Captain Thunderbolt had established himself as one of the most elusive bushrangers of the 1860s. With a formidable string of robberies to his name, it almost seemed like he would be at large forever, but in May 1870 Thunderbolt’s career came to an end in spectacular fashion at Kentucky Creek. This is the story of that fateful day. Continue reading Thunderbolt’s Last Ride
[Warning: The content in this article may be distressing for some readers. Discretion is advised.] Justin Kurzel’s hyper-stylised and ultraviolent interpretation of True History of the Kelly Gang received positive reviews when it debuted in Toronto in September 2019 and … Continue reading The most grisly bushranger stories
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]
After his release from prison, the man known as John Smith was compelled to head to the Ovens district in compliance with his parole conditions. He never arrived. Instead, he travelled through Victoria and New South Wales as a tramp, … Continue reading Morgan and the Magistrate
On a stormy November night, six rumpled figures try to shelter inside swags. The grey woollen blankets that trap the rapidly depleting warmth from the quivering bodies are hardly protected by the oilskin sheets that form a waterproof crust and … Continue reading Wantabadgery: 140 years on
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
Despite their infamy, the Kelly Gang were hardly prolific in any sense as far as bushrangers are concerned, but perhaps it’s a matter of quality over quantity. The second raid they undertook was one of the most audacious in history … Continue reading Like the Bushrangers of Old: The Kelly Gang in Jerilderie
One of the most popular highwaymen of the earlier half of the 19th century, William Westwood arrived in Australia as a teenager and soon became one of the most renowned highwayman in Australian history using the pseudonym Jacky Jacky but met a grisly end on Norfolk Island. Continue reading William Westwood: An Overview
They were known as the “bloodiest bushrangers” and pushed their community into so much mayhem and chaos that for decades people refused to talk about them. Robbery, murder and gunfights were their stock and trade.
They were the Clarkes. Continue reading The Clarke Gang: An Overview
[From The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser] Information reached this town, on Thursday last, that Thunderbolt was again on this side of the country, encamped on a mountain situated near the head of the waters of the Little … Continue reading Spotlight: CAPT. THUNDERBOLT, ALIAS WARD, THE BUSHRANGER. (From our Stroud Correspondent.)