Bushrangers of Upper Lachlan

Before the arrival of the railways in the late1800s, the roads between the gold fields and the cities of Sydney and Melbourne were haunted by bushrangers. The hills and the twists and turns of the road through Upper Lachlan Shire were the perfect place for bushrangers to ambush their targets. This landscape provided great cover and helped these outlaws to disappear and evade capture. The Tablelands Way experience closely follows the main road in use at that time and many historic bushranger sites can be found along its path.

Travel in those days was slow, by bullock cart and stage coach, so travellers used inns and hotels to rest overnight on their way. At one time there was a hotel every ten miles along the main road. This was the distance a bullock team could travel without stopping.

In the bushranging era the roads were little more than rough bush tracks. In the early 1860s gold was discovered at Tuena, and the road between Goulburn, Bathurst and Tuena was in constant use. Inns and hotels sprang up to offer travellers rest from their arduous journeys. The arrival of the railway effectively ended the reign of the bushrangers. The Goulburn Railway station opened in 1869. The line was extended as far as Crookwell in 1901.

Bushrangers had a number of common tactics for hold ups. They targeted parts of the road where travellers would slow down, such as at hills and sharp corners. They would regularly hold up isolated inns or raid settlers properties. Bushrangers would avoid the towns and villages where they knew they would be outnumbered.

Over time survival became harder for bushrangers. The number of troopers on the roads increased and the gold fields began to run dry. Merchants in Sydney also began to employ some ingenious tactics, such as cutting their cash in half and sending each half in a separate stage coach. Eventually cheques came into use. Defiant bushrangers would sometimes destroy the cash and cheques they could not steal.

It was against the law to collude with bushrangers, but to avoid harassment inn keepers and settlers sometimes had no choice but to protect them. Some settlers were sympathetic to the bushrangers and effectively became part of a bushranging movement.

Famous sites of bushranging in Upper Lachlan

Collector

The death of Constable Nelson
Bushranger Hotel, Collector

Collector was a major stop for bullock teams, coaches and travellers. This made it a favoured target of bushrangers. In 1865 the Commercial Hotel, now known as the Bushranger Hotel, was opened. In the same year a gang led by notorious bushranger Ben Hall headed to Collector after a day of bushranging at Gearys Gap near Lake George. They took a number of hostages, including three farmers, a boot maker and the son of a local policeman called Constable Samuel Nelson. Hall, together with another well known outlaw called John Gilbert, entered the Commercial Hotel to search for valuables. Meanwhile a member of the gang called Johnny Dunn remained outside on watch. Dunn fired shots at a horseman who entered the town, which alerted Constable Nelson. When Nelson confronted the gang he was shot and killed by Dunn. Hall’s gang quickly fled town. A few miles from Collector they encountered a group of troopers, but after a rally of shots the bushrangers made their escape.

Binda

Oak Park Property shooting
By 1840 the number of bushrangers in the area was such that police had set up residence in Binda. In January 1840 the Whitton gang entered the estate of Oak Park near Binda, seeking to shoot Francis Oakes as pay back for being a witness in a previous conviction. In a case of mistaken identity they shot another man and took Oakes hostage. The police caught up with them at Bigga. One of the gang was shot and Thomas Whitton was captured and later hanged in Goulburn gaol.
 

The 'Boxing Day Ball' hold up
Flag Hotel Binda
On 26th December 1864 Ben Hall, John Gilbert and John Dunn rode into the town of Binda. After robbing a local store they rounded up the townsfolk and locked them in the Flag Hotel, where a ball was being hosted to celebrate Boxing Day. Edward Morriss, who owned the store, escaped in the early hours of the morning and alerted police. As an act of revenge Ben Hall burnt down Morriss’ store, sending him into financial ruin. The Flag Hotel still stands today, along the main road of Binda.

Bigga

Bushranger Piesley murders childhood friend
During 1861 John Piesley started a three day drinking binge at the Bigga inn. Piesley was a violent bushranger. He often left his victims brutalised and completely helpless. After his drinking binge he made his way to a local farm, owned by his childhood friends William and Stephen Benyon. After a heavy drinking session Piesley accused William of cheating him over a horse deal when they were teenagers, and started a fight. Piesley called for a truce, but when Benyon lowered his gun Piesley shot him in the neck. Six days later William Benyon died.

Lachlan River, Wyangala Dam

Foggs Shanty, the bushranger hideaway
Nestled into a bend of the Lachlan River, near Wyangala Dam, are stone ruins of Foggs Shanty, a haven for bushrangers. The proprietor, Mr William Fogg, sold homemade rum to horse and cattle thieves, and bushrangers. It was a refuge for men who could not enter normal society. The likes of Ben Hall, John Gilbert, Fred Lowry and Johhny Piesley would sleep there overnight and enjoy a meal of possum stew. William Fogg’s best mate was the dangerous Frank Gardiner. Gardiner hid in the hills, but knew it was safe to visit when a red blanket was to be seen hanging outside on the line.

