Archaeologists find bullet cartridges
from Kelly siege

Posted Wed May 14, 2008
 

One of the cartridges found at the scene of Ned Kelly's last stand. (ABC News: Narelle Graham)

 

Archaeologists believe they have found more evidence of the 1880 gun battle between Ned Kelly's
gang and police at Glenrowan, in central Victoria.

Bullet fragments were uncovered during excavations at the former Anne Jones Inn site earlier this month.

Now archaeologists have revealed that two bullet cartridges from a Martini-Henry rifle were discovered in
the northern section of the site on Friday afternoon.

Excavations Director, Adam Ford believes they came from weapons that would have been used by police
at the time.

"They [the cartridges] were only released to the police approximately two weeks before the siege event,"
he said.

"They were superseded reasonably quickly after the event. I mean within a couple of years. S I feel quite
certain that they are physical evidence of the gun battle."

Archaeologists have begun scouring the site of Ned Kelly's last stand at Glenrowan.

It has been nearly 130 years since the shootout but they hope to find artefacts from the siege that will shed new
light on the episode.

The dig is being conducted at what had been a vacant block of land for the past 30 years.

Now the site of Ned Kelly's last stand is being scraped, dug and sifted.

Project director Adam Ford says no stone is being left unturned in the hunt for Kelly artefacts.

"I'm pretty sure we will find physical remains that I can attribute to that night in June 1880," he said.

Kelly historian Gary Dean thinks the dig could help substantiate rumours that Ned Kelly's brother Dan escaped
the siege and subsequent fire by hiding in a cellar.

"Actually locating the cellar means the story, the actual oral histories from families that tell this story, means it's
probably a true story.

Archaeology students from La Trobe University will spend the next four weeks working on the dig and they are excited
about working on the site of one of Australia's most fabled legends.

Student Luke Falvey says it is a fantastic opportunity.

"I never thought that I'd be working on a site like this. The guy's a legend and to be working on the famous shootout
site, it's just indescribable, really," he said.

As the dig begins, the exhumation of 20 sets of remains has ended at the old Pentridge Prison.

It is hoped the remains include the bones of Ned Kelly.