Living in a landscape populated with giant fibreglass representations of fruit and animals is quite normal to many Aussies. Irrespective of whether or not such objects are in good taste! Commemorating criminals by building statues and devoting whole tourism campaigns to the bushrangers who dominated the early days of colonialism is also an intrinsic part of Aussie-dom. Irrespective of whether[...]
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Living in a landscape populated with giant fibreglass representations of fruit and animals is quite normal to many Aussies.
Irrespective of whether or not such objects are in good taste!
Commemorating criminals by building statues and devoting whole tourism campaigns to the bushrangers who dominated the early days of colonialism is also an intrinsic part of Aussie-dom.
The Kelly Gang’s only foray across the border was to Jerilderie, commemorated with stylish sculpture ‘Bread Tin Ned’ at the local bakery (how do you think I found it?). This resulted in the famous ‘Jerilderie Letter’ he wrote to defend his gang’s actions in the notorious Stringybark Creek shoot-out a few months earlier.
Beechworth Gaol, where Ned Kelly was tried, Beechworth, Victoria
Today, to be considered ‘as game as Ned Kelly’ – roughly translating as brave, determined and enterprising – is high praise for an Australian. Even though it’s a little ironic.
His last words – ‘Such is Life’ – are part of Aussie folklore, and lingo.
Perhaps the first true Aussie larrikin, it may be why he’s the subject of many books, films, poems, songs and art. And also why his distinctive home-made body armour is instantly recognisable.
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]]>After the thrill of finding a bread tin tribute to Aussie bushranger Ned Kelly at the bakery, downtown Jerilderie could hold nothing further for Aussie explorers like us. Could it? But according to the Jerilderie official visitor’s guide, as well as the Ned Kelly connection, this small New South Wales Southern Riverina town is also on Billabong Creek – longest in[...]
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After the thrill of finding a bread tin tribute to Aussie bushranger Ned Kelly at the bakery, downtown Jerilderie could hold nothing further for Aussie explorers like us. Could it?
But according to the Jerilderie official visitor’s guide, as well as the Ned Kelly connection, this small New South Wales Southern Riverina town is also on Billabong Creek – longest in Australia** – and its Riverina plains are recognised as the best merino country in the world. World first ‘Lone Pine’ Poll Shorthorn stud originated in the area – also a significant Australian agricultural region.
But walking through Luke Park on the banks of Billabong Creek, I looked up through the flashing silver blades of the giant ‘Steel Wings’ as they smoothly clacked through the blue sky above – and was immediately in windmill heaven!
HHHMMMmmm… what does ‘windmill fetishist’ mean?
Originally built in the early 1900’s for nearby Goolgumbula station, this monster windmill – 17 metres (56 ft) high with a fan 9 metres (30ft) in diameter – was one of only six produced by the Steel Wings company in Sydney. Now the larger of the only two* known working models in the world, they’re unique because, according to Wikipedia, ‘the fan is contained and spins within a fully pivoting frame’. So now you know …
Relocated to Luke Park in 1979 and restored to working condition 10 years later, Steel Wings is tethered to prevent damage, and pumps 9 litres (2.4 gallons) per revolution. Its distinctive shape and size gives visitors another reason to stop in Jerilderie. Other than Bread tin Ned, and other Kelly gang memorabilia that is!
Regular readers will already be aware of my penchant for the ubiquitous windmill – but especially with the waters of Australia’s longest creek in the background, this one is the best yet!
Don’t you agree??!!
Want more information?
*the other is in Taroom, Queensland
** Edit 25/02/12 A number of comments question my statement that Jerilderie’s Billabong Creek is longest in Australia. As stated above, the information in the paragraph comes fromthe ‘Official Visitors’ Guide Jerilderie’ pamphlet produced by the Jerilderie Shire Council. They couldn’t possibly be wrong, could they?? Now, after some internet research, I’m not sure! Here’s what I found – make up your own mind!
- Information about the Billabong Creek Salt Interception Scheme on the NSW Department of Primary Industries website claims it to be the longest creek in the WORLD!! It then reports the creek to be ~320 km long
- Wikipedia’s Billabong Creek entry doesn’t give its length, but cites the above article to support its claim as the longest creek in New South Wales!
- A map of the creek can be found HERE – although the length is not mentioned, the scale is consistent with the above claim (the dark section on the map shows only the mapped part of the creek). But are there any creeks longer than Billabong, yet shorter than Coopers? My search didn’t go that far …
- Wikipedia’s Cooper Creek entry gives its length as 1300 km, significantly longer than Billabong Creek! But is Cooper’s Creek really a creek? In name, the only place in the world where two rivers merge to form a creek, the entry indicates that the creek is sometimes known as the Barcoo River and is part of that river system.
