Looking for Ned

06 November 2026 / Words: Rod Nicholas. Photos: Rod and Maryanne Nicholas, Simon & Cathy Trickett, Peter Wilson, Rob Wilkins & Lili Chi

We set off to Kelly country, for no particular reason other than we could fit in a good drive down, a good drive back and a few good drives while we are away. Yes, we were on the lookout for Ned, but he was just an excuse to explore the region. Along the way we toured a bit around northeast Victoria, which is known as ‘a favourite destination for lovers of food wine and beautiful scenery’. Sure is, and it seems to be the place to go if you want to find out just how good a MX-5 handles corners.

We left Canberra somewhere around stupid o’clock and headed to Adaminaby via Cooma for mornos. We encountered a few Snowy 2.0 vehicles as we swept our way along the Snowy Mountains Highway towards Kiandra before chucking a left on to Link Road. This is where the fun began—a twisty here, and another there, but the scenery still bears the scar of the massive bushfires that smashed the Kosciuszko National Park in 2019/20.

After a short 15 km we entered Elliott Way and headed off towards Tooma. Described on a motor cycle website as a ‘an awesome roller coaster, scenic, twisty, difficult’, it is a whole lotta fun. Narrow and very twisty, it features tight hairpin turns, steep descents down toward the Tumut River/Blowering area, and dramatic changes in elevation. But it was in great condition notwithstanding the well-placed pot-holes towards the end. We spotted a shy wallaby and some brumbies, and plenty of evidence of their habit of sleeping and sh*@ing on the road.

If you want to experience Elliott Way, check out this video. It’s not mine, and it’s a few years old, but it is pretty cool!

Lunch was at Tooma, where Chris and Kris, the owners of the pub had opened just for us. Champions, who provided us with healthy and tasty tucker, and reminded me that the pub is still for sale if anyone is interested.

From there it was a pleasant couple of hours into Beechworth, and our stay for the next four nights in the Armour Motor Inn. Beechworth, of course, is littered with Ned Kelly links. They include the courthouse where Ned Kelly’s committal hearing was held ahead of his transfer to Melbourne and his fateful Supreme Court trial in 1880. Next door to the courthouse is the original telegraph office which transmitted news of the manhunt, criminal exploits, the siege at Glenrowan and the Kelly committal hearing to the Australian public using Morse Code. The Burke Museum has a number of Kelly artefacts including his death mask, and Ned and his mother spent time locked up Old Beechworth Gaol.

Post drive refreshments and dinner was at the appropriately named Nicholas Hotel, right next door to our lodgings.

Day Two featured a surprisingly good day’s drive on the hunt for Neddie, zooming down to Mansfield and Glenrowan and Greta before returning home. We encountered the obligatory U-turn (it’s not a proper run unless there is a least one of them) just out of Beechie when Google tried to take me on a dirt short-cut, but once over that we headed to Whitfield. The next bit—down to Mansfield—was an absolute hoot. Sweeping bends, a couple of hairpins and some tight little twisties put a smile on everyone’s dial. We drove past Power’s Lookout (dirt road, so no go), which provided bushranger Harry Power an unobstructed view down King Vally. Harry ‘apprenticed’ teenaged Ned. A brief stop at the Tolmie Tavern allowed me to expand on the tragedy of Stringybark Creek, a few metres up the road. Kelly and his gang murdered three police troopers in a gun battle, and there is a memorial to the troopers at Stringybark Creek Historical Reserve (more dirt, so more no go).

Lunch was at Mansfield, where there is an impressive marble monument to the murdered troopers. The proclamation resulting in the Gang members being declared outlaws was made from the steps of the Mansfield Courthouse on 15 November 1878.

After lunch we headed to Glenrowan. We passed through Greta, where Ned was buried (in January 2013—his third burial—in an unmarked grave. He’s there with his mum and younger brother and several of his gang. We didn’t stop for photos, mainly because I forgot.

