NewSouth Books
Uprising: War in the colony of New South Wales, 1838–1844
The award-winning author of The Sydney Wars reveals the breadth of frontier resistance warfare.
The First Wiradyuri War of Resistance ended in 1824 with a series of massacres conducted by settlers in the Bathurst region. From the 1830s, colonists began occupying more and more Aboriginal land across western New South Wales and stocking it with sheep and cattle. By 1838, a dramatic fightback began across the entire frontier of the colony. What has been called the Second Wiradyuri War of Resistance, from 1839 to 1841, in southern New South Wales near Narranderra was, in fact, part of a vast arc of conflict from present-day northern Victoria through tosoutheast Queensland. At the time, it was seen by many contemporaries as a concerted and coordinated ‘uprising’.
In Uprising, historian Stephen Gapps reveals, for the first time, the incredible story of this extensive frontier resistance warfare – a series of wars that were conducted along a huge area of the Murray-Darling river system, across many First Nations’ lands, in a concerted defence of River Country.
About the author
Stephen Gapps is a senior historian at Artefact Heritage Services and a former curator at the Australian National Maritime Museum. He is the author of The Sydney Wars: Conflict in the early colony 1788–1817 (NewSouth, 2018), the inaugural winner of the Les Carlyon Award for the writing of military history and Gudyarra: The First Wiradyuri War of Resistance — The Bathurst War, 1822–1824 (NewSouth, 2021).
Praise for the author
‘Stephen Gapps’ work is a significant contribution to truth-telling in Australian history.’ – Anita Heiss
‘A great and much needed account. And yet another loud cry to break the great Australian silence.’ – John Maynard
‘For all Australians to truly understand their history, the Australian Wars need to be a prominent part of our national story. At a time when we need to think deeply about how the past impacts our future, Uprising is essential reading.’ – Rachel Perkins
‘This is a must-read! Uprising is a landmark book at the forefront of the new and exciting scholarship about the Australian Wars. In a brilliant synthesis, Gapps draws together his deep research with extensive consultation with Elders and local knowledge holders and, just as importantly, his detailed understanding of the country in contention.’ – Henry Reynolds
Stephen Gapps
Published April 2025
Paperback
256 Pages
153mm x 235mm
ISBN: 9781742238029
