Galmarra (1833?-1854) was an Australian Aboriginal guide. He is best known for assisting the Australian explorer Edmund Kennedy. Galmarra guided Kennedy’s 1848 expedition to the Cape York Peninsula in what is now northern Queensland, Australia. He was one of only three men who survived the journey. Galmarra’s white employers called him Jackey Jackey, also spelled Jacky Jacky. 
Galmarra was born in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, near the Muswellbrook settlement. He was a member of either the Geawegal people or the Wonnarua people, two Aboriginal groups with traditional lands in the Hunter River region. Galmarra’s exact date of birth is unknown, but historians think he was a teenager when he acted as Kennedy’s guide.
In 1848, Galmarra was chosen to guide Kennedy’s overland expedition from Rockingham Bay, near what is now Tully, Queensland, to Cape York, at the northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula. At the time, the peninsula and the rest of eastern Australia were part of the British colony of New South Wales. The journey would cover a distance of more than 600 miles (965 kilometers).
The expedition sailed north from Sydney, New South Wales, in April 1848. A month later, it landed at Rockingham Bay. Over the following months, Kennedy and 12 other men struggled to travel north on the peninsula. Galmarra became known for his ability to navigate the challenging environments that the group encountered.
As the expedition ran out of food, Kennedy decided to head north with a small party to obtain supplies. He intended to meet a relief ship waiting near Albany Island, off the far northeast coast of the peninsula. Kennedy set up camp at Weymouth Bay. There, he divided the expedition, leaving eight men at the camp while he pressed on with Galmarra and three others. At Shelburne Bay, Kennedy and Galmarra left behind an injured man and two others to look after him.
In December, Kennedy and Galmarra were near the Escape River, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the supply ship, when local Aboriginal people attacked them. Kennedy was injured by a spear. Galmarra managed to get them both away from the site of the attack, but Kennedy soon died. Galmarra pushed on and reached the supply ship. He told the story of the expedition to its crew, and then guided a rescue mission to Shelburne and Weymouth bays. But the rescuers found only two men alive, at the Weymouth Bay camp.
Australia’s settler society celebrated Galmarra’s bravery. Governor Charles FitzRoy of New South Wales ordered that an engraved silver breastplate be made as a reward for Galmarra. However, no one knows whether Galmarra ever received the breastplate. By 1850, Galmarra had gone back to live in his Aboriginal community. He died in 1854.
