Fast facts
- Major merino stud area of the southern Riverina
- The gateway to the Kidman Way, an 800-km Outback highway
- 640 km south-west of Sydney on the Newell Highway, population 950
Why go there
Jerilderie is the only NSW town visited by the bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang. You can learn more about the gang’s exploits at museums in town or by following the Ned Kelly trail.
History
In 1879, Ned Kelly and his gang laid siege to the township of Jerilderie for two days, during which time they cut the telegraph wires, locked the local police in their own cells and took hostages - all in three days.
It was to a teller at the bank that Ned Kelly handed over his famous ‘Jerilderie Letter’, in which he attempted to justify his actions and air his grievances against the Victorian police, whom he called 'a parcel of big ugly fat-necked wombat headed, big bellied, magpie legged, narrow hipped, splaw-footed sons of Irish bailiffs or English landlords'.
Things to do
- Visit the 16 sites along the Ned Kelly trail including several that are National Heritage-listed. You can even buy a copy of the Jerilderie letter which author Peter Carey used as the basis of his novel, True History of the Kelly Gang.
- Brush up on the town's colonial history at Ye Olde Bank of NSW, the Jerilderie Museum or heritage Railway Station.
- Browse through art galleries to see works by local Aboriginal and contemporary artists.
Don’t miss
- Horgan's Walk along the banks of the pretty Billabong Creek.
- Steel Wings Windmill in Luke Park.
- The Ned Kelly Blacksmith shop.
- The Mini Railway, an exquisitely crafted rail system.
- Doll World, an Australian and international collection of dolls.
- A game of golf at Jerilderie Golf Club.
