McCOLL HOMESTEAD- This was McIntyres first contact with civilization after he fled the events @ Stringybark creek. According to a Mr. Ken Tidball, the homestead is no longer standing! It was there a year ago and is a sad loss if true. It stood just out of Mansfield on the Whitfield Rd. near McLeods Lane.

MANSFIELD COURTHOUSE- This building, diagonally opposite the Police monument was built in 1879. If the Kellys were to give themselves up in November 1878, this was the place allocated. It didn’t happen.

BYRNES FARMHOUSE- Near Tolmie, this property was owned by a distant relative of Joe. A visit here by Ned and/or Joe would have been highly probable during the days @ Bullock creek. It would have been near here Ned came across the police tracks. From Mansfield, the site, known as “Wattlegrove” is just before entrance to Tolmie on the left past showgrounds.

ST.PATRICKS CHURCH-WANGARATTA- On the corner of Ryley and Ford St, Neds sister, Annie married Alex Gunn here in 1869- the year the church was completed. It was also the site of Steve Harts schooling.

SITE of the HART HOMESTEAD- This is the place where Steve Hart spent his brief childhood. Head toward the Wangaratta racecourse on the Williams-Lindner Rd.(for 1.2 kms) Turn left @ Reith Rd. Travel for 1.7 kms. This will put you in vicinity. A large fig tree near the site is one of the supposed burial places for Steve. Refer to “Graves” section for further information.

ONE MILE CREEK BRIDGE- After the futile flight north after Stringybark creek, the Kelly gang were seen here @ Wangaratta on the way back to familiar turf. These were the days the gang came closest to capture. Bridge exists today and would have been well known to Steve Hart.

IMPERIAL HOTEL-BEECHWORTH- Although no longer standing in High St, this was the probable location of the 20 round, bare knuckle epic between Ned Kelly and Isiah “Wild” Wright in 1874. Although Wright was taller and heavier, Ned was victorious. Publican Edward Rogers was known for staging legitimate sporting activities on his property and perhaps an illegal one or two. Ned won Isiahs respect that day and they were close allies from then on.

CHINESE BURNING TOWERS- The Chinese section in the Beechworth cemetery is extensive and contains the Burning Towers. They remind us North-Eastern Victoria had a substantial Chinese population in the Kelly days. They came to be tolerated in Beechworth but prior, there was turmoil which came to a head @ the Buckland riots. Neds first court appearance involved an incident with a Chinaman. Joe Byrne also felt their influence and was a regular smoker of opium. Angeline Baron claims Joe wrote part of the Jerilderie letter under the influence. Ned came to respect the Chinese toward the end. “If I had a pig-tail, I’d go home to China. One Chinaman is worth all the bloody Europeans living.”

NEDS CELL-BEECHWORTH TOWN HALL- 2 cells exist under the old town hall in Ford St. Reputedly, Ned had a short stay in one of them in 1870. It is an assumed claim but the cells themselves are genuine and worth a visit.

THE VINE HOTEL- WANGARATTA- Built in 1868, it was destroyed by fire in 1887 and again in 1895. Some original brickwork can still be seen. Huge cellars run underneath hotel with a connecting tunnel outside. Of course, Ned reputedly used it often to come and go unseen (!). Hotel is still licensed. From Wangaratta, head toward Albury for 2 kms and turn right on the Eldorado Rd. Look 50 metres on left.

HOSPITAL REMAINS-BEECHWORTH- Foundation stone was laid in 1856 with additions in 1858, 1861 and 1864. It ceased functioning in 1940. A Chinaman, Ah On, was admitted here in March 1877 after an altercation with Joe Byrne and Aaron Sherritt. In 1879, Detective Micheal Ward, Joe Byrnes nemesis, spent time here with broken ribs and an injured foot after falling into a 9 foot pit. Aaron Sherritt visited Ward here and they continued the charade begun @ the “Charge of Sebastopol” in the Woolshed Valley. The remains of the hospital can be found in Church St, Beechworth.

WANGARATTA CEMETERY- Many of the Kelly story players lay @ rest here. Daniel “Mad Dan” Morgans headless body is here with a relatively new information board over his grave. The dirty old Toilet block has thankfully, since been demolished. His grave, after all, is a tourist attraction. Arthur Steele is here, as are Jack and Anne Jones, both victims of the Siege of Glenrowan. Refer to “Graves” section for more information.

