Ned Kelly’s movements can be traced from Melbourne to the north-east of Vic and on into NSW. Some sites from his passing are obvious while others are no more than grassy flats on private property.

Pick up a good road map and bring some imagination, and those wild days when the Kelly gang hoped to establish a “Republic of North-East Victoria” will come alive. Brochures covering the Ned Kelly touring routes are freely available throughout the region.

WALLAN 1848

Ned’s father, John “Red” Kelly, had been sentenced to seven years’ transportation to Van Diemen’s Land (as Tas was known) for stealing two pigs in his native county of Tipperary, Ireland. Upon his release, he headed for the Irish settlements around Kilmore in Vic, where he took a job working on James Quinn’s farm at Wallan and married Ellen, one of Quinn’s daughters. He joined the rush to the goldfields where he had some success, and by 1854 he left the Quinn property with his wife and daughter, Anne, and settled on a town block at nearby Beveridge. The house is still there.

Â

Â

BEVERIDGE, JUNE 3, 1854

Edward “Ned” Kelly was born here. Another sister, Margaret, and a brother, James, were born soon after. Unable to support his large family, John Kelly moved his family northwards to Avenel.

AVENEL 1866

Here John Kelly established a struggling dairy farm and it would appear that he stole a calf for food, as he was convicted and gaoled for six months for possession of a hide.

In October 1865 his last child, Grace, was born, but John Kelly’s health was failing and he died in November 1866 at the age of 46 (you can visit his grave in the local cemetery). His widow was left to look after seven children and headed north-east in search of a better life, settling at Greta south of Glenrowan where she remarried.

While living in Avenel, 11-year-old Ned had brought fame to himself (and earned his famous green silk cummerbund) by saving a younger friend from drowning. In subsequent years, Ned was charged with assisting the bushranger Harry Power in robbery under arms, but was acquitted for lack of evidence (there are stunning views from Powers Lookout, the bushranger’s hiding place south-west of Whitfield).

At the age of 15, Ned was charged with assaulting a hawker and sentenced to six months’ hard labour in Beechworth Gaol. Upon his release he was again sentenced to three years’ gaol for horse stealing. In 1873 Ned’s younger brother Jim was sentenced to eight years for cattle stealing.

BENALLA 1877

As leader of the flash Greta mob, Ned Kelly was showing off in Benalla when he was arrested by Constable Alex Fitzpatrick for being drunk and riding his horse across a footpath. One of the policemen who overpowered him was Thomas Lonigan and Ned swore that if he ever had to kill anyone, Lonigan would be the first.

GRETA 1878

Warrants were issued for Ned and Dan Kelly for horse theft, and Constable Fitzpatrick rode out to the Kelly homestead to make an arrest. He had no authority to do so and was drunk. In the scuffle that broke out, Fitzpatrick received a wound to the wrist. He claimed that Ned had shot him, but Ned later claimed that he was nowhere near the house that night.

As a result of the incident, Ellen Kelly was sentenced to three years’ gaol and warrants were issued for the arrest of Ned and Dan Kelly for attempted murder.

WOMBAT RANGES

The two brothers fled to the Wombat Ranges about 50km south of Greta, where they sheltered in Dan’s old camp and built a substantial log hut, strong enough to withstand a siege. They had vegetable gardens, fences and a whisky still. They found payable quantities of gold in the creek which went towards the court costs for their mother and the others who were arrested.

They were joined at different times by their many friends and relatives who brought news and supplies and carried out the gold. Two close friends, Joseph Byrne and Steve Hart, decided to stay.

In October, they received news that two disguised police parties were converging on the area. One of them was heading north from Mansfield, led by Sergeant Michael Kennedy.

STRINGYBARK CREEK, OCTOBER 26, 1878

Kennedy and constables Michael Scanlan, Thomas Lonigan and Thomas McIntyre camped on the banks of Stringybark Creek on their first night out from Mansfield, unaware that they had set up camp perilously close to the Kellys’ secluded hideaway. Disguised as miners, the policemen carried out their camp duties while being observed by the Kellys and their two mates.