- Cooper’s Creek is found in a list of Australian rivers. But then, so is Billabong Creek … the definitions of ‘creek’ are many and varied (see HERE for a general google search) – so provide limited clarity, although there are some that arguably place Cooper’s Creek into the ‘river’ category.
SO … I’ll leave you to make up your own mind! I’m happy to accept that Cooper’s Creek is the longest in Australia and that Billabong Creek is likely the longest in NSW – but I won’t be betting on that anytime soon!!!
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]]>Fred Ward Memorial Statue, Uralla Before Uralla, the thought of being tried by a jury of my peers gave me an attack of the screaming horrors. But in the spiritual home of bushranger Fred Ward I found an inarguable defence. Captain Thunderbolt, Uralla, NSW For here in Uralla, halfway along the Thunderbolt Way – shortest route from Sydney to the[...]
The post Off the Tourist Trail #7 – Uralla, New England, New South Wales appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.
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| Fred Ward Memorial Statue, Uralla |
Before Uralla, the thought of being tried by a jury of my peers gave me an attack of the screaming horrors. But in the spiritual home of bushranger Fred Ward I found an inarguable defence.
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| Captain Thunderbolt, Uralla, NSW |
For here in Uralla, halfway along the Thunderbolt Way – shortest route from Sydney to the Outback – you can’t scare a kangaroo without it hitting a reminder of Fred’s presence. His rock. His cave. A life size statue in the main street. The McCrossin’s Mill museum that tells his story complete with 9 oil paintings depicting his death. His grave – albeit shrouded in controversy – who is REALLY buried there?!
Fred? Well, c’mon! You can’t call a villainous bushranger by his real name, ‘Fred Ward’, can you? Not with cool names like Ned Kelly and Captain Starlight already out there! And not when there’s a name like ‘Captain Thunderbolt’ going begging!!
But despite Fred’s life of crime – robbing mail coaches, hotels, stores and residences; stealing over 80 horses; and involved in several shootouts with police – he was still considered a ‘gentleman’. No, this is not some new and bizarre definition of the word ‘gentleman’ with which we are not generally familiar – Fred ‘earned’ this consideration because – wait for it – HE DIDN’T ACTUALLY KILL ANYONE!!
So should I find myself on trial, I’ll just use the ‘Thunderbolt’ defence! ‘But, your Honour – I didn’t actually KILL anyone’. That’ll do the trick, won’t it??
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| Constable Walker’s Memorial Plaque |
Of course it won’t if I actually DID kill someone – but I digress…
Constable Alexander Walker finally nabbed Fred – but you’ll be hard pressed to find his memorial plaque in the shadow of the dashing Thunderbolt statue and actually decipher its text!
It’s unclear how much of a mention Walker rates in the annual Thunderbolt Festival.
For a town that celebrates its close association with the notorious Captain Thunderbolt perhaps a little TOO much, Uralla has a surprising number of attractions unrelated to bushrangers, famous or otherwise.
Even so, the town still attracts thunderbolts.
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| Dangar’s Lagoon from the Bird Hide, Uralla |
One look at the ominous autumn storm clouds gathering over the mountains and we turned back from birdwatching trip to nearby Dangar’s Lagoon, pausing only to pick up a quick lunch from one of Uralla’s two fine bakeries. Beating the rain by nanoseconds, we scuttled back to our cosy on-site van in the terrific Uralla Caravan Park, well off the highway bisecting the town. I’m sure the wild thunderstorm* raging directly above added a frisson of extra pleasure to the bakery wonders we consumed, but it’s not an experience I’d want every year decade lifetime … But at least the resultant drop in temperature kept the snakes at bay when we picked up where we’d left off at Dangar’s lagoon later that same day!!
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| New England Architecture, Council Chambers, Uralla |
Maybe just an April 2011 thing, our second storm in two days bailed us up in the fabulous Burnet’s Books. Of course being forced to wander aimlessly through multiple rows of wonderful antiquarian books isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – but Pilchard had to tell me the storm was over several times before it sank in!!
And when the countryside’s ablaze with the onset of autumn – the region isn’t called ‘New England’ for nothing – the jaw-dropping waterfalls and spectacular New England and Oxley Wild Rivers National Parks** nearby don’t need the added lure of bushranger hidey-holes!
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| Autumn Colours, Uralla |
Unlike much of the rest of OZ, the New England plateau has 4 distinct seasons and Uralla’s winter temperatures reportedly reach -14º C – making it a less obvious choice for to play ‘let’s go on the run’. For us, the world class showers in the only caravan park amenities block with wall heaters I’ve seen in OZ staved off the autumnal chill – and the Fung Wah Chinese restaurant’s excellent Saturday night buffet reinforced what I already knew. I like my food – and comforts – WAAAY too much to do the bushranger thing. I guess that means I’m just too soft to be an outlaw!
