Tullamareena facts for kids
Tullamareena was an important senior man of the Wurundjeri people. The Wurundjeri are a Koori, or Aboriginal, group from the Melbourne area in Australia. Tullamareena lived when British settlers first arrived in Victoria in 1835.
He is thought to have been at the signing of John Batman's land deal in 1835. Tullamareena was known for resisting the British taking over Wurundjeri lands. An early missionary, Reverend George Langhorne, described him as a "steady, industrious man."
The Jail Incident
On April 25, 1838, Tullamareena was taken into custody. This happened after an incident involving potatoes at John Gardiner's property in Hawthorn. While he was being held, Tullamareena managed to escape.
He and his friends, Moonee Moonee and Jin Jin, then set fire to the first Melbourne jail. The jail was made of thatch, which burns easily. William Lonsdale, who was the first Police Magistrate in Melbourne, wrote about the event. He explained that one of the men used a long reed to light the thatch roof from inside. Tullamareena and another man escaped, but Jin Jin was later caught again. This event caused a lot of worry among the settlers about the Aboriginal people.
Journey Home
Tullamareena was later caught again. He was sent by ship to Sydney for a trial. However, his trial stopped because he could not understand English. He was then set free.
At the time, Sydney was more than 700 kilometers (about 435 miles) from his home. There are no official records of him after this. But, stories told in Sunbury say that after he was released, he walked all the way back home. His home region was around the areas now known as Tullamarine, Bulla, and Sunbury.
Tullamareena's Legacy
Today, a suburb in Melbourne is named after him. The city's airport and the freeway also carry his name. This helps remember his important place in the history of the Melbourne area.