JOHN SHERRITTS HUT- The remains of Aarons fathers place was the first piece of ground to receive “The Charge of Sebastopol.” This consisted of a large contingent of police descending on various residents of the Woolshed Valley in search of the Kelly Gang. It mattered not they were acting on stale information. However, the only positive for the police was the encounter with Aaron Sherritt. The remains are on private property.

SITE of the BYRNE HOMESTEAD- The Byrne Homestead in the Woolshed Valley was not only a destination in “The Charge” but it was also kept under surveillance through-out the hunt by the Police, closely supervised by Aaron so they didn’t get too close to the gang. It is my belief Aaron Sherritt never had any intention of betraying them. He just wasn’t smart enough to walk the tightrope required. Go past the Woolshed Homestead holiday home and stop @ “Long Range track” sign. Walk along fence which runs down to the creek. Cross over and walk 80 metres to another fence line. Homestead stood in the paddock.

ST. JOSEPHS CATHOLIC CHURCH, ALBURY- After Joes death, Margret Byrne and the family moved to Albury, N.S.W. Their house stood in Young St. When Elly, Joes last surviving sister died, a church was built on a section of the original property donated prior by Elly… “named, appropriately, St. Josephs, in which innumerable prayers have been offered for the soul of Joe.” (Ian Jones, 1992)

THE POLICE CAVES- WOOLSHED VALLEY- Throughout the hunt, the police kept watch for Joe or the Kelly gang, accompanied as always by Aaron Sherritt. Joe and the gang still came and went as they wished. The first police cave overlooks the Woolshed Valley, near Beechworth. The second cave overlooks the site of the Byrne homestead. In 1966, Ian Jones turned up old bottles and tins, some with still visible labels, left by the police in 1879 and 1880. They can be seen @ Ned:The Exhibition at the Old Melbourne Gaol.

“The ridges that define the Woolshed Valley are littered with giant granite boulders. Some perch precariously on the slopes of the valley walls. One slight push, it seems, would be enough to send them crashing to the valley floor. Others are jumbled together, almost as if they had been grouped to provide a rudimentary shelter. These would be dubbed “caves” and would be used by the police to watch Mrs. Byrnes house.”

EUROA CEMETERY- William Gouge rests in peace here. It was his funeral the Kelly Gang and extended party drove past @ somewhat indecent haste in December 1878. Refer to “Graves” section for more information.

SITE of the NATIONAL BANK, EUROA- Although the building is no longer standing, the site of the bank is on the corner of Railway Tce. and Binney St. A modern office sits in its place. A comemorative plaque is there for the tourist.

RAILWAY ST. EUROA- Except the bank and Euroa Hotel, the streetscape is very much as it was when the Kellys called on that hot December day. The historic splendour has never left.

SEVEN CREEKS HOTEL- This hotel is in the earliest settled part of Euroa. The Kellys passed here after they had robbed the National Bank. The hotel on the site now is not the original construction.

EUROA RAILWAY STATION- The station is within sight of National Bank location. There has been some reconstruction but the railway yards and station are very much how Ned would have seen them in 1878.

FAITHFULL CREEK HOMESTEAD REMAINS- This is the place the Kellys commandeered before they rode into Euroa to rob the bank. From Euroa, head north on old Hume Highway and turn off @ Faithfull Creek Rd. Go 800 metres to a gate. Get out of your car and walk approx. 700 metres to the clump of trees by the creek. Homestead was destroyed in Black Friday bushfires in 1939. A pile of brickwork marks the site. This is very close to where the Kellys cut the telegraph lines. Railway line is readily apparent when you enter vicinity. 2 large trees mark the site of the storeroom used as a lock-up by the gang and guarded by Joe Byrne whilst Ned carried out the robbery. It is a quiet, memory filled location.

DAVIDSONS INN- The site of Davidsons “Woolpack” Inn, near Jerilderie was the meeting place of the Kelly Gang before they proceeded into town and their second bank robbery. It was here Joe Byrne practiced his liking of chatting up barmaids. Take the Oaklands Rd. from Jerilderie for 1 km. Turn left @ Cape Rd. and travel 800 metres. The site is on the left.

