Война на земле Гундічмар: Пограничный конфликт и моральная оценка в Западном округе Виктории.

he expansion of pastoral settlement across the Western District of Victoria in the early nineteenth century transformed one of the most distinctive landscapes in Australia. Beneath the volcanic rises and basalt plains surrounding the Eumeralla River and Budj Bim lay a country long inhabited and carefully managed by Gunditjmara communities. When colonial settlement spread rapidly across this region during the 1830s and 1840s, the encounter between expanding pastoral society and established Indigenous systems of land use produced a series of violent confrontations that have come to form part of the wider history of Australia’s frontier conflicts. This book examines the Western District frontier through a detailed reconstruction of the historical landscape in which these events unfolded. Drawing upon colonial records, archaeological research, and the work of leading historians of the Australian frontier, it explores the environmental, social, and political conditions that shaped the conflict. Particular attention is given to the role of terrain, mobility, and patterns of settlement in influencing how violence occurred across the region. Moving beyond narrative history, the study also considers the ethical questions raised by frontier conflict. By applying concepts from the long tradition of just war theory, the book explores how historians might interpret violence that occurred within competing frameworks of authority, law, and territorial belonging. Rather than seeking simple moral conclusions, the analysis highlights the complexity of interpreting conflicts that arose from the encounter between expanding colonial societies and Indigenous communities defending land and resources essential to their survival. Combining careful historical research with philosophical reflection, this book offers a new perspective on one of the most significant episodes in the history of colonial Australia. It situates the Western District conflict within the broader history of frontier warfare and contributes to the growing scholarly effort to understand the nature and consequences of violence on the Australian frontier.