MANSFIELD

A police patrol of four officers was sent from Mansfield in October 1878 to search for Ned and Dan Kelly who were in hiding in the Wombat Ranges after Constable Fitzpatrick was shot and wounded at the family home at Greta.

With friends Joe Byrne and Steve Hart, the brothers ambushed their camp at Stringybark Creek. They shot and killed three of the officers, the fourth, Constable Thomas McIntyre, managed to escape, finally reaching Mansfield the following day with the news of the shootings.

Newspaper headlines reporting “The Mansfield Tragedy” and the “Mansfield Outrage” forever linked the town with the police murders. The bodies of all three Irish-born officers, Michael Kennedy, aged 36, Thomas Lonigan, 34 and Michael Scanlan, 35, were brought to Mansfield cemetery for burial.

The deadline for the Gang members to turn themselves into police was set at 15 November and armed troopers waited on the steps of Mansfield Courthouse for them to appear. The four failed to show and were officially declared outlaws with rewards of £500 (later increased to £2000) each for their capture dead or alive.

Explore Mansfield & surrounds

Mansfield is an ideal getaway destination and a great base to explore the region.

A nature-lover’s paradise, it’s the jumping off point for Mt Buller and Mt Stirling alpine resorts for winter snow and summer adventures, houseboating on Lake Eildon, camping, fly fishing, guided horse treks, bushwalking, cycling on the Great Victorian Rail Trail and mountain biking at Mt Buller’s Australian Alpine Epic Trail as well as amazing hot air ballooning experiences.

High Country Scenic Tours and Australis 4WD Tours offer customised Ned Kelly Tours from Mansfield and Melbourne, and Mansfield Bushwalks offers guided short and longer hikes in and around town.

There’s a great variety of places to stay here to suit all pockets as well as excellent food and drink options, including a stunning cellar door and restaurant at Delatite Wines five minutes from town and the boutique Swiftcrest Distillery.