With November 2019 seeing the 140th anniversary of the Wantabadgery Siege, the decision was made to make a pilgrimage to Wantabadgery. As no formal acknowledgement of the anniversary or notification of any organised commemoration thereof had been announced, I decided … Continue reading A Guide to Australian Bushranging on tour, 2019 [Blog]
“Gentleman bushranger” Matthew Brady had escaped from the notorious Sarah Island penal settlement in 1824, and a reward of fifty guineas had been offered for his capture. In November 1825, he and his gang decided to make an example of … Continue reading The Brady Gang take Sorell
Forever consigned to popular culture as Ned Kelly’s little brother, Dan Kelly was a young man of only nineteen when he lost his life fighting the police. Like so many “boy bushrangers” his young life was snuffed out without him … Continue reading Dan Kelly: An Overview
Every interpretation of the Kelly story brings with it a host of conflicting perspectives on various points, and each is unique. More recent film depictions have been executed more artfully than the early silent films or even early “talkies”. Whereas … Continue reading Ned Kelly (2003): an analysis
Joe Byrne reflects on the murder of Aaron Sherritt and some of his formative experiences, as he waits in the Glenrowan Inn for the police train in this competition entry from Georgina Stones. Continue reading Literature Competition Entry #3: Fragments from an Outlaw’s Journal by Georgina Stones
In October 1817, the bushranger Michael Howe was finally captured. He had been on the run with a string of raids, murders and arson attacks in his wake attributed to his former gang, said to have been 24 members strong … Continue reading The Murder of William Drew
You can sing of Johnny Gilbert, Dan Morgan and Ben Hall,
But the bold and reckless Gardiner, he’s the boy to beat them all. Continue reading Spotlight: The Hold-Up at Eugowra Rocks
Australia has produced some unique and often bizarre comedy – The Castle, Alvin Purple, Kenny – but few Australian comedy directors have the same stature as Yahoo Serious. Serious’ debut Young Einstein was a landmark comedy for its decidedly Aussie take on the rags-to-riches story of a Tasmanian apple farmer named Albert Einstein who invents bubbles in beer and rock ‘n’ roll. Serious followed up with a satirical look at gun culture using the cultural touchstone of Ned Kelly as a jumping off point. Continue reading Spotlight: Reckless Kelly at 25
Few names stand out in bushranging history quite like the self proclaimed “Prince of Tobeymen” himself – Frank Gardiner. Often considered the godfather of bushranging, he was responsible for the largest gold heist in colonial Australian history and introduced many … Continue reading Frank Gardiner: An Overview
Owen Suffolk was a bushranger who spent more than a decade in prison for a range of crimes, particularly Pentridge Prison. Suffolk gained the moniker “The Poet” for his deftness with poetry much of which refers to the experience of convicts and bushrangers. Perhaps his most well-known is For Frank Gardiner. It is a bold declaration of defiance and desire for freedom at any cost, the sort of liberty the outlaw archetype represents free from the constraints of the law and the mores of society; a liberty denied Frank Gardiner when he was finally apprehended at Apis Creek and dragged back to New South Wales. Continue reading Spotlight: For Frank Gardiner