Ned Kelly

TOURING ROUTE Ned Kelly

It was in Benalla that Ned Kelly had his first encounters with the law, hiding from police in the Old Bootmaker’s shop in Arundel Street and having his fate sealed at the Old Courthouse across the road.

A visit to the Visitor Information Centre and Museum in Mair Street is a great starting point on your trip through Kelly country. The Costume and Kelly Museum has an impressive collection of Ned Kelly memorabilia, including the blood-stained green silk sash worn by Ned during the Glenrowan siege and the portable police cell in which he was imprisoned. The museum also screens a video, which tells the story of the Kelly legend. The museum is currently closed for renovation and due to reopen in 2023. Continuing your tour on the touring route, stop in at the Commercial Hotel in Bridge St. Following the shooting of three policemen at Stringybark in 1878, the Kelly Gang were declared outlaws and a special police taskforce set up its headquarters at the Commercial Hotel in Benalla to co-ordinate the manhunt for the Kelly gang. The next stop is the Old Courthouse (now the Anglican Church and Parish) in Arundel Street. Built in 1864, the Courthouse was the venue for several of the Kelly family trials. The cell, in which Ned was once held, is still in its original state.

Diagonally opposite is a small timber shop that used to be the Old Bootmaker’s shop — a real Kelly relic. It was here in 1877 that Ned Kelly burst into the shop having escaped police custody while en route to the courthouse. He was recaptured in the shop after a violent struggle with police. The Benalla Cemetery, in Cemetery Road is where many of Ned’s family are buried as well as Joe Byrne, Kelly’s lieutenant.

No visit is complete without taking the journey to Stringybark Creek Historic Reserve. Stringybark Creek Historical Reserve is located 50 kilometres south of Benalla, and is where the infamous shootout between police and the Kelly Gang took place on 26 October, 1878. The Gang surprised the police at their camp and, in the ensuing gun battle, three policeman were killed. Re-live the Kelly story and visit the many significant sites in and around Benalla as part of the Ned Kelly touring route. www.nedkellytouringroute.com.au or follow them on Facebook.

LEGEND

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Ned Kelly site interpretive sign Accredited Visitor Information Centre Visitor Information Centre Major Highway Sealed Road Unsealed Road