Ned Kelly, Gold and Wine in North East Victoria
But there's more to Kelly Country than Australia's greatest folk tale - the northeast of Victoria is a favourite destination for lovers of food, wine and beautiful scenery.
There are five wine regions up here - Rutherglen, Beechworth, Alpine Valleys, King Valley and Glenrowan - as well as artisan brews. Take your pick of luscious muscat, vibrant Italian varieties,sparkling whites and rich ales from craft breweries.
The High Country
Tall tales and legends of high drama start up here. Ned Kelly made his last stand, defiant to the end, and the wild peaks of the Snowy Mountains are home to the legendary Man From Snowy River, a loved poem by Banjo Paterson turned into a delightful film.
Heritage of Bushrangers, Horsemen and Gold
The Great Alpine Road, one of Australia's great touring routes, winds through the region showcasing stunning alpine landscapes, heritage towns, and local food and wine between Wangaratta, Bairnsdale and the Gippsland Lakes.
First Stop : Beveridge
The house where Ned was born still stands in Beveridge, and his father John Kelly is buried in the nearby cemetery at Avenal.
You can see the grave of Ned's mother, Ellen, in the cemeteries at Greta.
Benalla
Benalla is a pretty little place on the Broken River. This river was dammed in the 1970s creating an wide waterway known as Lake Benalla.
On the western bank of the river are the restful botanical gardens, home to an art gallery, the Sir Weary Dunlop memorial statue and Benalla's famous rose gardens with over 2,000 varieties of colourful roses.
The eastern bank of Lake Benalla is lined with a network of bicycle and walking tracks which meander along through the several islands that exist in the lake.
To find out more about the life and legend of Ned Kelly visit the museum in Benalla. Shudder at Ned's bloody sash, worn under his armour at the final battle with police.
The Benalla Costume & Pioneer Museum, managed entirely by volunteer members of the Benalla & District Historical Society, hosts major exhibitions, a costume collection dating from 1770, local historical artefacts and a permanent Ned Kelly story display.
Two of Benalla's famous sons - surgeon and war hero Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, and Captain Hector Waller, RAN - are remembered in the Services Room. The tea room and associated display is named after a third 'famous son' - Michael Joseph Savage, first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand, who was born at Tatong near Benalla.
Our Ned Kelly
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Ned Kelly, Bushranger : Australian People
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Ned Kelly is Australia's most famous bushranger, a folk hero who became a legend during his own life. The Kelly Gang rose from petty horse thieves to Australia's most wanted outlaws but Ned had the hearts of the common people. Controversy still ride...
Beechworth : Markers, Masks and Museums
Beechworth is another well preserved gold rush town. It's no surptise that many of the lovely buildings are registered with the National Trust.There are some particularly fine examples of historical homes and miners' cottages here, a Courthouse, a Powder Magazine, (where the gunpowder used in goldmining was stored), the Beechworth Telegraph Station, a Lock-up and Police Stables, Chinese Protectors Office and the Burke Museum. .
The Beechworth Courthouse, built in 1858, is part of Beechworth's historic and cultural precinct and is a magnificent example of a gold-rush courthouse. It's well known as the place where Ned Kelly had his first court appearance in 1880.
Ned Kelly and his gang were often around Beechworth and the Burke Museum houses plenty of memorabilia of the Kellys.
There are bits and pieces of armour, but a more grotesque exhibit is waiting for you. Ned's Death Mask.
Throughout the nearby country are various markers at the sites of important events in the careers of Ned Kelly and his gang.
Glenrowan and the Last Stand
The Ned Kelly Museum in Glenrowan
Glenrowan was a quiet little town used as a coach staging point between Benalla and Wangaratta until the events of June, 1880 made the tiny hamlet a widely reported and photographed dramatic crime scene.
Today, Glenrowan is still a quiet little town with just one hotel, one motel and a caravan park, but this is Kelly Country and you also find two museums, the Kelly Museum and Kellyland, a souvenir shop and a resident historian, Gary Dean.
For Glenrowan is the scene of the legendary Last Stand.
Wonderful Wine and Fruit of Glenrowan
Glenrowan has a rich wine making history.
Folklore has it that Ned Kelly helped the Bailey family plant their first grapevines as a fencing contractor. The ensuing 130 years have established Glenrowan a reputation for full-bodied reds, particularly Shiraz and Durif, fragrant whites, and delicious fortified wines.
The Cellar Doors are intimate, historic and welcoming.
Glenrowan is also just fabulous for fruit lovers, with strawberries, cherries, nectarines and peaches.
A number of these orchard gates are open to visitors who can't resist freshly picked, tree-ripened, sun-kissed summer fruits, also available as jam, ice cream, preserves and chutney throughout the year.
Rutherglen
There are 21 cellar doors in Rutherglen!
A huge variety of wines are produced here in the combination of great sunshine, cool nights, warm days and long dry autumns. Muscat and Tokay grapes reach high levels of sweetness and flavour, and the Rutherglen reds such as Shiraz and Durif develop into great cellaring wines and vintage tawny ports.
Many of the great winemaking houses of Rutherglen sprang up in the gold rush days of the mid nineteenth century and are still owned and run by the fourth, fifth and sixth generations of the original family.
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Australia : Lensography of My Place
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G'day from Melbourne, Australia, where I put these pages together while looking out the window at the kookaburras. I have a number of lenses on Australia, some dealing with the creatures who bound across this land, some highlighting the different pl...
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