, near Casterton), 1873–1902 * Gayfield, 1874–1910 * Tallageira (in the Grampians/Gariwerd), 1887–1907 *

Wahgunyah Wahgunyah is a town in northeastern Victoria, Australia. The town is on the southern bank of the Murray River, opposite Corowa, New South Wales, in the Shire of Indigo. Wahgunyah is north east of the state capital, Melbourne and west of Al ...

(Lake Moodemere, near Corowa), 1891–1937 * Mildura (at Kings Billabong), 1902–''c.''1909 * Rumbalara (near Mooroopna), 1946–1971, 1982–today Established by Aborigines Welfare Board *Manatunga (Robinvale Settlement), 1960–1971, 1991–today Established by Aboriginal Land Fund Commission *Baroona (near Echuca), 1977–today *New Norfolk (in East Gippsland), 1979–? Established by Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning * Neds Corner, 2022–today