WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

Driving home, in 1994, from visiting my brother Peter in Melbourne, I decided to fulfill one of my life's goals. Traveling north via Mansfield, I bought a booklet with a mud map of the Kelly Camp at Bullock Creek and set out to visit the site of Ned's famous fortified hut.

After visiting the Stringybark Creek picnic area, I attempted to find his hut site by walking down a bush track near Bullock Creek (now called Kellys Creek). I had expected to find an historical site marker or at least a tourist placard to denote the spot but instead found nothing.

I later persuaded Peter to come with me to Kellys Creek and look for the fortified hut site. We walked up Kellys Creek on a cold rainy day and found a location. The geography looked like a journalist's (1878) description. Our later GPS calculations disagreed with this finding.

I contacted a Ned Kelly historian who graciously accompanied us to Kellys Creek. He showed us another area. Our GPS calculations agreed with this finding.

A trip was made with our families. We located the position of this hut marked on the 1884 survey map. Photographs were taken. At the time, I was under the impression this was my final step.

Back at home however, my confusion continued. The journalist's description was not that of the surveyor's recorded hut site. I became determined to find out why.

Eventually we identified the correct location of the fortified hut, the fences, and their true purposes.

I wanted to write this book to explain:

a) what the Kellys were doing in the months leading up to the shoot-out with the police at Stringybark Creek

b) why the authorities were so focused on Ned

c) and how many of Ned's claims 'stand up' to scrutiny

Stephen A. McCarthy

July 2007