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.

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.

• Ned Kelly
• Glenrowan, Victoria
• Australia’s Bushrangers

The post The Next BIG Thing! Glenrowan, Victoria appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

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?

• Steel Wings Windmill
• Bushrangers
• Bread tin Ned Kelly
• Jerilderie

*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!!!

The post Only in OZ #20 – Steel Wings, Jerilderie, 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 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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