Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE KELLY GANG
Bushranger and outlaw he may have been, but Ned Kelly is probably Australia's greatest folk hero. His life and
death have been embraced as part of the national culture - from Sidney Nolan's famous paintings to Peter Carey's
Man Booker Prize-winning novel
True History of the Kelly Gang
. Ned himself has become a symbol of the Aus-
tralian rebel character.
Born in 1854, not far from Melbourne, to Irish parents, Ned was first arrested when he was 14 and had numer-
ous brushes with the law over the next 10 years.
In 1878 a warrant was issued for his arrest for stealing horses. A trooper was trying to arrest Ned's brother Dan
on a similar charge when he was wounded at the Kelly homestead. Ned and Dan went into hiding. Their mother
and two friends were arrested, sentenced and imprisoned for aiding and abetting in the attempted murder of a po-
liceman. The Kelly family had long felt persecuted by the authorities, and the jailing of Mrs Kelly, who was still
breastfeeding a baby, was the last straw.
Ned and Dan were joined in their hideout in the Wombat Ranges, near Mansfield, by Steve Hart and Joe Byrne.
Four policemen (Kennedy, Lonigan, Scanlon and McIntyre) came looking for them, and, in a shootout at
Stringybark Creek, Kennedy, Lonigan and Scanlon were killed. McIntyre escaped to Mansfield and raised the
alarm.
The government put up a £500 reward for any of the gang members, dead or alive, and declared them outlaws.
In December 1878 the gang held up the National Bank at Euroa, and got away with £2000. Then, in February
1879, they took over the police station at Jerilderie, locked the two policemen in their log lock-up and robbed the
Bank of New South Wales, with Ned wearing a police uniform. This robbery boosted the reward to £2000 a head.
After 20 months on the run, on 27 June 1880 the gang held 60 people captive in a hotel at Glenrowan, planning
to destroy a trainload of police and trackers they had decoyed from Melbourne. Ned's plan was foiled when a
schoolteacher warned the police. Surrounded, the gang holed up in the hotel and returned fire for hours, wearing
heavy armour made from plough steel. Suffering 28 shot wounds, Ned was eventually captured while trying to
rescue his men from the hotel. Dan Kelly, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart, along with two of the hostages, were killed.
Ned Kelly was brought to Melbourne to be tried, and was hanged on 11 November 1880. He met his end
bravely; his last words are famously quoted as, 'Such is life.' His death mask, Gang armour and the gallows on
which he died are on display in the Old Melbourne Gaol (
Click here
). His 7500-word 'Jerilderie Letter' is con-
sidered a major historical document and is a 'treasure' of the State Library of Victoria (
Click here
)
.
Festivals & Events
Wangaratta Sports Carnival
An athletics meeting featuring the Wangaratta Gift, one of Victoria's more prestigious re-
gional foot races; held in late January.
SPORT
MUSIC
Wangaratta Jazz & Blues Festival
( 03-5722 8199; wangarattajazz.com)
The main claim to fame here is the famous Wangaratta
Jazz & Blues Festival, which attracts jazz players and buffs from around Australia and the
world in early November.