Laggan

Laggan: the plundered village
Laggan played unwilling host to a number of bushrangers during its early history. The four stores in the village were regularly plundered. The Shamrock Inn was frequented by Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner, John Gilbert and Johnny Dunn, on their way to the gold fields of Tuena. After one visit to Laggan Ben Hall carved his name under the <Laggan store BU-A4>, which is now known as Killaiden House.

Daniel O’Brien, the owner of the Shamrock Inn, was ambushed in 1862. Thieves put a sack over his head and escaped with seventy five pounds in cash, tobacco, clothes, spirits and saddles. O’Brien falsely accused local men with whom he had an outstanding debt. The innocent men subsequently served time in prison, until a bushranger called James Crookwell finally confessed to the crime.

Crookwell

The arrest of bushrangers Lowry and Cummins
Limerick Races Inn
Cooksvale Creek, north of Crookwell
The Limerick Races Inn was famous as a place frequented by bushrangers, and it was here that Fred Lowry and Larry Cummins were captured. On 29th August 1863 Sergeant James Stephenson arrived at the inn. Fred Lowry, having fled from his attempted hold up of the Mudgee Mail, was hiding inside. As the sergeant approached, Lowry took up his gun and fired at him. Stephenson replied with a shot that struck the bushranger in the throat, causing him finally to surrender. He died the next day. The inn is now a vacant paddock.

Thalaba

The accidental death of bushranger John Cummins
The Rose, Thistle and Shamrock
Berrell’s Creek, Thalaba
There once stood an inn on the road to the Tuena gold fields, called The Rose, Shamrock and Thistle. In August 1863 bushranging brothers John and Larry Cummins were pursued by two troopers. The troopers arrived at the Cummins home to arrest John. He resisted arrest by shooting at the troopers and a battle ensued. John ran out of ammunition and was arrested. His captors set about escorting him to Binda police station. After travelling for seven miles, they reached a spot close to The Rose, Shamrock and Thistle. Suddenly a shot, fired from a nearby bush, struck John. The gunman was believed to be Larry, who was aiming at the troopers, but shot his brother instead. After John was shot he was carried inside the inn, where he died. It is said that his blood stained the floorboards for many years.

Peelwood

Peelwood, where bushranger John Hawthorne was captured
The Peelwood Hotel
Peelwood is at the junction of Kangaloolah Creek and Middle Creek, known as five miles flat. While William Ford, the owner, was building his hotel, a passer by remarked on William peeling wood. Amused by this remark, he decided to name his hotel The Peelwood Hotel. The bushranger John Hawthorne paid a visit to Peelwood while he was being pursued by Goulburn police. Hawthorne went on to camp at Kangaloolah Creek, three miles away. While Hawthorne collected a billy can of water, the police moved in for their arrest. Hawthorne was convicted of a number of murders and hanged at Goulburn gaol in May 1874. The Peelwood Hotel is no longer standing.

Abercrombie Caves

The Ribbon Gang of Abercrombie Caves
In 1830 Abercrombie Caves were the hideout for the Ribbon Gang, led by Ralph Entwistle. Entwistle became a bushranger after becoming embittered by harsh treatment as a convict. On one occasion he had been working a bullock team, and decided to cool off with a swim in the Macquarie River. While he was in the water a party of soldiers including the Bathurst magistrate decided to cross the river. Entwistle received fifty lashes for causing an affront to the Governor. In September 1830 nine men led by Entwistle escaped their convict assignments. They travelled the countryside stealing food, horses and weapons. They became known as the Ribbon Gang, because of the white streamers they wore in their hats as a sign of rebellion. At its peak the Ribbon Gang numbered 130 men. During their travels the gang discovered the Abercrombie Archway, which was to become their hideout.

A regiment of soldiers from Sydney, together with mounted police from Goulburn, caught up with the gang at Grove Creek Falls. They escaped to the caves. But when they left their hideout they were met by another group of soldiers. Three of the gang escaped, two died from gunshot wounds, and ten, including Entwistle, were hanged.

Breadalbane Plains

The inn of bushranger sympathisers
Breadalbane Inn, Old South Road
Mud was a common hazard on the Breadalbane Plains, and it slowed down heavy laden stagecoaches. This provided the perfect conditions for an ambush by bushrangers. The local hotel, Breadalbane Inn, was owned by Thomas Lodge. Lodge, and many Collector locals, soon realised that the bushrangers held the upper hand over the police. They chose to support the bush telegraph, and the bushrangers it served such as the Ben Hall gang. When Hall sought refuge after the shootout in Collector he arrived to find Lodge was in Goulburn, detained by police. As payback for supporting bushrangers, the police began a campaign to harass Lodge. They charged him with trivial offences and imposed harsh penalties, including fines, for such dubious crimes as allowing singing and dancing in his hotel. The Lodge family kept the hotel until the onset of the railway line brought an end to business.

Country roads are often narrow and winding.
Bends and curves are often dangerous due to a build up loose dirt and stones.
Be prepared for changing road conditions and surfaces in wet weather.
Always drive to the conditions, which is not necessarily the posted speed limit.

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Bushrangers of Upper Lachlan (3 images)