Big Ned Kelly Statue, Glenrowan - Part 1: Colonial Victoria

The Big Ned Kelly Statue stands at the entrance to the historic township of Glenrowan, a relatively small town situated some 236 kilometres north-east of the city of Melbourne, and 14 kilometres south of Wangaratta. Located on the corner of Gladstone Street and Kate Street, the Big Ned Kelly Statue stands at roughly 6 metres tall and weighs approximately 1.5 tonnes. The statue is a physical representation of the historic and cultural impact that the tale of Ned Kelly has had on the north-eastern region of country Victoria. However, to truly appreciate the significance of the Ned Kelly legend to the region – and by extension, the importance of the Big Ned Kelly Statue as a heritage site – one must first consider the historiographical conditions within which the Ned Kelly saga took place. As such, the first section of this tour will focus primarily on the conditions of Colonial Victoria in the 19th Century, as well as the early life of the young Ned Kelly. In doing so, I hope to provide an accurate contextualisation of Ned Kelly, in both a historical and cultural sense, to allow for a greater understanding of why Ned Kelly’s infamy has developed into such an important cultural symbol in the modern day.
British colonisation of Australia was an arduous and often perilous process. Although initially utilised as a penal colony for the transportation of British convicts, by the 19th century the vast tracks of land and natural wealth had led to the immigration of wealthy families interested in establishing a foothold on the frontier. In the 1830s, settlers who came to Australia and chose to occupy land that was considered beyond the borders of the settlement of Melbourne became known as ‘squatters’, and were later permitted to purchase said land from the Crown for a marginal cost of its worth. The discovery of immense gold reserves in 1851 rendered the budding colony an attractive destination for middle-class workers aiming to make a profit. The estimated population in 1852, which was nearly double what it was in 1851, doubled yet again in 1853. The subsequent population growth was unplanned, however, and caused immense strain on the limited resources of the colonial government. In the 1860s, legislation was introduced to allow for the free selection of Crown land, before it had been surveyed, to encourage selectors to settle agricultural land closer to Melbourne rather than partake in the cultivation of livestock. However, by the time this legislation came to fruition, wealthy squatters had already become well established on most, if not all, fertile land in close proximity to natural water sources and, as such, poorer selectors were significantly disadvantaged when settling land, as they were unable to properly cultivate due to the harsh Australian climate. These poorer selectors were typically of Irish decent, while the wealthier squatters were usually English. This divide was further exacerbated by instances of selectors’ livestock being confiscated by squatters when the animals had wandered onto the squatters’ land. This division between the colonial settlers of Victoria led to the development of the concept of ‘mateship’ among the lower classes, in turn evolving into opposition to the wealthier Anglo ruling class.