In the heart of the Mogumber sand plain, nestled north of Perth, the Moore River Native Settlement stands as a chilling testament to a dark chapter in Australia’s history. For 30 years, this place served as a multifaceted institution, shifting between sanctuary, work camp, orphanage, prison, and rural haven. Initiated by the Chief Protector of Aborigines, A.O. Neville, this settlement was part of a controversial social experiment aimed at eradicating an entire race and culture.
From its establishment in 1918 until 1951, the Moore River Native Settlement, located about 135km north of Perth, became infamous as one of the largest Aboriginal missions in Western Australia. A place where hundreds of Indigenous children from across the vast regions of the state were forcibly sent, often against their will and as young children, for so-called “integration” into Western society.
The horrors of Moore River were laid bare through a recent research project by the state’s Aboriginal History WA unit, which delved into the camp’s cemetery. The findings exposed the appalling conditions that led to the deaths of over 374 people, the majority being children. The causes of death ranged from treatable respiratory and infectious diseases to malnutrition, and the peak periods of mortality coincided with the 1920s, the Great Depression, and World War II when resources were scarce.
The Moore River Native Settlement, once under government control, underwent a change in 1951 when the Methodist church took charge until its closure in 1974. The unsanitary, overcrowded, and bleak conditions within its confines contributed to the suffering and deaths of countless Indigenous people, many of whom were babies.
Historical accounts reveal a dark narrative of “barbarous treatment” with inmates, including children, locked in tiny sheds, dilapidated dormitories, and subjected to inadequate food. Moore River became a place where Indigenous children were trained for hard labor as maids, farmhands, and station workers, often receiving meager compensation or none at all. The living conditions were deplorable, marked by abuse, malnutrition, and a lack of healthcare.
Archival photos depict the unforgiving lifestyle at Moore River, with residents living in rudimentary tents and shacks, exposed to the harsh winters of the Wheatbelt region. The camp’s rapid growth led to overcrowded living conditions, and attempts to escape resulted in the construction of a punishment shed known as “the Boob.”
The settlement, initially intended as a self-supporting farming community, lost its original purpose and transformed into a grim combination of prison camp, welfare hostel, and a dumping ground for the elderly and destitute. Chief Protector A.O. Neville envisioned the settlement as a means of integrating children of mixed descent into non-Indigenous society, a policy that became synonymous with the forced removal of children from their families.
In 1997, the Bringing Them Home report detailed the chronic underfunding and living conditions at Moore River, prompting former Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck to describe it as a “dump” with limited facilities and inadequate staff.
