Are you interested in the history and lives of the Australian bush rangers? Read our article for facts and information…
Most stories about Australian bush rangers have their origins in the goldfields area of the Great Dividing Range in the South. While some of these men were natives of Victoria and Tasmania, others were hardened criminals who were transported to Port Arthur. Then there were others who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and were simply the victims of trying economic times who thought that taking to the road would be an easy way to make a living.
Because some of these men were born in the bush they were adept at using firearms and had impressive knowledge about horses; this was the perfect mixture of skill sets needed for an adventure that was eventually supposed to lead them to their fortune. They had little regard for the law and no sympathy for the weak. The rush for gold after the discoveries in Victoria, presented them with the perfect environment to exploit their delinquency and skills to make money. Eventually they turned their sights to the relatively easy pursuit of stealing gold. And at one point people simply stopped traveling with bullion from major cities like Melbourne and Sydney because it was simply too unsafe even for well armed parties
However, despite their turn towards a life of crime, few of these bush rangers ever got their dream fortune. Most of them languished in their circumstances for the rest of their days. While some were quite notorious others became local heroes and the most famous among them was an Australian bush ranger known as Ned Kelly. There were also others like Johnny Dunn, Martin Cash, Gilbert Brothers, Ben Hall and many more.
However, Ned Kelly remains the most famous Australian bush ranger. He was born in 1855 and started his life of crime at an early age of 15 after an altercation with the law enforcement. He was not initially convicted till it was found that he was the sidekick of another popular Australian bush ranger, Harry Power. By the time he turned 16, Ned Kelly had already served 6 months hard labor.
The life of honest hard work and labor did not quite suit Ned Kelly and even though he tried to stay out of trouble by taking up employment at a sawmill, things quickly changed and he developed quite a reputation as a boxer and trick rider. But the closure of the sawmill saw Ned’s entry back into the world of delinquency; soon he was accused of stealing bulls. Ned Kelly was eventually arrested and hung in Melbourne for his crimes on November 11, 1880.
