Jim & Barbara Burton Travel: Ned Kelly

On the Trail of Ned Kelly…….

Ned Kelly was hanged for murder in Melbourne November 11, 1880 (significant date one might think). He was not yet 26 years old. Some called him a “Robin Hood” others a notorious gang leader and murderer.

The Kelly’s, an Irish family, were persecuted by the English notions of class distinction and Anglo-Irish hatred, so Ned Kelly fought back. Donning armour of ploughboards made in Glenrowan, June 1880, made Ned Kelly an Australian Legend.

Extract from The Last Outlaws by Ian Jones…………

“He has lost much blood and gone two nights without sleep, he is borne down with the weight of armour. The air is still, the earth icy, the mists of dawn just hang. This is the moment of history. Kelly might have escaped here. Having witnessed the death of Joe Byrne from a massive haemorrhage from a bullet to the groin – most men would have given up here, if not before. Instead Kelly went back to rescue his brother and Steve Hart.

Armed, he lurches through the mist, hulking, swaying, clanging, taunting – the Legend is born.

Freezing police crouch behind trees and logs. Constable Arthur sees Kelly first and fires..

The Last Stand has begun.”

We left Mt. Eliza, forging ahead to Glenrowan for our date with the “Notorious Ned”, not wishing to be late fearing the consequences. As you will see Ned Kelly is a very large specimen of a man.

Glenorowan was a rather non-descript one street town, dry, dusty and very hot, with not much else but the “Notorious Ned” so we left here to make our way to Beechworth.

Beechworth was a bustling little town where Ned Kelly was held in jail before being taken to Melbourne for his trial. The old architecture here was that of a more opulent society than Glenrowan with nice cafes and shops.

Before arriving in Ned Kelly country we had seen on the Australian news that Ned’s ancestors had successfully had his remains exhumed and given him a proper Christian burial. He was finally laid to rest in an unmarked grave in the cemetery of the small town of Greta, quite close to Glenrowan. We did not venture there as we did not know where the unmarked grave would be but I bet they had to dig a big hole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!