The children, aged between 18 months and 15 years, were found at 11.20am (1.20am Irish time) in the suburb of Manoora, Queensland state police said in a statement.
A 34-year-old woman, who’s being treated for serious injuries in the hospital, is helping police with their inquiries, Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar told reporters.
Det Insp Asnicar said police believed the woman was the mother of seven of the children.
8 children found dead in house in Australia
“There is no formal suspect,” Det Insp Asnicar told reporters. “We are talking to a range of people.
Anybody who has had any involvement in the past two or three days is a person of interest,” he said.
The children’s bodies were discovered by their 20-year-old brother, who is now being comforted by family members, the Cairns Post reported.
Australian prime minister Tony Abbott released a statement calling the deaths “an unspeakable crime” while state premier Campbell Newman said he would ensure the emergency services workers who attended the scene would be given counseling if needed.
“As it stands at the moment, there’s no need for the public to be concerned about this other than the fact it’s a tragic, tragic event,” Det Insp Asnicar said.
“The situation is well-controlled.” He declined to comment on the relationship between the woman and the children, and warned that the confirmed number of deaths could be higher or lower than initially reported.
Police haven’t said how the children were killed, amid reports in local media that many were stabbed.
The incident is one of Australia’s worst mass killings and comes days after two hostages and a gunman were killed following a 16-hour siege in a Sydney cafe this week.
Mr Abbott said the nation was facing “trying days.”
“The news out of Cairns is heartbreaking,” Mr Abbott said. “Tonight, there will be tears and prayers across our country for these children.” The nation’s worst mass murder was at Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996 when Martin Bryant shot dead 35 people.
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