AVENEL
#avenel
At a Glance
Ned Kelly was eight years old when his family moved from Beveridge to Avenel, a small town which had grown around a pastoral lease and a convenient crossing place of Hughes Creek, becoming a regular stopping place for commercial carriages between Melbourne and Albury to change horses and refresh passengers as well as independent travellers on horseback, bullock wagons and on foot.
The Kellys rented a small 16 ha farm where they established a dairy. The Kelly children were enrolled at Avenel Common School.
Ned was 11 when he saved seven year-old Richard Shelton from drowning in the Hughes Creek, about 150 metres from the impressive 1859 stone bridge which is still there. For his bravery, the boy’s parents presented Ned with a green silk sash, a treasured possession he was found to be wearing under his armour when he was captured at the siege of Glenrowan.
John Kelly died in 1866 aged 46 and was buried at Avenel cemetery, after which Ellen Kelly moved her family of eight children to Greta near Wangaratta to be close to her own family, the Quinns.
Explore Avenel & Surrounds
Easily accessible from the M31, Avenel is the gateway to the Strathbogie Ranges and jumping off point for destinations that include Nagambie, Violet Town and the next stop on the Ned Kelly Touring Route – Euroa.
It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty where ancient landscapes are studded with huge granite boulders and great places to bushwalk and spot native birds and animals. There are scenic rivers, lakes and waterfalls and buzzing, historic towns offering many places to stay, eat, drink and explore.
For a small town, Avenel boasts some next-level dining options including Bank Street’s outstanding Wood Fired Pizza & Gardens which highlights locally sourced produce, wines and ales.
Harvest Home offers superb modern Australian fare and a drinks list heroing local wineries and distilleries. The totally refurbished property built in 1870 also offers stylish boutique accommodation and a beautiful garden.
Avenel is also home to one of Australia’s best known cool climate wine producers, Fowles, home of the iconic Ladies who Shoot their Lunch label. The sleek cellar door and restaurant, open daily for breakfast, lunch and wine tastings, is perched at 600 metres above the valley, with sweeping vistas of the surrounding vines and plains. The iconic Mitchelton and Tahbilk wineries are also worth a visit in nearby Nagambie.
Fill the baskets or the boot at the Avenel Make It, Bake It, Grow It market every second Sunday of the month. And for some family fun get lost at the Kelly-themed Avenel Maze with its two hedge mazes, tricky tile maze, rope maze and rock labyrinth.
Historic Sites
- Hughes Creek and historic 1859 bridge and picnic area. Information boards are installed here.
- Avenel Cemetery – Ned’s father John (Red) Kelly is buried here.
- Heritage-listed 1855 former Royal Mail Hotel, the home of Richard Shelton, the child saved from drowning by Ned Kelly. An information board is installed here.
- Information boards are also installed at the sites of the Kelly’s rented farm, the cemetery and near the site of the original Common School.
Getting to Avenel
Drive 114 km – 1.5 hours – from Melbourne via the M31 Hume Fwy. VLine from Melbourne Southern Cross to Avenel station.
Visitor Information
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