The Fisheries
A waterhole on Cornish Creek, about eighty kilometres north of Bowen Downs.
This point was so named as being a fishing ground for the blacks, and their peculiar process of catching was to construct a hedge across the creek. This is a dangerous locality, if one may judge from the mysterious disappearance, a few weeks previous, of my friend Mr. Meredith and an overseer. Their encampment had been since identified, and some of their property had been found in possession of the blacks. Altogether, they were both such good bushmen that there is no likelihood of their having been lost while searching for their horses in the morning; although they may have met their fate while so engaged. While in this region we kept a night-watch, somewhat to the surprise of our travelling companion, to whom the proceeding was entirely new. In fact, I found that ordinary travellers did not carry even firearms in this district, noted as it had become for the unexpected attacks of the blacks.
William Landsborough, Overland Journey From Rockhampton To Port Denison, Via Bowen Downs And The Salt Lake, Brisbane Courier 17 August 1865, p. 4 (Trove)
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Another tragedy that marked this year was the murder of Mr. Meredith, of Tower Hill station, and his overseer by the blacks. Mr. Meredith had been away from his station on a visit, and when returning passed his teams loaded with rations on the road somewhere between Bully and Cornish Creeks. In passing them he promised either to meet them himself or to send someone else. When he got to Cornish Creek, he saw so many blacks that he decided to meet them himself; therefore, on arrival at the station, he obtained fresh horses, and started back, taking his overseer, Mr. Robert McNeely, with him. He intended to stay with the teams until they were past all danger, but he never reached them. Both men were killed on Cornish Creek, about fifty miles above Bowen Downs.
The exact spot was unknown, nor were the bodies ever recovered; but their clothes, watches, etc., were found in the blacks' camp. The men with the teams were the first to find out that something was wrong, for on bringing up their horses one morning, they found some of the Tower Hill station horses among them, one in particular that Mr. Meredith always rode himself.
Suspecting trouble, they went on to the Bowen Downs teams, a few miles ahead, and the teamsters went back with them to search, and in the blacks' camp articles were found which left no doubt that both Mr. Meredith and his overseer had been killed. No doubt there had been a night attack when the two pioneers were asleep in their camp, unaware of the approach of the observant enemy. Blacks seldom attacked during the day, but preferred to steal stealthily upon their victims and kill them in their sleep.
(Edward Palmer, Early Days in North Queensland, pp. 181-182)
