Why did Billibellary and other Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung clansmen and women parley with Batman on the banks of the Merri Creek in June 1835? And what befell the clans in the decade and a half that followed that fateful encounter with Britain Empire? Based primarily on the daily journal of Assistant Protector William Thomas, this work meticulously documents the lives, and deaths, of those who struggled to hold their Country as La Trobe unleashed he terror of British lawon them. Both defender of Kulin rights and agent of empire, Thomas was a unique witness to the devastation of the Kulin, recording their heartbreak and defiance as they succumbed to disease and hunger. The Years of Terror: Banbu-deen provides a new history of colonisation at Port Phillip, bringing the focus to bear on those who were violently dispossessed of lands and waters, theirs from time immemorial.

Contents: Introduction -- Part One: the coming of strangers -- Part two: the protectorate station at Tubberubabel -- Part Three: the protectorate station at Nerre Nerre Warren -- Part four: the great encampment on the Merri Creek -- Part Five: cast out.

Cultural sensitivity advisory notice: Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other First Nations people are advised that this item may contain names, recordings, images of deceased people and other content that may be culturally sensitive.

Includes bibliographical references and index.