Jerilderie: Ned Kelly, Culture and Nature

Jerilderie brings together stories from the time of Ned Kelly, walking trails and a lake used for water sports. You can shape your stay in different ways: with a self-guided walk to places from 1879, visits to exhibitions and historic buildings, or time by the water and in nature at Lake Jerilderie.

Ned Kelly’s Visit and Jerilderie’s History

The Ned Kelly Raid Trail is a self-guided walk to 16 places in Jerilderie that Ned Kelly and his gang visited in 1879. Six buildings directly connected with the visit still stand along the trail. The walk gives this history concrete places and buildings; you can use it to explore this chapter of the town’s history without needing to join a guided tour.

The exhibition Doing the Bolt offers another historical perspective, telling the stories of convicts and bushrangers. At the Old Printery, visitors can take a self-guided tour through the Jerilderie Library. If you’re particularly interested in local history, you can link these experiences with the Ned Kelly Raid Trail and choose between the exhibition, the tour and the walk.

Flora Bank has been restored. Its interior and furnishings are arranged and displayed as they would have appeared or been presented in the 19th century. It also displays a collection of items from the Victorian era. Tours are offered of the building and garden. At Flora Bank, both the historic interiors and the relationship between the house and garden take centre stage.

The homestead The Willows is also part of Jerilderie’s history: it has been designated as a reserve for a museum. The Wedge-tailed eagle mural, meanwhile, shows another side of the town. The mural was created by local artists from Jerilderie.

Walks, the Lake and Nature

Horgan Walk is a 20-minute walking trail along Billabong Creek. Along the way, you can cross small footbridges and experience local flora and fauna among the eucalyptus trees. It offers a different focus from the historic stops: instead of walking between buildings and places, you can enjoy a stroll through an area shaped by trees and the creek.

Lake Jerilderie is used for water sports such as water skiing and kayaking. The lake is also stocked with native fish and is home to many bird species. This means Lake Jerilderie offers opportunities for both water sports and nature watching. When planning your time in Jerilderie, you can decide whether a historic walk, a stroll or the lake should be the main focus of your visit.

Planning Your Stay

Jerilderie railway station should be viewed from the road, as it is a private residence. Keep this in mind when exploring the town.

More destinations to discover: Erowal Bay, Sunshine Bay, Ulmarra, Maclean, Dareton, Waratah, Gumly Gumly, Narrandera.

For the broader travel overview: New South Wales.