No - not us, we are not Bush Rangers. A bush ranger is an Australian outlaw - like Jesse James or Billy the Kid - Ned Kelly is Australia's most infamous bush ranger.
(Edward "Ned" Kelly (June 1854/June 1855 – 11 November 1880)[1] was an Irish-Australian bushranger, considered by some merely a cold-blooded killer, while by others a folk hero and symbol of Irish-Australian resistance against oppression by the British ruling class for his defiance of the colonial authorities.[2]
Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish convict father, and as a young man he clashed with the Victoria Police. Following an incident at his home in 1878, police parties searched for him in the bush. After he killed three policemen, the colony proclaimed Kelly and his gang wanted outlaws.
Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish convict father, and as a young man he clashed with the Victoria Police. Following an incident at his home in 1878, police parties searched for him in the bush. After he killed three policemen, the colony proclaimed Kelly and his gang wanted outlaws.
A final violent confrontation with police took place at Glenrowan on 28 June 1880. Kelly, dressed in home-made plate metal armour and helmet, was captured and sent to jail. He was hanged for murder at Old Melbourne Gaol in November 1880.
His daring and notoriety made him an iconic figure in Australian history, folklore, literature, art and film.) Wikipedia
We stopped on our way home from the AFL game this weekend in Glenrowan to visit the site of Ned Kelly's capture and to learn a little more. We learned about his life, his capture and his death. We were amused by the fact that although he and his gang members create armour suits to avoid being killed by police fire, that he was taken down when the police shot below the thighs where he was left exposed.
We also learned that in 1970, Mick Jagger starred in a movie about the Kelly Gang and in 2003 Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush and Naomi Watts also starred in a movie about the Kelly Gang called "Ned Kelly". It had a 30 million dollar budget but didn't get good reviews upon its release. I wonder if that is because it all seems far fetched and we are accustomed to the Billy the Kid outlaw image and this is so different.
Glenrowan is definitely a tourist stop here (there was a tour bus there when we stopped). Ned Kelly tourism is a big part of this town's livelihood. It was fun to walk around and check out the life and death of this famous outlaw who we've heard so much about.
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