Wanted for murder

1878

Printed ephemera on cloth
Bequest of Sir William Dixson, 1952
DLADD 76 / item 19

From October 1878 until late June 1880, Ned Kelly and his gang were the most wanted men in the Australian colonies. By the time they were captured, the price on each of their heads had risen from £500 to £2000, and with their deaths they claimed a place in the national consciousness that remains unrivalled. Since then, they have been memorialised by painters, writers, musicians and filmmakers alike. More books, songs and websites have been written about Ned Kelly and his gang than any other group of Australian historical figures.

The Kelly Gang’s crime spree included several large bank robberies at Euroa and Jerilderie, before coming to a fiery end in a siege at the Glenrowan Hotel in late June 1880. Dan Kelly, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne all died in the siege. Ned Kelly was shot and wounded but survived to be tried in October that year and sentenced to death by hanging.