As settlement progresses, some Aboriginal people retaliate at having their yam crops and rushes destroyed along the riverbanks. Banks are cleared and Aborigines are also denied access to the river for fishing. When European farming starts on the western left hand side (mountain side) of the Hawkesbury, Darkinung seek to protect their own lands and resources. They spear and kill a white man. They momentarily retain a hold on the slopes of the ranges until floods drive settlers to higher ground. Aborigines begin to come in to the new river port, surviving as fringe dwellers, following precedents at Sydney & Parramatta.