This is a list of massacres and mass murders that have occurred in Australia and its predecessor colonies (some historical numbers may be approximate). Many of the massacres not listed here may instead be found in the list of massacres of Indigenous Australians. There is no uniform, global standard for what constitutes a mass murder. For the purposes of this list, the Australian Institute of Criminology definition of mass murder as having a "threshold of four or more fatalities" is used.

Massacres and mass murders

Attacks causing multiple non-fatal injuries

Mass violent attacks which caused many injuries but few deaths.

  • Sydney Yugoslav General Trade and Tourist Agency bombing – in 1972, 16 people were wounded by a bomb planted at Yugoslav tourism agencies. Nobody was killed.
  • Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing – in 1978, a bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, injuring 11 people and killing 3.
  • Russell Street bombing – in 1986, 23 people were wounded when a car bomb ignited outside a Police Building. One of the wounded, a female police officer, died later of injuries from the explosion.
  • December 2017 Melbourne car attack – in December 2017, a man drove a car into pedestrians, injuring 18 people (including himself) and killing 1. Should not be confused with the January 2017 Melbourne car attack.
  • 2010 Darwin shopping centre bombing - a shopping trolley loaded with petrol cans and fireworks was detonated in a shopping center, injuring 19 people.
  • Monash University shooting - a mass shooting which resulted in 2 deaths and 5 injuries.

Murders over an extended period of time

See also

Indigenous massacres and conflicts:

  • List of massacres of Indigenous Australians
  • Australian frontier wars

Terrorism:

  • Terrorism in Australia
  • List of terrorist incidents in Australia

Crime:

  • Crime in Australia
  • List of Australian criminals
  • Timeline of major crimes in Australia
  • List of mass shootings in Australia

References


Australia reels from worst rampage killing in decades for a country

History Indigenous Studies Guide Library Guides at James Cook

Map charts early massacres of indigenous Australians BBC News

Digital map records 250 Indigenous massacres, more predicted

The Mapping of Massacres in Australia The New Yorker