Overview

Stringybark Creek is a small watercourse in the Wombat Ranges of central Victoria, Wombat Ranges, Australia. It became widely known after an armed encounter on 26 October 1878 in which three policemen were killed while searching the bush for suspects connected to a previous assault. The event entered Australian colonial history because of the involvement of the Kelly family and the wider story of bushranging in the late 19th century.

Location and physical features

The creek lies within the Toombullup State Forest, a mixed eucalypt landscape of stringybark and other native trees. It is located roughly 50 km from Benalla and about 36 km from Mansfield. The immediate area includes low ridges, walking tracks and remnants of early settler huts. The landscape is typical of the Victorian box-ironbark country, with seasonal flows in the creek and pockets of denser forest.

History of the 1878 shootings

On 26 October 1878 three policemen—Sergeant Michael Kennedy, Constable Thomas Lonigan and Constable Michael Scanlan—were searching the bush for the Kelly brothers when they were ambushed. The officers had been looking for Ned and Dan Kelly after an earlier incident in which a policeman had been wounded. The killings at Stringybark Creek sparked a large-scale public and police response and were a pivotal episode in the series of events that culminated in the later capture of Ned Kelly and his gang. The encounter is often described in contemporary and later accounts as a defining moment in Australia’s bushranger era.

Memorials and notable features

The site preserves several points of interest that interpret the event and its aftermath. Visitors can find the remains of the hut where parts of the encounter took place and a memorial stone installed in 2001 near those remains. A prominent tree at the site bears carved names that were fashioned in the 1930s to commemorate the murdered officers; this "Police/Kelly Tree" has in later years been associated with controversy because of informal additions such as a replica of Ned Kelly’s helmet.

Visiting today

Stringybark Creek is managed for low-impact recreation and historical interpretation. Facilities and attractions include:

  • Picnic and camping areas and basic toilet facilities;
  • Marked walking tracks that lead to the creek, the memorial and the hut remains;
  • Interpretive signs that outline the historical context of the 1878 shootings and the Kelly story.

People interested in Australian colonial history, bushranging or cultural heritage often visit the site. Information on routes and local conditions is maintained by regional visitor services and forestry authorities; researchers should consult official resources before travelling.

Significance and context

Stringybark Creek is significant both as a specific historical site and as part of the larger narrative about law, order and resistance in 19th-century rural Australia. The incident influenced public opinion at the time and has continued to feature in books, commemorations and discussions about the Kelly brothers, policing in the bush and how such events are remembered. For further background on the people involved and the broader episode, readers can consult resources about the policemen, the Kelly gang and regional history via archival and heritage links such as policemen and other local records.