Events 1 - Aboriginal Wars

Contrary to earlier histories, the Darug people fought wars of resistance against the British, who had taken over their lands. Low levels of resistance and reprisal throughout the period 1790 to 1816 saw some notable spikes in fighting.
* The year 1790 saw the "Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars" that contained the "Richmond Hill Battle" of 1795.
* 1797 saw the "Battle of Parramatta", where Pemulwuy and his supporters attacked and burnt farms. Pemulwuy was a greatly feared warrior who was believed to have supernatural powers, but was killed in 1802 and his head sent to England.
* From 1799 to 1805 unrest continued in the Hawkesbury and Parramatta areas in what was called "The Black Wars".
In 1800 settlers near Windsor murdered two Aboriginal boys as a reprisal for the death of a farmer. They were tried and convicted, but in the continued fighting they were released to defend their farms and no punishment took place.
After a period of calm, fighting began again in 1816 in what is called "The Cumberland Plain Wars". There were Aboriginal attacks in the south-west and at Mulgoa, as well as Kurrajong. The most infamous incident was the "Appin Massacre" where soldiers killed a large number of native men, women and children. Peace began with Macquarie meeting Aboriginal leaders at Parramatta in December 1816.

http://www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au/west/1790s

http://www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au/west/1800s

A depiction of Pemulwuy

Many of the soldier/settlers at Castlereagh would have been involved in battles with the Aboriginal people. While the Mulgowi and Boorooberongal were considered mostly peaceful they often bore the brunt of reprisals from attacks by other groups. There is a contemporary account of an "Aboriginal Hunt" undertaken by local land owners to rid the area of Aboriginal people.

Lieutenant Thomas Hobby was the officer in charge near Windsor when the two Aboriginal boys were murdered and gave evidence at the inquiry where he gave some excuse for the men's actions.