Driving out of your way to see a Big Thing on an Aussie road trip is a rite of passage for most of us, but the most infamous Big Thing of all has to be Big Ned Kelly in Glenrowan.
There are actually two Big Ned Kellys in Australia. But since the wild colonial boy and his mob never got within cooee of Maryborough, in Queensland, where a seven-metre high Ned fronts the Ned Kelly Hotel, we’ll stay in Glenrowan, the scene of The Kelly Gang’s last stand.
These days you’d be ill-advised to hold up the Glenrowan Post Office. Standing guard outside is a six-metre-high Big Ned Kelly, depicted just as he appeared when he was captured near the town, in June 1880, in his trademark charcoal armour and heavy mask, rifle in hand.
When was Big Ned Kelly in Glenrowen built?
Remarkably, no one quite remembers when the first Big Ned Kelly was built in Glenrowan, but it was stolen and dumped in the river. Bob Hempel built Ned Kelly II for his “Kellyland" video theatre and museum in 1980, the 100th anniversary of Ned’s death, but moved it inside the exhibit eight years later, where it could only be seen for a price. Rod and Chris Gerret, owners of Kate’s Cottage, which houses a Ned Kelly memorial museum , then decided to put Glenrowan on the map in a big way.
They commissioned Kevin Thomas, a Sydney special effects technician, to build the six-metre high, 1.5-tonne fibreglass outlaw at a cost of $12,000. It took eleven hours to truck down from Sydney (there were numerous hold-ups along the way) and Big Ned Kelly III was unveiled on 14 April, 1992. The occasion attracted newspaper coverage from around the country, including the front page of Melbourne’s Herald-Sun, alongside a story about another Australian outlaw, Alan Bond, who’d been jailed for fraud that very day.
The imposing statue of the infamous Aussie outlaw stands in Glenrowan, the Victorian town where he took his last stand.
Ned Kelly museums and attractions
There’s a wide range of Kelly memorabilia at Kate’s Cottage next door, including a replica of the Kelly homestead, complete with furnishings. They also sell two different kinds of Ned Kelly snowdomes. In fact, Glenrowan is a cornucopia of Kellyana – you’ll find Ned’s Burger House, the Kelly Country Motel, Kelly’s Cookhouse Cafe, and two Ned Kelly museums. Kellyland offers a live animated show called Ned Kelly’s Last Stand , comprising four different sets, each relating to a different part of the story and using original props including an authentic handgun once used by Ned himself. There’s even a Siege Site walk that winds its way past several of the locations featured in Ned’s last stand. You can take the guided tour or grab a map and explore with your own accomplices.
Since being bypassed by the Hume Freeway, Glenrowan, 220 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, is a pretty quiet village these days. We can’t help feeling Ned’s a bit lonely. Perhaps the good people of Glenrowan could see their way clear to having the rest of the gang (brother Dan, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne) take their place alongside him once more. I for one would certainly make the trip to see the first Big Ned Kelly Gang in the country.
Where to find Big Ned Kelly
The Big Ned Kelly Gladstone St &, Kate St, Glenrowan VIC
Kates Cottage Kelly Homestead & Museum Contact Phone (03) 5766 2448
This is an excerpt from Big Things Australia’s Amazing Roadside Attractions by David Clark published by Penguin Books, rrp $24.95.
From cabins to canvas, craft distillers to destination dining, Heathcote locals reveal their eco-savvy passions in ways that resonate with those seeking to travel lightly.
Heathcote , on traditional Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, is synonymous with its garnet-hued shiraz, but wine isn’t the only string to its bow. The town itself is sprinkled with heritage buildings from the gold rush era, and beyond that a growing collection of sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly escapes. Nearby Bendigo, one of only 65 cities in the world recognised as a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, plates up an astonishing calibre of produce, wine and food for its size. Increasingly the entire region is taking up the challenge, though Heathcote in particular shines with its focus on sustainability.
The dramatic landscape of Heathcote’s Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Goodfrey)
The eco-stays bringing sustainability to Heathcote
Yellow Box Wood’s safari-style tents are nestled on 40 hectares of bushland. (Image: Emily Goodfrey)
Andee and Lisa Davidson spent years working in southern Africa before settling in Heathcote. “We had a vision of how this could be,” explains Andee. “We wanted a retreat, but one that was off-grid and environmentally sustainable.” Now, at Yellow Box Wood , two luxury safari-style tents are at the heart of 40 hectares of rolling hills and native bush, with kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, goanna and birdlife aplenty. It’s all solar-powered, wood for the fire is mainly fallen timber, and water is collected on the carport roof. No lack of creature comforts though – en suite with rain shower, espresso coffee maker, comfy seating, wood-burning fire all set to go. There’s also a solar-heated, mineral salt pool in a bush setting, walking tracks, and even a mini bush golf course. On my visit, I put the vision to the test. Cocooned in the plush four-poster bed I can glimpse the stars, while the heater casts a golden glow on the canvas. In the morning, I wake to a blush-pink sunrise, kangaroos feeding and a soundtrack of magpies.
