Inverell (pop. 9,547) is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Inverell is known for its gemstone and mineral deposits. It is one of the main sources of mined rubies in New South Wales. The town, nicknamed “Sapphire City,” produces some of the highest-quality sapphires in the world. 
The land around Inverell was traditionally inhabited by the Kamilaroi people, an Australian Aboriginal group. It was taken over by European settlers in 1836, when the Scottish overseer Alexander Campbell established several properties in the area. Campbell founded Inverell Station—a large farm—in 1842. The name means meeting place of the swans in Gaelic, the ancient language of Scotland and Ireland. It references the fact that the juncture of the Macintyre River and Swan Brook was on the property.
The nearby settlement of Myall Creek was the site of the infamous 1838 Myall Creek Massacre. In the 1830’s, interactions between white settlers and Aboriginal Australians on the frontier were marked by frequent outbreaks of violence. To avoid this violence, a group of about 50 Aboriginal people took shelter near the Myall Creek station. On June 10, 1838, a gang of settlers and convicts attacked and murdered most of the group. At least 28 Aboriginal people were killed, including women and children. Most of the perpetrators were arrested. Seven of the men were found guilty of murder and hanged for their crimes. This was unusual for the colonial justice system, which rarely punished British subjects for their actions against Aboriginal people. 