BANK OF N.S.W. SITE- No longer standing, it was located next door to the Royal Mail Hotel, under the same roof.

ROYAL MAIL HOTEL- Charles Cox’s Royal Mail Hotel @ Jerilderie  was demolished in 1930 to make way for the current version which stands in the Main St. (Newell Highway) The Kellys held their prisoners in Cox’s hotel in 1879.

JERILDERIE POST OFFICE- This is the building Joe Byrne went to so as to sever communication with the outside world. This original building stands in Powell St, next door to the “Willows” Homestead and museum.

JERILDERIE CEMETERY- Contains the grave of William Elliott, schoolmaster @ the time of the Kelly raid. The old school stood in Boulton St.

BURKE MUSEUM, BEECHWORTH- In Loch St, this well regarded regional museum existed in the days of the Kellys and housed a suit of Chinese Armour which may have given Joe Byrne the idea for armour worn @ Glenrowan. Today, the museum represents Beechworths involvement in the Gold Rush, Robert O’ Hara Burke, who was a police officer prior to the ill-fated interior expedition, and the Kellys. Ned Kelly and Burke dominate the main gallery.

CATHOLIC CHURCH, BEECHWORTH- Located on the corner of Loch and Church St, this is where Aaron Sherritt reputedly went to seek sanctuary, probably by now, in fear of his life. With the exception of an additional stone fence, the church looks as it did in 1880.

SITE of ANTON WICKS HOUSE- Anton Wicks was used by Joe Byrne and Dan Kelly to lure Aaron Sherritt to the door of his hut and his death. Follow the same directions as to the Byrne Homestead. Keep going toward Eldorado for a further 2.3 kms. This will put you in vicinity. Anton lies in Beechworth Cemetery. His grand-son, Bill Knowles, was a well known Woolshed figure (and weather prophet) and identified many locations for Kelly expert, Ian Jones.

AARON SHERRITTS HUT, WOOLSHED VALLEY- This is where Aaron, former friend of Joe Byrne, died. He had recently been married to a local girl, Ellen Barry and they both lived in this small hut with 4 policemen, part of the Byrne house watch party. Over the previous months, Aaron had become increasingly isolated from friends and family as he played his strange game. There is still a strong anti- Sherritt feeling in the region and signs marking his hut have been consistently removed. The hut stood in a large clearing on the right, past the Woolshed Homestead Holiday Home.

Sadly, Aaron lies in an unmarked grave in Beechworth cemetery.

“Already the unmarked plot (Aarons) is being pointed out to visitors, not its exact position, but as vaguely as memory and folklore denote: ‘just past the second palm tree,’ says the bus commentator, ‘under some white stones.’ This memory has not yet been allowed to become a monument.”

TRAIN DERAILMENT SITE, GLENROWAN- The bend in the line on the Wangaratta side of Glenrowan where the rails were torn up was marked by a plaque for many years. It has since been stolen by vandals. The site is approximately 800 metres from the Glenrowan station. A double track now exists to accommodate heavier rail traffic.

THE GLENROWAN RAILWAY STATION- The previously existing station has recently been removed to make way for an authentic replica of the station as it was @ the time of the Glenrowan siege. Courtesy of an organization known as the Glenrowan Improvers, it is a welcome piece of work and may lead to further improvements in the vicinity. This is where Ned lay wounded after his capture, before the gang were finally annihilated.

SITE of JONES INN- Situated on the corner of Siege St. and Beaconsfield Parade, this is the place where Joe Byrne, Dan Kelly and Steve Hart perished. The Inn was set ablaze by the police, during which time Byrnes body was dragged clear. The charred remains of Dan and Steve were removed when the heat from inferno had subsided. Recently, a replica of the sign advertising “best accomodation” has been placed on the site.

