Step into another era to an authentic replica of the KELLY HOMESTEAD,  BLACKSMITH SHED, cheeky talking Cockatoos & rustic covered Picnic area.

This display reminds you of the stark reality of the hardships that our forefathers had to endure as this colony was being settled.

As was a practice of the era, the walls and roof were lined with newspaper, hessian and calico.  The floor was earth, usually consolidated with bullock’s blood and the bark roof always leaked.

Typically furnished, conditions were rough and life harsh with little or nothing to spare. Two and three would have to share the same small bed of a mattress stuffed with straw.

As in the song, it was truly “a ramshackle hut”.

Frequent unwelcome visits from snakes, spiders, birds, rats and mice were just dealt with.

The Kellys were tough people bought up in tough times.  This replica is part of the KELLY MUSEUM display and is a must to visit.

The replica Kelly Homestead has featured on the TV holiday series “Getaway”, it was described by Catrina Roundtree as the “BEST NED KELLY MUSEUM”.   The shop and this display have been featured in many publications, TV and radio shows.   The documentaries “Besieged” and  “What did the Irish do for Australia?”, Woman’s Day’s feature “My Town”,  Channel 7’s “Discover”, ABC’s “The Collectors” and  Pay TV’s “Weather” channel all featured it as well.

Ned was born in the Wallan/Beveridge district in 1854, the year of the Eureka Stockade.  After a move to Avenel,  Ned attended school there until the death of his father.  Greta (Glenrowan West) was to be his next home, with his mother and siblings and so began the legend of Kelly Country and the Iron Clad Bushranger.

Ned Kelly’s full story is not for this site today but hopefully is just enough to tweak your interest to find out more with a visit to Glenrowan …

His death by hanging, followed very tough times  for  his family but they continued to live at Greta.  Over a period of around thirty years they added two extensions to the homestead, three brick chimneys and a wooden floor where before there had only been dirt.  Today only the rubble of one brick chimney remains.

Ned Kelly’s descendants still own and live on this original site but remain very private people.   This property is not available for inspection or access and we ask you to please respect their privacy.

After Ned Kelly was hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol on 11th November 1880, his bones were eventually, after 132 years, buried at the Greta cemetery.   On Sunday the 20th January 2013 as requested he was finally laid to rest beside his mother, Ellen.  Both graves remain unmarked for privacy.

In your quest for Kelly history, if your curiosity takes you to the Greta cemetery, we ask that you please remember to always be respectful of the site.

Historical Research and Teaching ResourceDr. Stuart Dawson from the History Department of Monash University has transcribed G.W. Hall’s rare 1879 book, “The Kelly Gang, or, the Outlaws of the Wombat Ranges”.  A rare document of immense historical value, this digital copy is freely available to circulate and redistribute, email to friends, put on websites for others to download, use as a teaching resource, and so on. The only condition, as stated on the cover, is that it cannot be sold. It must always be free. It can be downloaded from the link below: GW_Hall-The_Kelly_Gang_1879

See more …

Kate’s Cottage, Gifts & Souvenirs shop is aptly named after Ned Kelly’s sister Kate.

The Shop and Kelly Display is situated opposite the “Big Ned Kelly” Statue on the corner of Gladstone and  Kate Streets, Glenrowan, and features a huge range of interesting and exciting Ned Kelly and Australiana gifts and souvenirs.

Kate’s Cottage proudly stocks the LARGEST range of NED KELLY SOUVENIRS  – T Shirts, Singlets, T Towels, Stubby holders/Coolers, Videos, CDs, Postcards, Posters, Shot glasses, Beer Glasses, Bandanas, Playing cards, Stickers, Cloth Badges, Hat Pins,  Tin signs, Caps, Buckles, New & Second hand rare books, Statues/Figurines, Helmets, Armours, Flags/Banners, Rugs,  Beach towels, Spoons, Pens,  Keyrings,  Charms, Water Balls,  Magnets, Dolls, Children’s Helmets and more!

Step back in time through the back of KATE’S COTTAGE GIFTS AND SOUVENIRS SHOP and into the highly recommended NED KELLY MUSEUM and the replica of the KELLY HOMESTEAD.