Ned Kelly was an Australian Bushranger (Outlaw) who with his gang, his brother Dan, Dan's friend Steve Hart and Ned's friend Joe Byrne, who had a short but significant reign in Central/Northern Victoria and Southern New South Wales from 1878 to 1880.
If you are interested in Ned Kelly and visiting Victoria you should start in Melbourne at the Old Melbourne Gaol where Ned Kelly was hanged on 11 Nov 1880 and for a good collection of Kelly memorabilia. Travel up the Hume Highway (Sydney Road) to Pentridge Gaol where Ned and members of his family were imprisoned at various times.
The next place of interest is the small town of Beveridge where Ned was born in 1855. Next stop should Euroa where the Kelly gang held up the bank in December 9 1878. After leaving Euroa you will cross Faithfuls Creek where at the nearby Faithful's Creek (Younghusband) Station the Kellys' established their base prior to the Bank robbery. On the right near Euroa there are the Strathbogie Ranges where they spent a lot of their time hiding.
As you pass Benalla the Wombat Ranges are on the right, it is at the southern end of these ranges, at Stringybark Creek, where on 26 October 1878 they shot and killed 3 police.
At Glenrowan is the site where the Kellys' planned to derail and ambush a police train, after the Kellys' had killed a former friend, who they believe to be a Police informer, Aaron Sherritt, in order to lure the police from Melbourne . The plan backfired for several reasons and all of the gang, except Ned were killed, along with several civilians. Only one of the Police was wounded, Superintendent Hare. Ned was captured and later tried and hanged. It is worthy of note that this is the only time that the Kellys' wore their makeshift armour.
If you turn just north of Glenrowan you can go to Greta near where the Kelly family lived and further to the King River area where their relatives, the Quinn's (Ned's mother’s family) lived and where Ned, at the age of 16 probably learnt his bushranging skills from Harry Power, assisting him in several holdups.
Just north of Wangaratta, on the Hume you can turn off and go the Beechworth, a heritage classified town, and visit the Beechworth Court House where Ned was tried for various offences. The Beechworth Gaol where Ned was remanded after recovering from his wounds from Glenrowan and where various other members of his family were locked up at times is also worth a visit. There is also a collection of Kelly memorabilia including a copy of Ned's death mask. The town has a lot of other interesting history not associated with the Kelly's and a wonderful bakery.
While you are in the Greta - Beechworth area it is worthwhile spending some time in the adjacent Milawa gourmet region for excellent wines and fine food.
Over the border in New South Wales is the town of Jerilderie, where the gang imprisoned the 2 local police and held up the bank on February 8 & 9 1879.
A separate trip from Melbourne, to Mansfield, which is a fair way off the Hume Highway is of interest. There is memorial in the centre of town, sometime mistakenly referred to as the Kelly memorial, to the 3 police killed at Stringybark Creek, Constables Lonigan & Scanlon and Sergeant Kennedy. The only police survivor, Constable McIntyre, was to be a prime witness at Ned's trial
There have been claims that the Kelly gangs deeds were related to an uprising of the settlers of Irish descent in North East Victoria. There is no evidence to support this conjecture and it is probably an attempt to justify the gang's actions.
There are a number of books on the Kelly Gang some which contain errors. If you go to the Old Melbourne Goal they have a brief history called "Ned Kelly in Pictures" which isn't too bad. "Ned Kelly Bushranger" by Brian Carroll is a detailed history although some of the dates are incorrect. Frank Clunes' "The Kelly Hunters" is a more popular story but has some error including hanging Ned at Pentridge not the Old Melbourne Gaol. Frank Clune also wrote a book generally on Australian Bushrangers "The Wild Colonial Boys". If you can find a copy of Boxall's "Australian Bushrangers" it is very interesting as it was was first printed in 1899 not long after the events. The origianal edition was in two parts. There are several other books on the Kellys both fact and fiction.
The Heath Ledger film (2003) and the Mike Jagger film (1970) (filmed in Braidwood in NSW, a heritage classified town) are not very accurate versions as the story has been modified for audience appeal. Ian Jones' TV mini Series "The Last Outlaw" (1980) is probably the most accurate telling of the story on film or DVD. It may still be available on DVD. It is also worthy of note that one of the first feature films ever made (1906) was "the Story of The Kelly Gang". Bits of it still survive at the National Film and Sound Archives in Canberra.
