The Long and Winding Ride: Episode 14 – Goorambat to Oxley: The Last Stand

The Long and Winding Ride

 

 

Episode 14 Goorambat to Oxley: The Last Stand

 

Stage 14 Goorambat to Oxley

 

Returning east in stage 14, our aim is to reach the King River in time for a well earned  afternoon nap. There is a lot of pedalling, sipping and eating, local history and geography to catch up along the way. We are going to stop at the place where the Kelly Gang had their last stand – at Glenrowan. While there we will call in at the town’s football ground and learn of the exploits of a once dominant club that is now lost to the Ovens and King League. The question we will seek an answer to is how can a club win four flags in a row and fold two years later? Bushrangers and Kelly Tigers, here we come.

 

The morning cycling takes us around the Winton Wetlands (at Lake Mokoan) towards Glenrowan. This wetland is home to over 180 species of birds in its 32 distinct environmental zones. From the road it might look like a lake full of dead trees, but don’t be mistaken, Winton Wetlands has been designated by world scientists as a Wetland of Distinction, the first such listing given outside of the USA.

 

In the lee of the Warby Ranges lies another vineyard from which gutsy wines have been produced for more than a century and a half. Baileys Bundarra vineyard at Taminick was established in the late 1860s on a narrow strip of deeply drained red granitic soil. James Halliday once described the wines made by Baileys of Glenrowan as ‘blood-and-thunder wines’. The obvious link between the power of the local wines and Glenrowan’s most notorious character Ned Kelly, has been made by more than one wine buff.

 

 

Glenrowan

 

Almost everything about Glenrowan seems to have a connection to the Kelly Gang: the football club (Kelly Tigers); the visitor information centre (Ned Kelly Discovery Hub at Kellyland); Big Ned; the museum and homestead, the hamburger shop and the motel; even the local gravel bike ride is called the Kelly Loop.

 

We need not spend too much time recounting the events of the Kelly Gang’s last stand at Glenrowan. A ticket of entry to the light and sound show can entertain and inform anyone with an interest in the demise of the Kelly Gang here 145 years ago. 

 

But, there is one minor detail in the story that is not widely known and should be of interest to readers of the Footy Almanac. For this information, I acknowledge Alex and Jennifer Castles, author and publisher respectively of the book, Ned Kelly’s Last Days.

 

I digress briefly.

 

The first night football match in Victoria was played at the MCG on August 5th 1879 between Collingwood Rifles and East Melbourne Artillery. It was played under illumination provided by electric lights. A week later Melbourne played Carlton under lights.

 

Now let’s get back to the Last Stand.

 

As the heavily armed police train was speeding towards Glenrowan to assist in blasting the bushrangers out of their hiding place at the Glenrowan Inn, fears emerged that the remaining members of the gang might escape into the bush after dark. The Chief Secretary Robert Ramsay, the government official in charge of all dealings with the bushrangers, met with the government astronomer who was responsible for the electric arc lighting that had recently lit the first night football match in Victoria. Ramsay hoped the new technology could be used to illuminate the besieged hotel that night, but the astronomer thought the equipment would cast too many shadows to perform effectively. He suggested large bonfires instead, however the fire to end the siege had already been lit.

 

There are also connections between Ned Kelly and several former VFL footballers, including ‘Bluey’ Shelton, Kevin Sheedy and Bob Chitty … but they are stories for another day.

 

Lunch stop

It is a bit of a tradition for people on country road trips to call in and have a counter lunch at a pub along their way. My favourite fare, served on the counter, was usually sausages, gravy, mashed potato and peas (or rissoles). I wonder if we can order that today?

 

The Glenrowan Football Club was formed in 1905, although it is recorded that football matches were played at Glenrowan in the late 1890s. Their opponents  included Thoona, Tolmie, Benalla,Greta West and Greta South, among others. Early premierships were won by Glenrowan in 1914, 1919, 1924, 1925 and 1926. Glenrowan competed in the Benalla and District League for most seasons between 1934 and 1991 wearing the Tigers yellow and black colours and claiming five premierships along the way. The Tigers did not join the Ovens and King League until 1992 and after long years of mediocrity finally produced the goods –  four flags on the trot between 2014-2017. But then, suddenly, they were forced into recess in 2019 due to a lack of players, officials and volunteers. 

 

How could that happen? 

 

Glenrowan, the league ‘easy beats’,  were on the verge of extinction when they were brought back from the brink in 2013 with new sponsorship, new players and new energy. Sustainability then became the next issue for the Kelly Tigers.

 

Football clubs across the country have a long and successful, but at times troubled, history of recruiting players from outside. Paid players from bigger towns and the city, many of whom travel to play, can bring premiership success. But the question lingers, when they move on, who replaces them? The local lads often miss opportunities and the player payments can place a huge burden on the fundraising capabilities of footy clubs. If the support structure weakens and local numbers are poor, once powerful clubs can quickly topple. Such was the case with the Glenrowan Kelly Tigers.

 

Before leaving town we must call in at the recreation reserve to take in the ghostly atmosphere. The Glenrowan footy club had to shift camp when the Hume Freeway bypass was built. The old ground has a scoreboard that looks for all money like a piece of Ned Kelly’s armour – now rusty and with faded lettering, but standing defiantly as an epithet to its former strength.

 

 

From Glenrowan to Princes Park via WJ Findlay Oval and back again

 

Karl Norman played his junior football at Greta before switching to Glenrowan in 1999, where he won the club’s 2001 best and fairest. He was then on his way to Wangaratta Rovers before being selected by Carlton as pick # 79 in the 2002 draft. The big, imposing Norman played 27 games for the Blues before being delisted in 2005. A country boy through and through, he eventually made his way back to Glenrowan after a stellar career with the Rovers. It was a timely move because he played in the Kelly Tigers’ record four flags in a row, starring in the 2014 and 2015 triumphs.

 

Oxley

 

We have about an hour of quiet country road cycling ahead of us before reaching the King River at Oxley. As you pass through small country towns have you ever noticed the local hall and wondered about its importance to the community? The historic Oxley Shire Hall has been a meeting place for the residents of the district for 150 years. It served as the Council Chambers for the Oxley Shire until 1966 and today it is believed to be the oldest continually used community building in North East Victoria. It has hosted weddings, family celebrations, balls, concerts, community meetings, polling days, indoor sporting activities, and within its grounds, annual bush market days. The red brick hall is an integral feature of Oxley and is a landmark along the Milawa Road.

 

An afternoon nap followed by a gourmet dinner at the King River Cafe ends the day nicely. Our long and winding ride is about to take a major turn. 

 

Next episode

In the next stage we will start to head south and climb up into the King River Valley, mostly on the course of the ‘Prosecco Road’.

 

 

More from Peter Clark can be read Here.

 

 

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