“ ‘We have to be wary of theme parks’ says historian Ian Jones. ‘You can re-create the buildings but once you clog it up with souvenier shops you’ve lost it again. We have to give people range for imagination- the chance to feel the history- and not beat them over the head with shoddy reminders, like people in bad trooper uniforms wandering around.’ ”

McDONNELLS HOTEL SITE- Patrick McDonnells Hotel was on the opposite side of the railway line to Jones’s Inn. The gang stabled their horses here prior to the siege. Later, the charred remains of Dan and Steve were loaded into coffins @ this site before being taken to the Eleven Mile. Wallpaper remains and the back-door key can be seen @ Ned: The Exhibition. The old wooden bar may be somewhere within Bob Hempels animatronic Ned Kelly show in Gladstone St. The hotel stood in the vacant block to the left of current Glenrowan Hotel.

THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY- The area between the Jones Inn site and Railway station has recently been developed and beautified. As well as the reconstructed station, there are painted bollards to represent police positions in front of the inn, the trench that O’Connor and his Native Troopers took cover in is still there, now boasting a small stone bridge. The tourist can get a panoramic view of The Last Stand and siege site from the overpass. During earth moving works in 1997, a small pistol was recovered. Gladstone St, now the main Glenrowan thoroughfare, offers two museums, a “sound and light” show and several eating houses. Considering the tourist interest, Glenrowan has remained a relatively quiet town, even more so when the Hume Freeway by-passed the town in the late 80’s.

FARMERS ARMS HOTEL, GLENROWAN- The third Hotel in Glenrowan was away from the others and in the actual township as it was back in 1880. Glenrowans first railway station was located here but later moved due to steep track incline. Thomas Curnow, the Glenrowan schoolmaster who thwarted the Kelly Gangs plans, lived in the vicinity. To find site, go up Beaconsfield Parade toward Morgans Look-out and turn left @ the top of crest.

BENALLA POLICE CELLS- The Kelly Gang had been destroyed. Dan and Steves charred remains were prepared for burial. Neds wounds were tended to amid high security and Joe Byrnes body was propped up for show in Benalla and for photos. The door on which his body hung against is apparently in the Benalla Pioneer museum. The cells themselves no longer exist. The new Benalla Courthouse reside s on the site today. Joe lies in the Benalla cemetery. Refer to “Graves” section.

VICTORIA HOTEL, BENALLA- This pub was built in 1873 and is situated on the corner of Mackeller and Carrier Streets, opposite the railway station. It was here the body of Martin Cheery was brought for inquest, a civilian casualty of the Siege of Glenrowan.

BENALLA RAILWAY STATION- This station was the fulcrum of the Kelly Hunt. Jesse Dowsett, the railway guard who played a big part in Neds capture, lived near here. The wounded Ned was sent from here down to Melbourne under heavy escort. The railway came to Benalla in 1873 and the present station was built in 1874.

WANGARATTA RAILWAY STATION- The station here is also of original construction and historic importance. It was here that Sergeant Arthur Steele stood on that cold night in 1880 waiting for the police train from Benalla. He walked down the line a way to listen out for the engine and could very faintly hear the sound of gun fire from Glenrowan in the cold, still air. Steele lived to a ripe old age, was a resident in Faithful St. Wangaratta, grew prize winning geraniums and finally died in his sleep. He is buried in the Wangaratta cemetery. 

BEECHWORTH RAILWAY STATION- The branch line to Beechworth was opened in 1876. Ned disembarked here with the police to face his preliminary trial in Ford St. The rail was closed down in 1977 and the tracks torn up in the mid to late 80’s.

THE OLD MELBOURNE GAOL- This is the place where Ned Kelly spent his last days on earth. He had his last meal here of roast lamb, peas and a bottle of claret. On the 11^th November, 1880, he stood on the gallows, pale, but composed. Some newspapers of the day  reported his last words to be “Such is Life”. Today, only one cell block and the Franklin St. gates remain as a reminder of this gaols history. It doesn’t really matter though. To me, it will always be Neds place.

“Two men with something in common that outweighed all else. Grief. And guilt. Each, in his own way, had helped to shape the tragedy which destroyed  Joe and Aaron.

When they parted, out in Camp St, late in the day, it was for the last time. They parted friends, warmed by whisky and the memories of those long lost days, when Joe and Aaron walked this street, turning heads, brothers to be proud of.”

“My name is Edward Kelly, I’m proudly living still. My soul is in the evening breeze, the gum trees and the hills……….”