The moment has arrived to which many of us have been eagerly looking forward: the excavation of the the site of the siege of the Kelly gang, which took place in 1880.

I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time there yesterday - it's at Glenrowan in North East Victoria at the land formerly occupied by the Ann Jones Inn. I managed to take a few happy snaps which I will post somewhere (once I work out how to do it!) and share with you - hopefully without breaking Forum rules (Steve P...be gentle with me!).

Yesterday was "Day 2" and the entire excavation is planned to take four weeks. The sight of archaeologists and assistants working assiduously with trowels in hand was very exciting indeed.

The project is in the very capable hands of local archaeologist Adam Ford, with the support of Heritage Victoria. The media report is here.

Tet...you'll be pleased to know that it IS being recorded by a film crew for later production as a documentary. It may make it to your shores yet. As they say...stay tuned!

Having seen a brief film on the dig at Glenrowan I am appalled that the local authority appears to be treating our history with such contempt. I would have thought such an integral part of our History would not have been treated so contemptously as having a Park/Playground built over it. I feel as Aussies we deserve better.

A well-stated point Jeff. I'm not entirely au fait with the circumstances surrounding the site prior to the approval for the excavation, but at least the local government is now well-aware of the importance of it.

I understand that it was responsible for the application for the Heritage grant to have the site excavated and it was also responsible for having the whole process committed to video. So all credit to it, and hopefully other Victorian local governments will follow it's lead. This whole area of our State is rich in other potential sites for excavation that could be similarly explored.

And...we also need more people at grass-roots level to play an active role: to stand up and express exactly those points of view to our local and State governments. Give them information to guide their decision-making.

And people need to express their passion for heritage by voting with their wallets and supporting the work that takes place in existing museums, like the Kelly museum in Glenrowan, which has documented for years many facets of the Kelly story. Visitor numbers to such a museum form a bit of a "litmus-test" to indicate the degree of interest an area may attract - like hits to a website.

Something that encapsulates a historically significant story and is well-patronised might cause local governments to think twice, or at least consult more extensively, about what plans they approve for an area.

The work being done at the adjacent site by Adam Ford and his team is nothing less than a fantastic opportunity for Australians to take a fresh look at this extraordinary story, and get up "close and personal" to the events of the day. The most recent revelation does exactly that.

A magnificent text on the history is Ian Jones' "Ned Kelly - A Short Life". A great read.

I hope to visit the Glenrowan site again soon, before the last day of week 4.

Unfortunately I didn't make it back to the site but I understand that the excavation and images will be reported publicly on the net. So stay tuned! This is the local print media report following the final day.

quote:

Originally posted by Mikey Moo:
Tet...you'll be pleased to know that it IS being recorded by a film crew for later production as a documentary. It may make it to your shores yet. As they say...stay tuned!

I hope so, please keep us posted.

I had the good fortune to assist at the site during the pre-excavation work and on the first two days of excavation. A very happy accident.

Adam ford is an archaeologist of great integrity who undertook the excavation at the site as meticulously and with as greater passion as one would have hoped.

I think the comment:

I am appalled that the local authority appears to be treating our history with such contempt.

Is very harsh and really isn't the case. I would ask Jeff if he had seen any images of the site prior to clearance for excavation? Moreover, the landowner and Adam Ford are very sympathetic to the wider feeling in the Glenrowan area, and I should say more crucially, the Kelly Family themselves.

There is a documentary being made and I am in contact with the Director who was also doing a super job. He is a great fan and avid viewer of Time Team.

Great to have you along Emma and thanks for sharing some first-hand insight into the excavation. Adam struck me as a really passionate guy who is committed to communicating the work to a wider audience. I'm so glad that the docco has a TT-influenced director! What more could one hope for? (Tet...patience my son...it won't happen overnight but it will happen...)

Please keep us up to date with any information releases or plans to make the reports available publicly. Many thanks!