So maybe I won’t have to use the Thunderbolt Defence after all …
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| Autumn Colours, Uralla |
One day we’ll find ourselves able to stay as long as we like in a place – but this visit wasn’t it. En route to the FAAAAABULOUS Lord Howe Island, the next steps of our trip were locked in.
But our next move WAS assured. A short drive down the road to Glen Innes – to pick up my free Celtic Glitter Mug!! But that’s another story …
* Rivalling our previous experiences at Bowen, Queensland
** Watch this space for a separate post on more regional attractions!
These photos are part of the worldwide celebration of skies around the world on SkyWatch Friday! There’s plenty more to see … just click HERE!!
The post Off the Tourist Trail #7 – Uralla, New England, New South Wales appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.
]]>Whether or not you consider Aussie bushranger and icon Ned Kelly a national hero or national disgrace probably depends on which version of history you’ve been told. But whatever your views, there’s no denying Ned’s reincarnation as both cultural icon – and tourist drawcard! From inspiring the first feature film ever made (more recent remakes star Mick Jagger and Heath[...]
The post Only in OZ #17 – Ned Kelly Tribute, Jerilderie, NSW appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.
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Whether or not you consider Aussie bushranger and icon Ned Kelly a national hero or national disgrace probably depends on which version of history you’ve been told. But whatever your views, there’s no denying Ned’s reincarnation as both cultural icon – and tourist drawcard!
From inspiring the first feature film ever made (more recent remakes star Mick Jagger and Heath Ledger), numerous songs, and novels including Peter Carey’s Booker Prize winning ‘True History of the Kelly Gang’, AND giving his name to an Aussie bakery pie (with various ingredients) Ned Kelly’s name is big business.
But how can you make the legend work for you if you live in Jerilderie, and you want to divert tourists from ‘Kelly Country’ and the epicentre of ‘Ned’ hysteria, Victoria’s Glenrowan??
You construct an 8 ft high statue of Ned out of bread tins, of course!
If you were already thinking this – and why wouldn’t you be? – it’s my sad duty to inform you that you’ve been beaten to the punch by the Jerilderie Bakery. MUCH more striking than the numerous bushranger cut-outs scattered through Jerilderie’s main streets that telegraph its bushranger credentials, this innovative and tasteful tribute is quite possibly the only one of its kind in the world*!
But Jerilderie’s connection with the elusive Ned is far from tenuous. In 1879, Jerilderie was ‘visited’ by the Kelly Gang – the only town in New South Wales to be so honoured!
It’s ironic that Jerilderie’s livelihood doesn’t actually depend on Ned’s legacy – its position in the Southern Riverina, varied industry base, rich heritage and natural attractions make it a tourist drawcard in its own right.
While Ned’s manifesto wasn’t printed, and in fact remained hidden until 1930, Jerilderie gets the benefit of his intent to publish – thereby earning a unique place on the Ned Kelly tourist trail.
But maybe Ned’s legacy can be found at the Jerilderie Bakery where the class divide is impossible to maintain when eating under the watchful gaze of ‘Bread Tin Ned’! It’s also virtually impossible to maintain a straight face …
Although you can always fix that!!
*Please correct me if I’m wrong!
Want MORE?
- Jerilderie, New South Wales
- MORE Jerilderie Attractions
- Ned Kelly at Glenrowan, Victoria
- MORE RedzAustralia Weird Stuff
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]]>Kenniff Monument, Mitchell QLD What do Aussies call a person who a) makes a living from criminal activity; b) is on the run from the law; c) is likely armed and dangerous; d) lives outside mainstream society; and e) has probably killed – most likely police officers? WRONG! Not a murdering psychopath!! Guess again! NO! Not a terrorist! And[...]
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| Kenniff Monument, Mitchell QLD |
What do Aussies call a person who a) makes a living from criminal activity; b) is on the run from the law; c) is likely armed and dangerous; d) lives outside mainstream society; and e) has probably killed – most likely police officers?
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| ‘Waltzing Matilda’ – the scene by the billabong |
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| Bushrangers Cave, Cania Gorge QLD |
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| Rock Formations, Mt Moffatt |
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| Marlong Arch, Mt Moffatt National Park |
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| Mt Moffatt National Park |
Unless a present-day bushranger wants notoriety (in which case s/he is likely to have a Facebook page) you probably won’t know if you’ve encountered one! How much further would the old-time bushrangers have got with the benefits of technology?!
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