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Even though the buffalo is an introduced species and is often the subject of eradication efforts by the government, the “blackfellows” (as Aboriginals call themselves) have embraced the buffalo and made it part of their culture. He told me of the “Buffalo Dreaming” and the story of how the white buffalo led the herd into their part of northern Australia for the benefit of his people.

“The buffalo came over the Blue Mountains through Mangurra to Marrklawa. They call him Bredalla,” Henry said. “Now the white buffalo is ceremony.” Ceremonies have been part of Aboriginal culture since it began 40,000 years ago; to have included the buffalo illustrates how they can adapt to change with their always-evolving culture.

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The history of the buffalo in Australia is a bit convoluted, I suspect due to politics. According to the Internet, the Australian government states: “Water buffalo were imported to Australia in the 19th century to supply meat to remote northern settlements. The settlements and their buffalo were abandoned in 1949 and, despite harvesting for meat, hides and as hunters’ trophies, feral buffalo spread across the northern floodplains.”

I understood that to mean the buffalo were not wild until after 1949.

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The settlers and convicts soon found that the natives were anything but friendly. Apart from the problems with the Tiwi Aborigines there were the white ants and the occasional cyclone which made life rather difficult. The soil was good but there were no animals to do the heavy work. Water buffalo were imported from Timor and they became the nucleus of the herd which was later transferred to the Cobourg Peninsula.

In 1827 Major John Campbell arrived to take command but relations with the Aborigines deteriorated all the time. Dr John Gold and storekeeper John Green were speared to death. The fort was abandoned in 1828 and by February 1829 the Tiwi Aborigines were once again in control of their land.

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In 1846 Father Angelo Confalonieri became the first Catholic priest to come to the Northern Territory to establish the Church at Victoria. He died two years later without having been able to carry out his objectives. Victoria, and Fort Essington with it, was abandoned on 1 December 1849.

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the “blackfellows” (as Aboriginals call themselves)

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No, it is "blackfellas". Like you be "whitefella"!

I don't regard either water buffalo or cape buffalo as particularly dangerous, unless wounded. Doesn't stop either from getting "aggro". I have shot 19 water buffalo, and a grande whole ONE cape buffalo. Been among cape buffalo several times and trips, one other hunt for them, where I just shot elephant instead, and never got onto the cape buffalo. Some scrub bulls and a banteng.

Now its funny when I think about, the first and the last water buffalo had issues. The first ever water buffalo I did not shoot, but we did get out of his way. He was aggro, and brought down a tree with his horn. A gnarly old broomed off bull. Not a charge, he was standing staring at us at a few metres, at Matt Graham and I. Never really wrote this before but Matt's borrowed rifle from Bob Penfold, had jammed, so I covered the bull while he tried to clear the rifle. The bull advanced, we retreated, happened several times. Before we backed out and away. I regretted not shooting that old, he would have looked good on the wall. But did get a find big beast a couple of days later.

And my last bull did try to kill me. Wrote about that elsewhere. As I had wounded him. First bull that I shot that had got away and run off. All the others, most shot more than once, never got far. The big rifles do that. And that is when these beasts get dangerous, when they are wounded, and you have to follow them up, and especially if it is in thicker bush. The exception is the rule, so any big beast is dangerous. Scrub bulls charge IMO far more than any buffalo. But are perhaps easier to put down.

As for the cape bersus water buffalo debate. I haven't shot enough of either. But some Africans say the water buffalo is harder to kill. The cape is more dangerous they say.

BTW Aussies like to downplay any danger - "Sure mate, no problem, your .22 is easily enuff!" And Boers like to brag, "Toes cap biffalo will kell you man! Nine times outta ten, youll be dead! Then dunt come complainin to me!"