Ned Kelly was a bushranger. Bushrangers used the Australian"bush" as a refuge to hide from the authorities between committing their robberies, roughly analogous to the British-American "highwayman". Their targets often included small-town banks or coach services. Born in January 1855 and was hung to his death on the 11th November, 1880. Born near Melbourne to an Irish Convict father, as a young man he soon came into conflict with the police. After killing three policemen, he and his gang became known as The Kelly Gang , and entered a two-year career of killing and bank robbery. A final violent confrontation with police at Glenrowan, with Kelly dressed in home-made plate metal armour and helmet (Pictured below), led to his capture and trial. He was hanged at Melbourne Gaol in 1880. His daring and notoriety led to him becoming an iconic figure in Australian history, and the subject of literature, art and film.
Melbourne Gaol (more commonly known as The Old Melbourne Gaol) is a museum and former prison located in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It consists of a bluestone building and courtyard and is located next to the old City Police Station and City Courts buildings (both now occupied by RMIT University).
Built in 1864, the gaol was the setting for 135 hangings, the most infamous being that of bushranger Ned Kelly in 1880. The jail was closed in 1926. Special candlelight night tours can also be arranged and enhance the already spooky environment of the Gaol - reports of strange sights and sounds occur more often at night.
Ned Kelly in his famed suit of armour.
The Glenrowan statue of Ned Kelly. Take a short tour of Glenrowan HERE, it is a great place to visit and to stop through for a Devonshire Tea, not a disappointment.
22 comments:
Oddly, I have never seen the gaol. It is on my list.
Still no naughty bits...sigh!
Keep it up Cazzie it is something that is of interest to even those that actually do live here.
Funny how no matter what country your in you miss so much interesting places in your own backyard.
Andrew, I haven't been there for a few years, I will take the kids there on the school hollidays.
Steve, ya know, I did have a norty picture there for you..but my other half said not to put it on as I have some readers it may offend. It was a pic of a nude lady that was in the Old Melb GAol cells. So, here is the link for the pic..enjoy!!!
http://www.hash.asn.au/Images/Old_Melb_Gaol.jpg
Cazzie, I enjoyed your history lesson. The picture of the gaol is neat. Old Ned seems to be quite creative to have armor. You have inspired me to check out the museum of our local villian, John Dillinger. Friday's History Lesson is a nice feature.
I have ressurected my old blog at Return of the White Robin. Come over for a visit.
Sounds like you had yourself a Jesse James character on your hands for awhile. Interesting history...thanks for sharing and informing.
I LOVE these kind of blog posts. Where I can actually learn something. Thanks for posting this. But what I love most is how you folks say gaol when I say jail. How cool is that? ;)
The link didn't work...
As Ned Kelly once said.....
"Such is Life"
Oh and was just jokng about the naughty bits
Trivia: it is NOT in fact the oldest jail in melbourne, the oldest is infact in Market street.... What is now the ANZ bank building the Ghost photo on the wall in the Old Melbourne Jail was in fact taken there...
A grisly testament to capital punishment in melbourne and reminder of the civilised society we live in
Was he very very tall, or was he holding up a miniature village?
He looks creepy! Now a night tour would be right up my alley! That would be exciting.
Great job...I'm getting an education AND having fun. Never too late (or too old) to learn ;o)
Great blog, Cazzie. I'm learning a lot about Australia.
My Mother's father's father was an Irish Catholic policeman on the NSW Vic border during the times of Ned Kelly...strangely enough those police you would have assumed would be more than sympathetic to the isish Catholic Famine survivors and descendants of convicts, had a reputation of being even harder on them than were the other police.
My great grandfather was no exception.
He has a photo Of Ned Kelly taken when Ned was about 20 or thereabouts...with which to recognise him. This was a roper photo from those days...as if it had been taken in a studio and copied out onto photographic paper and backed with cardboard .
My little sister Joan took this to school one day for "show and tell" and it was never seen again.
There was more to Ned kelly than just a bushranger...near the end he had planned an uprising against the colonial overlords...it was doomed to failure of course.
Look up Ned kelly's Manifesto which he wrote...will try and find it an put the link o my blog.
I want to do the Melbourne Gaol ghost tour.
We went to Glenrowan when I was in grade 5 at school (it was on the way to camp). I remember being scared shitless by the "presentation" and was so terrified I was not looking where I was going and stepped into a bucket full of water. Obviously I was a dork.
Anyway, years later I went back - I think it must have been another school thing but sorry to say I pissed myself LAUGHING at how tacky it was. I wonder if it's changed in the last 10 years? I don't know if you were ever a fan of The Late Show (d'generation) but they did this HILARIOUS trip to Glenrowan.
rofl trundling grunt!
Thanks for the information on Ned.
He was larger than life, especially outside Genrowan!
Graffiti
one on my list to check. been reading on this ned guy for a while,read his letter, too. pretty fascinating.
MJD, I will be sure to come over for a visit to your site today, thanks :)
FC&F, Jesse James sounded like a stunner though :)
Dan, thanks for visiting. Yes, I think it is just the old way of saying GAOL here, but, usually, I would spell it jail. Who knows, English is such a diverse language isn't it? :)
Steve, sorry it didn't work, no worries, it is true what I said though, the first image on google was of a naked girl in the Old Melb, weird but true.
Aidan, thanks mate, I stand corrected, may have to email a couple of sites I found some of this info on and let them know it.
Trundling Grunt, LOL, larger than life he was :)
Jillie, glad you liked the tour here, glad you are having fun :) Wish school was like this too :)
Betty, thanks lovey, hope you had a great birthday.
MC, Now, THAT is sooo interesting, I will be SURE to come over and visit to have a look see. Hey, is that one more reason to hate your sister? She got that important info STOLEN, Grrrr.
Miscellaney, yes, I know, funny the things that haunted you make you laugh later on in life. Also, funny how buildings that looked soooo big now look small in comparison as we have grown.
Yeah, I try to find the humour in most things too, if we don't laugh we would cry sometimes.... course, we could laugh and cry at the same time:)
Graffitti, yup, he sure was, great reson to visit Glenrowan.and have the Devonshie/English Tea :)
Treespotter, yeah, that letter sure was interesting..Jerildoree I think it was called?? (No time to google right now)
I've been wondering when you'd blog about old Ned. I grew up in Kelly Country, steeped in his legend from an early age!
Thanks Stace, for pre empting what I might blog about, I am just trying to figure out what to do next, we have so much to offer here in Victoria. Until I get my pictures scanned of the outback, I will just focus on Victoria :)
You grew up in a nice place for sure !
Gday from cathy I have some very fond memories of OZ. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Sorry Cazzie...it was a different sister...I have 3
I don't think "highwayman" is all that particularly American, actually.
We say "outlaw" as well.
And it goy my dander up a bit being compared to the Brits.
:o)>
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