Beechworth’s famous Ned Kelly Weekend returns from 1- 3 August with a lively program of re-enactments, theatre, art, music, displays, market stalls, competitions and talks by leading authorities on the subject of the life and times of Australia’s most notorious bushranger.
Now in its fifth year, Australia’s most significant annual celebration of the Kelly legend commemorates the anniversary of the outlaw’s committal hearing held in the historic Beechworth Courthouse from 6 to 11 August 1880.
This year’s Ned Kelly Weekend has the added significance of the 150th anniversary of the Beechworth Historic & Cultural Precinct, being commemorated throughout 2008. This year for the first time, tours of the Courthouse will be available across the Ned Kelly Weekend in recognition of the sesquicentenary.
2008 Ned Kelly Weekend Program
Friday 1 August
Ned at the Nic
Nicholas Hotel, Ford Street
7pm – late
Tickets: $45 including three course dinner. Tables of 10 (max. seating 80)
Back by popular demand in 2008, this rollicking night out kicks off the Ned Kelly Weekend in fine style. In the tradition of the old Music Hall, join us for a hearty three-course traditional roast dinner and a great night’s entertainment.
Live music and dancing to Lazy Harry’s sensational three-piece band, Kelly Trivia, lots of prizes and much more.
Dress up in your best period costume and celebrate the opening of Ned Kelly Weekend with gusto!
Saturday 2 August
10am – 5pm: Exhibition - Framed
Sub Treasury Building, Beechworth Historic Precinct
Ford Street
Entry by gold coin donation
Return of the sensational Kelly-inspired art show and open across the weekend. A hit of the 2007 Ned Kelly event, Framed features dozens of original paintings, sculpture, objects and works on paper by local and interstate artists This year the general public will have the chance to vote for their favourite work in the Framed People’s Choice Award.
Beechworth artist, Janene Delves, with her work, Everywhere is Ned, on display at Framed 2007
10am – 4pm: The Ned Kelly Weekend Heritage Market
Ford Street, outside the Historic & Cultural Precinct
New in 2008, this day-long event will transform the Precinct end of Ford Street into a colourful Gold-era market featuring an array of traditional craft stalls such as spinning and weaving, quilting, the art of shoemaking, shingle-making, pickles and preserves, delicious hot food and much more. Fun for the whole family – tug ‘o war, kite flying and organized games for the kids in the Police Paddock.
10:15am – 10:45am: Re-enactment - Ned Kelly’s arrival at the Courthouse
Historic Precinct, Ford Street
Ahead of his Preliminary Trial, don’t miss this Ned Kelly Weekend favourite - the colourful, fully costumed re-staging of Ned’s arrival under police escort at the Historic Precinct, Ford Street.
11am – 1pm:Re-enactment – Ned Kelly’s Committal Hearing at the historic Beechworth Courthouse, Ford Street
Tickets: $22 adults, $11 children
Ned Kelly was brought to the Beechworth Courthouse to answer a charge of murder. This re-enactment of the Committal Hearing of Ned Kelly which took place from 6 – 11 August 1880 offers a fascinating insight into one of the momentous events of Australian legal history.
12 Noon – 12:30pm: Ned on the Big Screen
The Story of the Kelly Gang
Beechworth Town Hall, Ford Street
Gold coin donation
Screening of the historic 1906 film, believed to be the world’s first feature-length movie.
2pm - 3pm: Talks by the Experts
www.ironoutlaw.com's Brad Webb on Ned Kelly and the emergence of technology
Beechworth Historic Courthouse
Tickets: $17 adults, $11 children
As the Kelly outbreak intensified it was the telegraph that kept the population enthralled with news of the Gang’s daring exploits. Imagine what might have happened if Ned had really embraced this 'new' medium and wired the Jerilderie Letter to every newspaper in the country? Today it is the internet which will guarantee Ned Kelly’s ongoing celebrity. Brad Webb’s www.ironoutlaw.com is one of the world’s largest and most visited history-related websites, receiving more than 8.5 million hits a year. This fascinating talk will trace the 'true online history of the Kelly Gang' from the telegraph to the internet.
3:30pm – 4:30pmpm: Special Tour: Ellen Kelly-at the Beechworth Courthouse
$5 adults, $3.50 concession, $10 per family
In recognition of the 150th anniversary in 2008, the Historic Courthouse will be open for special guided and self-guided tours on Saturday and Sunday. The Ellen Kelly Tour will be led by Noelene Allen, a specialist on the subject of the and times of Ned Kelly’s mother, Ellen.
