A FEW questions for local history buffs:

In 1841, 200 to 300 people were murdered somewhere in the Couts Crossing area. Can anyone tell me where?

It was most likely close to where the Orara runs into the Clarence. There is a reference that says, "for days after the killings, bodies were seen to be floating past the township" (Grafton).

The killings were done by a combination of mounted police and local horsemen, so it would have taken quite a while to organise, so it must have involved a lot of disputes, and certainly been premeditated.

It would have taken quite a while to kill 200 to 300 people with muzzle loaders.

"Quite a few were shot while trying to get away by swimming the river", and it would appear that the bodies were left to rot or simply thrown into the river.

The mounted police could possibly have been the Qld Mounted Police, who would become the most brutal and feared, and may have been formed about that time.

Is there anything to remind of this past?

Neil Nelson, Grafton