David Dunlop’s return for the Wollombi/Macdonald River district

David Dunlop’s return for the Wollombi/Macdonald River district is most comprehensive. Like the Brisbane Water report, it observes that the local Aboriginal population is diminishing. This effects young and old, with many children seldom living through their first winter and elderly people dying during the last winter of cold and hunger. There are 73 Aborigines in the district across three tribes:

The Wollombi tribe’s hunting ground extends to Patrick’s Plains: 14 men, 10 women, 2 boys, 1 girl (three are disabled: blind, deaf and lame), totalling 27

The Ellalong tribe’s ground joins the Maitland blacks and the Macdonald River tribe: 18 men, 8 women, 1 boy, 2 girls, totalling 29

The Macdonald River Tribe range from the Colo River to Wiseman’s Ferry: 12 old men, 3 women, 2 boys, no girls, totalling 17.