When Kennedy and Scanlan rode out next morning, Ned took the opportunity to attack the camp. McIntyre, who was unarmed, surrendered instantly but Lonigan dived behind a log and prepared to defend himself. Ned shot him dead.

Towards dusk, Kennedy and Scanlan returned to camp. McIntyre tried to persuade them to surrender but both policemen prepared to fight. Scanlan was shot from his horse as he attempted to unsling his rifle, while Kennedy drew his revolver and dodged from tree to tree. During the confusion, McIntyre sprang onto Kennedy’s horse and escaped into the bush.

Kennedy kept up his spirited retreat from tree to tree but was eventually shot dead by Ned. Three dead policemen now lay beside Stringybark Creek while McIntyre raced toward Mansfield to spread the awful news.

The Vic government wasted no time in passing the Felons Apprehension Act, whereby the Kelly gang could be shot on sight by anyone, and harbourers could be gaoled. When the Kellys failed to surrender themselves at Mansfield Courthouse, they were officially declared outlaws.

Search parties returned to Stringybark Creek and retrieved the bodies of Lonigan and Scanlan, though Kennedy’s body about 400m from the camp was not located until five days later. Ned later claimed that he had shot dead the twice wounded sergeant to put him out of his pain, and then covered the body with a cloak after taking his watch.

There’s a plaque to the murdered policemen, and the famous Kelly Tree marks the spot where the shootout took place.

Â

Â

EUROA, DECEMBER 10, 1878

Following the shootings at Stringybark Creek, the four outlaws descended on Younghusband’s Station on Faithfull Creek north of Euroa, where they bailed up the station workers and visitors. A visiting hawker’s cart provided them with new clothing.

On the afternoon of the next day, Ned, Dan and Steve rode out towards Euroa and cut the telegraph wires along the nearby railway line. Joe Byrne stayed behind to guard the captives.

The three bushrangers rode into town in their fancy new clothes and entered the National Bank. There they took over 2000 pounds’ worth of gold, bank notes and cash before returning to the station with the bank manager, his family and the bank tellers as hostages. No shots were fired and no-one was physically harmed.

Ned explained his version of the Fitzpatrick incident and the Stringybark Creek tragedy to his captive audience and left a letter for the authorities before making his getaway.

JERILDERIE, FEBRUARY 10, 1879

With military personnel guarding the banks and extra police combing the countryside, the Kelly gang crossed from Vic into NSW. The Bank of New South Wales in the Riverina town of Jerilderie was their next objective.

They locked the two local policemen in their own cell and wandered about town the next day in borrowed police uniforms, claiming to be reinforcements while familiarising themselves with the town layout. On the following day the gang bailed up the Royal Mail Hotel (on the site of the current Colony Inn Hotel-Motel) and entered the bank which occupied quarters at the end of the hotel. Everyone was taken by surprise and the bushrangers took over 2000 pounds from the safe.

Once again the bailed-up captives became an audience for Ned’s speeches about his persecuted life. He also left a 57-page letter which he wanted published. The four outlaws then rode out of town in different directions.

The NSW government added 1000 pounds to the head of each outlaw and the gang was now worth 8000 pounds.

GLENROWAN, JUNE 28, 1880

Following the Jerilderie raid, the Kelly gang disappeared. In mid-1880 the police began to receive curious reports of stolen plough mould-boards in the Greta district.

Meanwhile, a good friend of the gang, Aaron Sherritt, had become a police informer, but the bushrangers found out and shot him dead as he opened the door of his hut. Four policemen who were staying in the hut cowered under the bed.

The murder was part of Ned’s plan to entice a police train to hurtle up from Melbourne. His aim was to wreck the train at Glenrowan, deal with any survivors and then ride into Benalla to rob the unprotected banks. The stolen plough mould-boards had been fashioned into crude suits of armour to provide protection from police bullets.

