Discover Glenrowan, Kelly Country

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On a recent holiday in Victoria, I came across the exit to Glenrowan , and I felt compelled to turn off and visit the town. Glenrowan was made famous in 1880 as the last shootout between the police and the Ned Kelly Gang.

Ned Kelly

There are many stories written for and against the Kelly Gang and you are either a sympathiser or not and so, in my article below I write only of my opinion of a man who was at the age of approximately twelve years destined to become the man of the house when his father died. It is unthinkable these days to contemplate that a boy at the age of twelve, had to look after his mother and seven siblings. Life was tough and the Kelly’s were poor.



When coming to Australia John Kelly was given the impression that Australia was the land of promise, where families could start afresh with a better chance of survival and success than in Ireland. This was not the case, especially in the bush where the land was unrelenting with floods, bushfires, death of animals and the increasing taxes imposed by the Government. People were struggling and were removed from their land because they could not pay the high fees.



People akin Ned and his gang to the mythical English character of Robin Hood, who he stole from the rich to give to the poor. This is certainly the case as many bank robberies were undertaken to give money back to the struggling landowners and thereby people did sympathise with the Kelly Gang.

Kate's Cottage & Museum is full of interesting articles to read

When Ned’s father passed away, the family moved closer to the Quinn family Ellen Kelly was related to the Quinns. It is said that the Quinns had a bad reputation for stealing horses and as the Kelly boys were of a young and impressionable age, they were taught the tricks of the trade and way of a bushranger’s life.



As I headed into the small township of Glenrowan, the first statue I noticed was a large replica of Ned Kelly with gun and armour standing tall outside the post office and across the road a smaller statue of a man from the media with a camera ready to film the events. From what I have read, there were many media personnel on the train at the Glenrowan siege and I can imagine them all huddled together trying to get a great shot and story, yet also trying not to interact with any bullets coming their way.



A short walk down the main street, I came across Kate’s Cottage Gifts, Souvenir Shop and Ned Kelly Museum . Here, owners Michelle Coad & partner Doug Stoneman are enthusiastic Kelly Family supporters, and their museum is full of replicas and historic memorabilia, letters, stories and numerous photographic displays for those willing to read and see. Inside the museum, you will find authentic spent bullets, which were recovered in 1979 with the use of a metal detector from the site of Ann Jones’ Glenrowan Inn.



I was in awe as I walked through to the museum and found reading the reports, letters and the like, to be a real revelation to the story of a true Australian bushranger whose only goal was helping his family and other families to survive in the rugged bushland of Australia.



Ned Kelly’s only surviving brother, Jim, died as a bachelor and no one continued that line of the Kelly tree, however, today, all surviving ancestors come from his sisters’ children. The Kelly Homestead still stands on a property owned by his relatives, although access is not permitted.



Out the back of the museum, you can find a replica of the Kelly Homestead and pieces of armour. It is amazing to me to imagine that a family so large could live in a cottage so small, yet it was done repeatedly in that era. We are extremely fortunate today, that our homes are sometimes large enough for each of us to have our own room and food on the table is scrumptious and to our liking.



Admission to the shop is free, however, a small cost of $12.00 for Adults and Seniors and $2.00 for School children up to the age of sixteen is entry to the Museum. You will not be disappointed, but you need to allow plenty of time to read all the information thoroughly, so your opinion can be formed without judgment. I do not believe that one can compare today’s wild youth who steal cars and break into houses for enjoyment, to those in the 19th century who were forced into being outlaws by a society only for the wealthy.



I can also feel sympathy for the families who lost their police husbands and sons, because these men too, were following orders and doing their duty. There is no pleasure gained on either side in these predicaments.



The souvenir shop is well stocked for anyone wishing to take home memorabilia in the form of clothing, pens, caps, books and videos, jewellery, prints, bar signs, figurines, replica armour and more.



Moving along the street, I came across a modernised building named the Ned Kelly Discovery Hub & Information Centre , which again displayed many stories of Ned’s life, his statements, and a chronicle of events that occurred on the day Ned was captured and the Kelly Gang was terminated.

Across the street and on the other side of the railway track was the site of the siege. Plaques and signposts mark each spot; examples being; where Ned stood at the time of his capture, where his rifle and cap were found, the site of the hotel, the railway line and the old police station. I can honestly say I was so engrossed in the story of Ned Kelly, that I felt an eerie presence as I stood there imagining what it was like on that fateful day. I felt as if I was capturing lost energies that were still remanent and kept alive by his followers. An explanation would be similar to an actor becoming the character as he or she lives and breathes the part and story of a play.



Before Ned was captured, he dictated an 8000-word letter known as the “Jerilderie Letter, to Joe Byrne detailing his thoughts about being forced into becoming an outlaw. It was written over months and Ned envisaged it to be published in the press. He also called for the resignation of corrupt police who preyed upon Irish Catholic settlers.



Ned was convicted of the murder of Constable Thomas Lonigan and hanged in the Old Melbourne Gaol on 11th November 1880. It is said that Ned’s last words were 'Well, I suppose, such is life.'** There is some debate as to whether this is true or not, but one can only be sure if one was there.



Glenrowan is a town I could definitely visit again and again and never get tired of the history behind the life of the Kellys and their associates. It is a story well-steeped in Australian history and the way of life back then. Be sure to put Glenrowan on your map next time you visit Victoria.

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