Fresh bid to buy Ned Kelly’s family home

Work is underway to purchase and restore the family home of bushranger Ned Kelly so it can be opened to the public. 

The cottage at Beveridge, in Melbourne’s outer north, was built by Irish convict John Kelly in 1860 when his son Ned was 5-years-old.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne says it will cost roughly $1 million to buy and restore, and while Kelly was a controversial figure, it’s a worthy investment in Victoria’s rich history.

‘The $1 million will stabilise the house, and it will allow us to negotiate with the owner of the property to purchase the house and bring it back to a safe state,’ he told Neil Mitchell.

‘Then it will become an interpretative centre where in fact the full story of the Kelly family and Ned Kelly himself can be told.

‘Heritage Victoria has independently provided me with advice that was an important cultural and social asset for Victoria and obviously the Kelly story is part of that.’

Click PLAY to hear Planning Minister Richard Wynne on 3AW Mornings: