Glenrowan is a small town (population about 210) between
Benalla and Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia. The Pallanganmiddang
Aborigines are thought to have lived in the area before
the Rowan brothers settled there in 1846.
The town is most famous due to the actions of Ned Kelly,
a bushranger who lived in the area towards the end
of the 19th century. The Kelly Gang planned to
ambush the police train from Benalla, take the
police hostage, rob the banks in Benalla, and
then trade the hostages for Mrs Kelly, their mother who
was in gaol for "aiding and abetting a murder" for
not turning in Ned and Dan Kelly who were wanted for
murder.
Unfortunately, the plan went wrong, which led to The
Kelly Gang holing up in the Glenrowan Inn, where it
is believed that the gang got drunk. The police surrounded
the Inn and laid siege to it. The Kellys had made armour
for themselves which covered their heads and torsos, but
left their limbs exposed. The police brought Ned down
by shooting him in the legs. He was hanged for his crimes
in Melbourne Gaol, November 11, 1880.
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