Wilson Vineyard | NEWS AND TRIVIA FILE

In a valley rich in history and colourful characters, there is no shortage of yams; the problem is trying to sort the fact from the fiction.

It seems doubtful if this story can ever be verified beyond doubt, but there are enough consistencies to make it credible.

Old timers like Dan Smith, Tom Hill, and the late John Melrose, who lived around the region all their life have given almost identical versions. It comes as a surprise to find that there is no record of it previously appearing in print, and that mention of the subject in far-off Clare is met with expressions of disbelief.

The story is that Ned Kelly, on the run from the Victorian police, came to South Australia, and lived for several months near the base of Mount Horrocks, adjacent to what is now Polish Hill River.

The legend is that Ned was assisted by relations living in the area. Ned made his base on the north of Mount Horrocks at a site that is known as Ned's Hut. Geraldine Pearce of Water-vale has a slightly different version of the story, in that this location on the north of Mount Horrocks was known as Kellytown, and that there is another ruin, on the south of Mount Horrocks, on the route of the old Gulf Road, which marks the site of an old shanty, and that this was also known as Ned's Hut.

Geraldine continues the saga, that it was at the Gulf Road shanty, that Ned arranged to meet his sister Kate. Geraldine's version of the story also includes a report that for a short while, Ned joined a gang of rustlers that was camped on the north-west end of Watervale. Ned also yarded stolen horses in the scrub near Hoyleton. It is also believed that Ned came to Clare twice, the first time being about ten years earlier when he accompanied his mother.

John Rucioch, now nearly 90, has lived near the base of Mount Rufus all his life, in the same house that his grandfather built. Granny had told John that Ned had been in the area, and that Ned's sister had lived for some time, only a short distance away on the other side of Mount Rufus, on a property owned by Kellys. John believes that it was Patrick Kelly who owned the property. Granny's story also is that the sister rode back to Victoria later to meet Ned.

From here the quest turned to the State Library, where it seems that books on Ned Kelly nearly outnumber all the books ever written on Australian Prime Ministers. Relevant facts to emerge here are: Ned was an expert bushman and horseman, and could cover 70 miles in a night: from February 1879 to early 1880 the Kelly gang effectively vanished, and whilst Victorian police maintained a constant search in north-east Victoria, they admitted that they could not be sure that the gang was even in Victoria.

After Ned's death, Kate Kelly left Melbourne and joined a Wild West Show as a "star horse rider"; a 500 mile ride should not be dismissed as ridiculous.

Ned's father, John "Red" Kelly, was a native of Tipperary, and died in 1866, when Ned was only 12. Perhaps it was after this that Ellen Kelly took her eldest son to meet the relations in Clare.

The site of Kellytown is located within the extensive Kadlunga property, well away from any public roads; Kadlunga proprietor, Hamish Gosse kindly consented to conduct a private tour to the site.

Hamish Gosse describes Ned's Hut as one of the better preserved ruins on his property. It is located at the base of a hill, overlooking a river flat. The walls are built of quartzite stone with mud mortar. There is no evidence of any internal wall, and there was a door located centrally in the front, with a window to each side. An enormous fig tree survives in the front garden. At the back of the hut are rows of stone that were once stone walls, possibly for yarding stock, and a few almond trees.

John Rucioch's story identifies sections 349 & 350 near the base of Mount Rufus. A search of the land title confirms that these sections were owned by Patrick Kelly between 1866 and 1913. All that remains of the Kelly home here is a heap of rubble - the house burnt down in the 1965 bushfire.

Patrick Kelly was born in County Clare, Ireland in 1839, and died in 1923. His parents were Jeremiah Kelly (bl8l3) and Mary Baker (b 1814).

This family was just one branch of a whole clan of Kellys to farm the Mintaro region during the 1860s. John Kelly was a brother of Jeremiah; John's son, Martin held the land at Kellytown. There was another Martin another John and another Jeremiah Kelly who were probably cousins.

Martin Kelly owned sections 169 and 170, although Ned's hut appears to be on the adjoining section 171.

During the 1850s and 1860s the land north of Mount Horrocks had been closely settled, however during the 1870s most properties were purchased by the Chewings family to form Kadlunga. This left many houses, huts and other buildings w1iich became vacant or were leased. Martin Kelly and his family had left the area and moved further north near Jamestown.

Five of Red Kelly's brothers and sisters came to Victoria in 1857. We have little knowledge available on any of Red's aunts and uncles, nor is there any earlier information on the origins of the Clare Kellys. We can only speculate on a family connection.