Ned and Steve tore up a section of railway line north of Glenrowan Station, and the four outlaws then took the population of Glenrowan hostage in the Glenrowan Hotel as they waited for the train. The plan depended on news of Sherritt’s death reaching the police in Melbourne, but the police party did not venture out of Sherritt’s hut until the next afternoon.

In the early hours of the second day, the outlaws were tired and off guard when they finally heard a train whistle. Ned had given the local school teacher permission to go home, but he slipped away and warned the train.

The outlaws, encased in their armour, came out onto the hotel verandah as the police advanced. The Battle of Glenrowan had begun.

In the opening volleys, Superintendent Hare was wounded and 13-year-old John Jones was mortally wounded in the hotel. Ned Kelly was also wounded and the gang retired inside the hotel where over 30 innocent civilians were huddled.

Superintendent Sadleir replaced the wounded Hare as police reinforcements arrived. The people in the hotel tried to escape but were fired upon by the police. Some were wounded, some made it to safety, while others ran back into the hotel.

Just before dawn, Joe Byrne received a fatal wound to the groin. Ned then escaped from the hotel and managed to pass through the police cordon. He thought his two companions had followed him but they had not. Weak from his wounds, Ned fainted behind the police lines. When he came to the next morning, he chose to return to the hotel to help his brother and his mate.

There were over 30 policemen on the field by now as Ned advanced towards the rear of the police lines. Their bullets had no effect until Sergeant Steele fired a shotgun blast into Ned’s legs. The iron outlaw toppled, fell and was out of the fight.

The battle continued throughout the morning. At last the police let the civilians inside the hotel come out with their hands up.

Dan and Steve continued the fight. By mid-afternoon, all was silent in the hotel so the police set fire to it. Before the fire had taken hold, Father Gibney ran up to the hotel and, assisted by some policemen, managed to extract the body of Joe Byrne and the mortally wounded civilian, Martin Cherry. The bodies of Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were lying side by side but could not be reached. They had probably committed suicide, assuming that their leader was dead.

Three outlaws and two civilians were dead, two policemen and another two civilians were wounded, but Ned Kelly was still alive. He would recover from his wounds to stand trial.

None of the original buildings remain in Glenrowan but there are interpretive signs at several of the sites.

MELBOURNE, NOVEMBER 11, 1880

There were no defence witnesses at Ned’s trial, and the judge, Redmond Barry (of Irish Protestant squatter stock), passed the sentence of death on the 25-year-old outlaw (an Irish Catholic).

Ned’s final requests were that his mother, whom Barry had sentenced in Beechworth to three years’ gaol after the Fitzpatrick incident, be released before he died and that his body be returned to his friends for proper burial. Neither request was granted.

At 10am on November 11, 1880, Ned went to the gallows in Melbourne Gaol. His headless body was buried in the gaol yard and later transferred for burial in the Pentridge Gaol yard. The head was removed for scientific study and its location is now unknown.

Mrs Kelly was released from gaol in February 1881. She lived on until 1923, aged 90. Her only surviving son, Jim, who was in gaol during the years of the so-called Kelly Outbreak, looked after his mother and died in 1946.

As a result of a royal commission in 1881, most of the police involved in the Kelly affair were demoted or sacked, though some had already resigned.

Old Melbourne Gaol is a must-see and the exhibits (not just those relating to Kelly) are riveting.

NED KELLY COUNTRY

Most towns in Kelly Country have caravan parks where you can base yourself while you tour the bushranger’s haunts.

A number of brochures and maps cover the Ned Kelly Touring Route, which takes in sites such as Old Melbourne Gaol, Avenel, Euroa, Benalla, Stringybark Creek, Glenrowan, Beechworth, Jerilderie, Power’s Lookout and Mansfield. For information, visit www.nedkellytouringroute.com.au and www.thekellytrail.com, or call the relevant visitor information centres – Beechworth 1300 366 321, Benalla (03) 5762 1749, Mansfield 1800 039 049, and Jerilderie (02) 5886 1666.

By Greg Powell and Tourism Vic, as featured in Caravan World issue 463, March 2009.