My fascination for the Kelly gang has taken me on many journeys. One of which was that of an archaeological dig that took place in the heart of Kelly country, for approximately 4 weeks. During the duration of the dig volunteers were called upon and those that were willing to work on the famous battle ground were privileged to be a part of history. I was one of those that happily volunteered and reaped the rewards as the day progressed. The opportunity of volunteering meant I could physically be close to the action and witness the actual events as they happen.  Although other structures were built on top of the original Jones Inn it kept most of its deepest secrets buried for almost 128 years after the siege.

 

My arrival

May-15-2008

 

The morning was cold and the chill in the air was a harsh reminder of what the boys would have endured on that fateful morning of June 1880. I paused for a moment looking into what was the siege site with obvious signs of diggings and what appeared to be scorched ground. I felt saddened by what I had seen and with a mixture of excitement it overtook my emotions. I walked the perimeter of the site, photographing every inch of ground. The immediate area exposed a few tell tales of what was the foundation of the wine shanty, and under close observations the obvious sign of the Chimney of the Inn. Post holes littered this small patch of ground where the Inn once stood. Everywhere I looked I jumped to conclusions. In the south west corner of the block a cellar had been exposed, could this be the cellar where it was rumoured that Dan and Steve concealed themselves whilst the Inn was set alight? NO IT’S JUST NOT POSSIBLE. The bricks that form the cellar are that of the 20^th century. Before too long Adam Ford appeared and I took this opportunity to introduce myself to him. Within moments we were discussing the site and he was pointing out various locations as to where artifacts had been found, and where the Inn Jones once stood.

At this stage it was 7.30am and after inductions I was allocated my first job near the Glenrowan Inn sign. I was to shovel up dirt (modern dirt) that Phil was scratching away with a pick. Nothing of great interest was found here except for broken glass of various types and some old rusted metal of some description. Finally this job was done and I anxiously moved onto the next. Again with shovel in hand, I began to remove top soil and unaware I began to expose a drain made from bricks. Within moments I unearthed an old nail, my adrenaline was pumping, with another nail unearthed, then another! My excitement was clearly obvious to all. Moments went by and nothing, then, suddenly I hit a hard surface. I cautiously started scrapping dirt away with my hand

 

And then suddenly an object appeared. At first I could not identify it, then suddenly I realised it was a squeezable toy bunny perhaps dating back to the 1950s. I scratched away a little more and another toy appeared, a little soldier car. Throughout this drain system I continued to unearth nails, broken glass, rusted pieces of metal, and a medicine bottle with a little piece of the lip missing, brilliantly preserved I might add!

Morning tea was upon us, and I took it upon myself to view the artifacts that were unearthed by others. The morning so far produced a heap of broken glass, nails and pieces of twisted metal, but one artifact was the highlight of the morning, an 1876 Penny! With a little bit of care and cleaning the Penny should return to its former glory. As the morning lead to afternoon we continued to unearth bits of glass and nails, regardless of what I unearthed it still excited me. It was a part of the Jones Inn and a part of our history.

By 1pm lunch was called and I decided to duck into Kate's Cottage and chat with Rod about all things Kelly. Before I knew it, it was 1.45pm so I returned back to the Inn and with a new job ahead of me. I teamed up with Sonia, who explained that we were to scratch 5 cm's (depth) of top soil in the attempt to locate post holes. I worked an area measuring approx 4 feet (width) and 5 meters long, and within the first 30 cms of scratching the surface, nails and bits of glass were exposed then suddenly an object got my attention! Ohh! what's this? I picked up the odd looking object, it felt heavy for its size and at that moment it had occurred to me, it was a lead projectile! Everyone focused their attention on me, the cameraman made his way towards me, Sonia alerted Adam Ford and within seconds Adam confirmed it to be a lead projectile. I was calm on the outside but on the inside I was jumping with joy. I paused for a moment and in the attempt to play the scenario of the siege I figured that perhaps the projectile was fired from the police to hit a moving target, as one of them appeared or exited the Inn from the rear?

Projectile found by me!

                                IMAGE COURTESY: Ken Mackenzie

Sonia (in Black) showing me how it’s done.

 

 

Within a short amount of time another lead projectile was unearthed by Sonia, only a few short feet from where I found my projectile, WOW! The excitement was so intense amongst us all. The film crew and John documented the finds as we were continuing on with our dig. Suddenly a soft calm voice rang from the left of me “a martini bullet” all focus was now on this new discovery. I took note of the positions of all three projectiles and found them to be in an almost perfect straight line within each other, suggesting that whoever fired the two weapons were close to each other. The empty Martini cartridge case was surprisingly in good condition.

The dig continued in good spirits with all of us hard at work, digging and scratching away hoping to find more artifacts. As I scratched away I wandered off in deep thought on that terrible night in June 1880 as the police and the boys were firing away and the hostages screaming for their lives. I heard the screams, felt the fear, I could see one of the boys being shot at as I knelt down beside the spot where I found the projectile. The screams were so real and so close, and as I continued to scratch away at the dirt the gunshots and the screams become louder, echoing in my thoughts of that fateful day..... I have finally come as close as I can, to be beside the Kelly gang.

 

An amazing day was had by all; there was time for fun, work and most of all a few lessons on the art of archaeology. I'll cherish that day for many reasons.

We have heard the stories, read the books, and heard the rumours on how Dan & Steve survived the inferno of the Jones Inn. In my opinion there is absolutely no way the boys could have survived the inferno, as much as I would like to believe it, NO, I cannot. I ask you to take time to read the Royal Commission, do your own research, look into the statements of the police and witnesses; they give vital clues and answers. Consider the fact the Inn was totally surrounded, there was no means of escape and definitely no cellar at the Jones Inn in the period that Mrs. Jones owned the establishment. I could go on and on, but will leave you to discover the facts for yourself and come to your own conclusions. 

TODAY

Nothing much now stands on the site of the Inn Jones except for a remnant fig tree that was originally planted by Mrs Jones. Visitors come from far and wide daily to contemplate of what was and to try and  reconstruct the events of that unfolded on that day...many walk away none the wiser and suddenly find themselves becoming Kelly sympathisers

The last days of the dig.

 

Authorities left the site uncovered for weeks after  the archaeological dig. Visitors and Kelly enthusiasts alike come from all parts of the state to see first hand the remnants of the siege site. 

Approximately 12 months back I contacted Adam Ford (dig International.) I politely requested if he was able to view some research material consisting of an outline of the siege site, which I patiently have been working on for sometime. Adam was delightful and agreed to look at my work. I informed Adam that I may be off  a little and to my surprise I was close to the mark.  Adam was also kind enough to forward me his version of the Jones Inn outline. See image below.

                                                                        IMAGE COURTESY: Adam Ford

Jones Inn......GREEN OUTLINE                                                                                               Later building.....RED OUTLINE

My version of the Jones Inn. Not a great deal of difference as appose to that of Adam Fords version.