Mt Ida Eco Cabin is rustic and simple but oozes comfort. (Image: Graham Hosking)
If a tent is not your style, Stephen and Cally Trompp’s carbon-neutral Mt Ida Eco Cabin might entice with its generous deck and farmland views. Inside the cabin, corrugated iron walls as rusty as a shearing shed, gleaming (recycled) floorboards, timber truss ceiling (crafted by Stephen), wood-fired heater and an old-school turntable with a pile of vinyls to spin. It’s fun, and a little boho.“Everything is recycled. The cabin takes maximum advantage of the sun in winter. It’s all solar-powered. Don’t panic, though,” says Stephen, “you can still charge your phone and get 4G reception!” Settle into an Adirondack chair on the deck or pedal off on a mountain bike to suss out the wineries.
A taste of Spain in Central Victoria
Three Dams Estate make Spanish-style wine.
Another person with a vision is Evan Pritchard at his Three Dams Estate where the wines reflect his deep love of Spain and of Spanish-style grapes, such as tempranillo. Afternoons in the ‘wine shed’ or cantina are matched with music (flamenco is a favourite), Spanish bites from tapas to paella (with Evan on the pans!) and views to Mount Alexander. Sustainability is also a passion. “You don’t need to buy anything. We decided to be off-grid from the start, but it is a lifestyle change,” he says. “You need to think about it and be careful.” Everything here is recycled, reassembled, refurbished. Evan has an electric car (with solar-powered charger), solar-power for the winery, and even a jaunty little electric tractor/forklift. “I love the idea of all the things you can do using the sun.” Sipping a crisp rosado (a Spanish rosé) with Evan in the sunshine, I couldn’t agree more.
The vineyard redefining sustainable winemaking
The Silverspoon Estate winery is completely off-grid. (Image: Graham Hosking)
On the other side of Heathcote, Silver Spoon Estate demonstrates sustainability on a more extensive scale. Tracie and Peter Young’s winery, cellar door, award-winning restaurant and their own house are all solar-powered and off the grid. Sustainability is intrinsic to everything they do. The property sprawls across 100 hectares, with 20 hectares under vine – shiraz, viognier, grenache, tempranillo. As the climate has changed, so too has the approach. These are dry-grown vineyards. “We prune for drought. That means lower yields but more intense flavours,” says Peter. The fine-dining restaurant offers sweeping views, a wood-burning fire and a deck for languid lunches. Head chef Ben Hong sources regional, sustainable ingredients and weaves estate wines into the menu – think crispy wild mushroom arancini, viognier-infused chicken breast.
Silver Spoon’s award-winning restaurant.
Heathcote’s other hidden gems
Heathcote Wine Hub is housed in a 1855-built timber church.
Not all local wineries have a cellar door, but I find local treasures at the Heathcote Wine Hub , a petite 1855 timber church in the main street, lovingly returned to life by Karen Robertson and Carey Moncrieff. “Carey is a scrounger,” says Karen. “He doesn’t throw a single thing away.” He does, however, craft things into something quite special. Heritage floors, light-filtering lancet windows and shelves of regional wines create the perfect ambience for wine tasting. Or order a glass and linger over a cheese platter.
Heathcote is not all wine, of course. Nathan Wheat and partner Vanessa Curtis run Envy Distilling with a committed sustainable ethic – and a serious love of gin. Their small-batch distillery produces grape-based gin, and soon brandy. Distilled water is reused in an ingenious cooling system. All waste is treated on site. They buy excess wine from winemakers to distil and buy recycled barrels. “Distilling with the sun,” as Nathan says. Each Envy gin has its own story. Spicy, award-winning The Dry, is designed to capture the region’s dry, rugged nature. Pull up a stool at the bar (reclaimed timbers and tiles, of course), order a Gin Flight, or kick back with a cocktail and let Nathan share his eco journey.
Sample gins at small-batch distillery Envy.
A traveller’s checklist
Getting there
It’s less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne. The scenic route we take goes past Sunbury, then along a splendid country road through Romsey and the magic, boulder-strewn landscape of Lancefield. Watch for kangaroos on the road!
Staying there
Go off-grid in style at Yellow Box Wood for glamping or try Mt Ida Eco Cabin for a couple’s weekend hideaway.
Eating there
Award-winning French restaurant Chauncy.
At award-winning Chauncy , French chef Louis Naepels and sommelier wife Tess Murray have created a tiny, elegant pocket of rural France. Meticulously restored 1850s sandstone building, sun-drenched dining room, impeccable service, a menu suffused with local flavours and thoughtful wine pairings.
Fodder is both cafe and social hub. Chef Mo Pun and sister Lalita serve classic Aussie breakfast-to-lunch fare, though their Nepalese heritage sneaks through.
Playing there
Sip on wines among the vines at Sanguine Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)
Sanguine Estate ’s cellar door and terrace overlook bucolic vineyards. Its award-winning, dry-grown wines include the distinctive D’Orsa Blanc dessert wine, reflecting the family’s Swiss-Italian heritage. Order a charcuterie board and stay a while. Keep it carbon neutral by cycling some (or all) of the 50-kilometre O’Keefe Rail Trail to Bendigo.
At Bridgeward Grove , learn about the property’s Old Mission Grove heritage olive trees, do a sommelier olive oil tasting, and stock up on sustainably grown olives and oil. Explore the unique landscape, wildflowers and wildlife of pink cliffs geological reserve.
