 |
The Big Ned Kelly - Glerowan, Victoria
 Glenrowan, 220 km north west of Melbourne, is a tiny town of just 210 people, but this doesn?t mean it isn?t famous. Glenrowan owes its fame to Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang, Australia?s most famous and notorious bushrangers.
Robbing coaches and country properties was then a way of making money - of 'earning' a living - and a 'hold-up' was always feared when travellers went out into the bush, despite often having an armed escort.
The Kelly family moved to the area in 1867, living in a simple wooden hut. Ned began getting into trouble with the law from an early age. At 15 he was convicted of assault. Then it was horse-stealing and drunkenness. But when he later killed three policemen while trying to avoid capture, he and the gang were declared outlaws and a reward offered for their capture - alive or dead!
They kept out of trouble for the next 16 months, then devised a daring robbery. But plans went awry, and the gang, affected by alcohol and lack of sleep, became foolhardy, thinking they were safely protected by the ?armour? they had made. (Ned?s cylindrical head cover has been made famous by Sidney Nolan?s paintings.) The hotel where they were taking cover was surrounded by police, a shoot-out erupted and Ned was wounded and captured.
Ned Kelly was tried in Melbourne and sentenced to death, despite a petition of 60,000 signatures calling for clemency. Many thought of Ned as the 'little man' fighting the land-owning gentry and his troubles were as result of his poverty in the early days.
The Big Ned Kelly is a huge statue in Glenrowan and supposed to be at the moment of his capture, dressed in home-made armour with his rifle in hand.
Kellyland at Glenrowan is a hugely dramatic, multi-million dollar theatrical presentation where computerised robots re-enact 4 stages of the Kelly story, and most particularly, the shoot-out and Ned?s last stand. The show runs daily on the half hour and lasts 40 minutes. So, if you?re driving in the area, or travelling between Sydney and Melbourne, don?t miss it. Allow an hour or more to take in the show and other attractions.
Kate?s Cottage, named after Ned Kelly?s mother, who had been imprisoned for aiding the fugitives, is a gift shop full of Kelly memorabilia. At the back is the Ned Kelly Memorial Museum.
While the Kelly family dominate Glenrowan, other attractions are all worth a visit, especially the wineries.
Baileys of Glenrowan, established in 1870, produces fabulous dessert wines, dry reds and white table wines. Auldstone Cellars, established in 1891 have kept the (now renovated) original stone winery producing shiraz, chardonnay, riesling and cabernet wines.
|
|
|
|
|
|
