We had planned to get an early start and get into Benalla in
the hope of getting the boys a run in the local cricket team but they were having
such a ball playing with Henry that we hung around until 10. In Benalla we
visited the visitor centre that was the antithesis of the previous days
experience in Glenrowan. I felt like Ned was the centre of the display not the
bloody souvenirs! The visitor centre did charge $4 per adult but they had a video that
was quite informative, the cell that Ned was held in and low and behold something genuine! They had on display the sash that he was
given as a lad and was wearing on the day he was shot in the siege in
Glenrowan, with the blood stains to prove it!
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| Stringy Bark Creek |
Next stop was Stringy Bark Creek, the site where the Kelly
gang shot three policemen and the chase for Ned began in earnest. It was a fair
way of the beaten track but it was worth the trip. It was petty eerie being in the spot that was the beginning of something every Australian knows about. The crickets in the trees were as loud as I have ever heard them, to the point of being deafening which only added to the atmosphere.
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| The Kelly Tree ....#3 |
The Kelly Tree is a funny one. Once believed to be the tree that one of the stray bullets hits it is now suggested that this is the Kelly Tree #3. But it is pretty cool as somebody put a Kelly Gang style suit in the tree and it has now grown around it.
We pottered into Mansfield
and De undertook the first laundry session of the trip. A weeks worth in two
machines! The boys raided the IGA and found a book shop along the way. We then
headed up the road leading to Mt Buller and found our site for the night
nestled in the bushland.
We finally had some other people camping near us so Jack and
Sam launched their Co-op. I have sold them some of our businesses products and
they have started their own business selling them to other campers. The first
night was pretty successful despite Jack’s initial hesitance.The Gator was unhitched with the plan to get away early in the morning to have breakfast at dawn at Craig’s hut.
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