Glenrowan was where it all came unstuck for murderous Ned. He was captured at Glenrowan Inn in June 1880 after a bloody battle that brought his bushranging days to an end. We all piled in to Kellyland Glenrowan to experience the dramatic animatronic recreation of Kelly’s last Stand. It was outstandingly kitschy, drawing a few laughs, a few shaking heads, and one or two dramatic jump-scare gasps. I struggle with Kelly’s fame—he was a thief and murderer, and no Robin Hood. He had a few smarts about him, although I’m not so sure about the wisdom of using a 44 kg iron man suit in his holdups. That said, it saved his life during the shoot out so he could be hung later in Pentridge Goal—after the shootout there were five bullet marks on the helmet, three on the breast-plate, nine on the back-plate, and one on the shoulder-plate. But he received wounds to his unprotected hands and legs (a shotgun blast to his lower legs brought him down).

Back in Beechie, most of us headed to the Bridge Street Brewery for dinner and a few coldies.

Day Three was one for the drivers. This run had nothing to do with Ned Kelly but looked like fun. That’s why I’d planned it. It was 330 km, from Beechie to Myrtleford, Mount Beauty, Falls Creek, Mitta Mitta and back to Beechie. But it wasn’t for the faint-hearted—I’d roughly counted 150 plus bends, curves, corners and hairpins between Mount Beauty and Falls Creek as a taster, and that was the less twisty part! So it was that only four crazies drivers and crew set out, while the others rested with a more leisurely drive to Bright or Mount Beauty.

Morning tea at Mount Beauty was delayed when we realised nearly everything was shut. After a Google search we found a delightful café at the Rocky Valley Bike Shop, properly recaffeinated and set out to do the twist. The largely free drive to Falls Creek was totally grin-worthy, but the potholes and smashed up road as we left Falls Creek had me very nervous. Thankfully, the mess lasted only a couple of hundred metres.

We motored peacefully along the Bogong High Plains Road, along the edge of the Rocky Valley Storage Dam and up and over the hills at the top of the world. Beautiful scenery, great road surface and plenty of sweeping bends and twisties—left, right, left, right and on and on—greeted us on this short 37 km stretch before we tweeked right, hard left, left at WTF Corner (well named!) and joined the Omeo Highway.

The Omeo Highway is well-favoured by the motorcycle touring fraternity. The road basically follows the river valley, but my glimpses of the scenery couldn’t do it justice—you’d need to ask Maryanne in the passenger seat about that because I was focused fully on guiding and navigating Ghost through the sweeping corners, through the dips, up the short straights, climbs, and the left & right flips that damn near blew my mind! It was only 68 kms to Mitta Mitta, but the corners and gear changes seemed endless. In one passage I just left the car in 2nd, and piled on the revs as we wound through corner after corner the bikers call flip flops. Almost too many corners (no mention will be made of the driver who found himself car sick). But my oh my, it was So. Much. Fun!

Our late lunch break was at the Mitta Mitta General Store (the pub was shut). A beef and stout pie, a recovery milkshake, a quick stroll down to the river, and a chat with a biker (who admitted that even bikers need the rest) were sorely needed. By comparison the run back to Beechworth was remarkably tame. Dinner was an incredibly good ‘butcher night’ feast at the Empire Hotel.

Day Four was a late start, ‘cos all we had on was a short 120 km run to Christmont Winery, a little past Whitfield, for lunch. It was delightful, and put a few of our gang into food rhapsody. Back at Beechie later, I found another brewery (Last Street Brewery) and sampled a couple of their wares. Quite nice, thank you.

Day Five, and we were homeward bound. The group split, with several making their own way back. I led a small group for a delightful drive along the western edge of the Hume Weir and then gorgeous views of the River Murray, before nicking off the highway at Jingellic and taking lunch at Nest Cinema Cafe in Tumbarumba. From there, we headed through Tumut, Gundagai and a restful two and a bit hours on the Hume Boreway.

These five days were a blast! Fantastic weather (tops down every day), exciting roads (notwithstanding a few potholes you could hide a bus in), excellent food and a superb bunch of friends to spend the time with. Cheers to all!

Plenty more photos, and Rob's ReLive videos are on the Chapter's Facebook page.