High Country Life

Glenrowan in Victoria is home to one of Australia’s greatest legends – Ned Kelly. Now local residents are fighting the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s (ARTC) plans to replace an overpass close by where his final stand took place with one that is higher and wider.

He was renowned as a notorious bushranger, known for robbing banks and killing policemen. Some saw him as an unscrupulous criminal; others found inspiration in him.

What Happened?

The story of the Kelly Gang’s last stand is one of Australia’s best-known. Though there have been books, articles and movies detailing it over time, it can be hard to discern between truth and embellishment. That is why an archaeological dig was conducted at Glenrowan to shed some light on it all while distinguishing fact from fiction.

Edward “Ned” Kelly was an outlaw and gang leader best-known for donning homemade iron armour in his final shootout with police in 1880. Kelly and his family were poor Irish immigrants who felt oppressed by colonial police force as well as squatters who owned much of Victoria land, leading them into crime after they killed three policemen at Stringybark Creek in 1878.

Over two years, the Kelly Gang robbed several banks and were engaged in numerous skirmishes with police before their luck ran out at Glenrowan. There, they herded all residents into an inn before donning homemade iron armour–Ned’s being 44 kilograms/97 pounds).

On 15 April, when a police party arrived to arrest Dan Kelly, things quickly escalated into violence. Alexander Fitzpatrick had an informal relationship with the Kellys; when he visited, there was an intense fight that resulted in Fitzpatrick receiving wounds to the hand during this visit. Subsequently, police began arresting any individual or organization providing them with food or shelter while using the Felons’ Apprehension Act as leverage against criminals who assisted in their escape.

The siege continued for hours as Kelly Gang members fired upon police who fired back with constant barrages of bullets on the inn. Ultimately, Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were killed, while Ned continued fighting despite suffering serious wounds; it has been speculated that some bullets may have rebounded off his iron armour instead killing him, though this remains unconfirmed.

Police were eventually successful in disarming the Kelly Gang and captured Ned in Melbourne Gaol in November 1880; he would later be hanged for murder the following year. To some, these criminals became folk heroes; to others they are remembered as coldblooded killers and thieves.

Ned Kelly’s Armour

Australians are familiar with the story of Ned Kelly and his brother Dan and their gang. From Ned’s time as a convict to the shootout at Glenrowan, Kelly has earned the status of folk hero; inspiring many while creating division over whether he should be seen as either an anti-oppression hero or simply murderous outlaw. Their armour became part of legend during their stand at Glenrowan and much has been written about its development and use during that stand.

Early accounts suggest the armour was constructed using plough mould boards sourced from local farms that had been stolen, or perhaps from blacksmiths sympathetic to their cause – although neither possibility has ever been verified. Whatever its source, its engineering merit is remarkable.

Police were unaware of the existence of the armour until they arrived at the siege and, even then, did not believe that it could stop bullets. It never crossed their minds that their bullets weren’t hitting their targets because of this phenomenon until they saw Ned Kelly lying dead with bloodied wounds to his leg in a bush nearby.

As their time in Glenrowan came to an end, Kelly was forced to confront police in order to avoid capture. An intense gunbattle ensued which saw other gang members killed but Kelly himself being felled by one single bullet to his legs, thus ending this episode of crime.

After Ned Kelly’s death, his armour made occasional public appearances and photoshoots before being mostly forgotten for most of the 20th century. But in 2008 it was brought together at last for display at Beechworth and used as the centerpiece for an anniversary event to honour Kelly; since then it has made occasional public outings including being used at an event where people tried on Joe Byrne’s helmet; it has also been subjected to scientific analysis at Sydney’s ANSTO nuclear reactor.

The Siege

After two years of humiliation for the Kelly Gang, police believe they have them under control. Laying siege to Glenrowan Inn, Joe Byrne has already been shot dead while Kelly wears his now famous plate metal armour making him virtually impervious.

Sutherland, a bank clerk living near Glenrowan at the time, provides us with an eyewitness account of this infamous standoff. According to Sutherland, as bullets hit Kelly he “slid off like hail”, while Kelly’s protective armor weighed 97 pounds allowing him to withstand police shots to his legs until his eventual downfall by police forces.

The Siege of Glenrowan marked a series of violent confrontations between police and members of the Kelly Gang. The final gunbattle put an end to their reign of terror and resulted in three of their members, Dan Kelly, Aaron Sherritt and Steve Hart being gunned down during gunbattle – three lives were ultimately taken at that momentous battleground, which marked an important turning point in Australian history and widely celebrated by press and public alike as a victory.

One popular hypothesis regarding Glenrowan is that Ned Kelly was a bloodthirsty psychopath bent on killing as many police as possible due to his anger towards them, yet this view is not supported by evidence; given how far Kelly went in Euroa and Jerilderie to avoid violence, it seems unlikely a direct massacre was his goal at Glenrowan.

Glenrowan Heritage Precinct preserves several key locations from the Kelly conflict, such as its original railway platform where the Siege began, Anne Jones’ burnt down home, and where Kelly was captured. There is also an imposing statue dedicated to him here – this area represents Kelly’s antiauthoritarian values and risk-taking lifestyle best, and was home to his legendary 15 minute Last Stand that many sympathisers view as heroic.

The Final Battle

After two years in hiding, the Kelly Gang finally came to a head at Glenrowan. While most remember it for its most notorious features – such as a shootout that claimed three police officers’ lives and numerous hostages’ lives – there was far more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye.

The Kelly Gang had long terrorised their area with theft of horses and bank robberies, as well as bank robberies that involved killing banks’ customers. Many locals supported their cause – believing they were protecting those at the bottom of Victorian society from oppression – while others saw them as bloodthirsty criminals who should be dealt with promptly.

As such, the siege at Glenrowan was widely condemned at the time and served to spark a national debate about what can be done to safeguard rural Australians’ rights.

At Glenrowan, however, the gang was eventually defeated and shot by police forces; this moment is widely seen as one of the key turning points in Australian history.

At the time of the siege, Ned was in a desperate state. Having lost both his brother and close friend in previous gunfights at Stringybark Creek and Jerilderie, and facing imprisonment as well as possible hanging, he desperately desired being reunited with his family.

On June 28th 1880, police arrived at Glenrowan Inn believing they had cornered the Kelly Gang – only to be proven wrong when three were shot dead, as well as several hostages and hostage-taker who attempted to use Ned as cover while firing at his attackers despite receiving multiple gunshot wounds from police gunshots. As Ned fired shots into police ranks from within his suit of armour he was struck several times but continued firing towards them until eventually Ned surrendered peacefully under police gunfire before eventually surrendered peacefully at 5 pm that morning.

This battle, known as The Siege at Glenrowan or “The Last Stand,” marked an end to Kelly Gang rule and their reign of terror in remote areas. Although tragic, it marked an important turning point in debate regarding what could be done to protect residents living there.