7:30pm: Performance - The Jerilderie Letter
devised and performed by Peter Finlay with music by Malcolm Hill
Beechworth Historic Courthouse
Tickets: $33, no concessions
Running time one hour
“In Lloyd Jones production, Kelly's shaved, white, severed head -- a death mask on a plinth -- does the talking. Peter Finlay is the actor. And what a mighty, controlled, hypnotic recitation he gives!” Chris Boyd, Herald Sun Theatre Reviewer
This fine theatrical staging of Ned Kelly’s explosive ‘manifesto’ has mesmerised audiences and critics alike since its debut at Melbourne’s La Mama theatre last year. Devised and performed by Peter Finlay, directed by Lloyd Jones and with live accompaniment by the noted writer/musician, Malcolm Hill, The Jerilderie Letter will be the must-see event of this year’s Ned Kelly Weekend,
9:30 – 10:30pm: Performance: Ned Kelly, by Ashley Davies & Ian Jones
Town Hall, Ford Street
Tickets: $22
“It was the hit of the festival” Patrick Donovan, music writer The Age.
Ashley Davies’ production of Ned Kelly is a raw, stripped back telling of a story that many Australians think they know. This acclaimed live show incorporates a six piece band and visual display including photos, historical documents, footage of Kelly country, and text narrated by Ian Jones, Australia’s foremost Kelly historian. The performance transports the audience to key moments in the life of Ned Kelly including his teenage years, his mother’s incarceration, the Gang’s bank robberies, the last stand at Glenrowan and the court proceedings. It all makes for a moving, powerful and true account of the Kelly story.
Sunday 3 August
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10am – 11am: Talks by the Experts – TBC
Beechworth Historic Courthouse, Ford Street
Tickets: $17 adults, $11 children
11am – 12:30: Old Fashioned Fun and Games
Village Green, Police Paddocks (rear of Historic Precinct)
Free Events including, tug ‘o war, children’s games
11am: Judging of the Great Ned Kelly Weekend Beard Competition
More information to come.
11:30am: The Great Fight
Commemorating the marathon bare-knuckled fight between Ned Kelly and Isaiah ‘Wild’ Wright, a horse-breaker and avowed supporter of the Kelly family. Ned eventually won the 20 round stoush, which took place on the banks of Beechworth’s Spring Creek on 8 August 1874. Don’t miss the chance to dress in your Sunday Best period costume and cheer on the heroes of this fabled sporting contest.
10am – 5pm: Framed
Sub Treasury Building, Beechworth Historic Precinct
Ford Street
Entry by gold coin donation
12:30pm – 1:30pm: Special Tour - Ned Kelly at the Beechworth Courthouse
$5 adults, $3.50 concession $10 per family
Special Ned Kelly-themed guided tour of the Historic Courthouse
1:30pm – 2:30pm: Special Tour: Ellen Kelly-at the Beechworth Courthouse
$5 adults, $3.50 concession, $10 per family
The Ellen Kelly Tour will be led by Noelene Allen, a specialist on the subject of the life and times of Ned Kelly’s mother, Ellen.
2:30 – 5pm: Self-guided Tours of Beechworth Historic Courthouse
$5 adults, $3.50 concession, $10 per family
12 Noon – 1pm Ned on the Big Screen – Bail Up!
Beechworth Town Hall, Ford Street
Gold coin donation
Screening of the fascinating National Film & Sound Archive documentary, featuring a selection of fragments and scenes from the surviving titles of Australia’s bushranger films including The Story of the Kelly Gang, Thunderbolt (1910), Robbery Under Arms (1920) and When The Kellys Were Out (1923).
Across the weekend
1– 2pm and 3:30–4:30pm Saturday and Sunday
Ned Kelly Guided Walking Tour
Departs from the Beechworth Visitor Information Centre, Ford Street
Tickets: $7.50 adults, $5 concession, $15 family
Enjoy this lively and informative tour led by our experienced Guides. See the historic sites and hear the stories of Ned Kelly, his family and the Gang and their connection to Beechworth. A must for all Kelly enthusiasts or anyone interested in Australia’s most famous bushranger.
10am – 5pm: Exhibition Ned Kelly: Fact and Fiction
Burke Museum, Loch Street
Standard entry fees apply
Developed by the National Museum in Canberra, traces the story of the young man who gained notoriety as leader of the Kelly Gang, vowing to fight the authorities on behalf of the poor and oppressed, before he was captured and hanged in 1880. Also, part of the Burke Museum’s permanent collection, see one of the four known death masks created of Ned Kelly after his execution at Old Melbourne Gaol on 11 November 1880 as well as other Kelly-related artefacts.
Saturday 8.30 am & 3.15 pm, Sunday 8.30 am: Ned Kelly Mini Bus Tour
Maximum 20 people
Tickets: Adult $20, Concession $16; Family $44
Tour Historic Kelly sites on this 90-minute mini bus tour; view existing buildings with a Kelly connection within Beechworth Township. The tour includes the former Beechworth Goal (from outside), the Beechworth Cemetery and then onto Telegraph Rock and the Woolshed Valley to view the remains of the hut where Aaron Sherritt was murdered and other Kelly sites.
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