Explorers’ Monument in Fremantle

In February 1913, the killing of three settlers by Aboriginal people in 1864 was commemorated with the unveiling of the Explorers’ Monument. Yet the history remembered by the memorial was just one side of the story – its plaque failed to mention the deaths of almost 40 Aboriginal people by the three settlers and the punitive recovery expedition. In 1994, a second plaque was added to the monument, recognising the right of Aboriginal people to defend their land and commemorating all Aboriginal people who died in the invasion of Australia.