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.
Dr. 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:
