JERILDERIE

Jerilderie (meaning Reedy Place), the gateway to the Kidman Way, was visited by Ned Kelly and his gang in 1879 when the gang held up the local Bank of NSW. More than thirty residents were held hostage and 2, 140 pounds was stolen before Kelly and his gang walked to the Telegraph Office and cut down the telegraph poles thus isolating the town for two days.

Today, visitors to Jerilderie can revisit history with a tour of the Ned Kelly Post Office, situated in Powell Street, next door to ‘The Willows’ museum. The willows, formerly a flour mill which operated in the 1880s, has been restored and now opens it doors as a tourist and refreshment centre, museum and craft shop. Visit The Willows to acquire your personal copy of “The Jerilderie Letter’, the letter that Ned Kelly left recounting his record of events spanning eleven years, or just browse and enjoy a cuppa boiled in a billy on the banks of the Billabong.

Just up the road from The Willows, take a break at Lake Jerilderie. This manmade lake spans an area of 5.3 hectares and is an oasis for the weary traveller. A carved wooden table and seating structure located on the edge of the lake is a great place to stop for a break and a snack. Directly to the east of the lake is Luke Park, home the enormous windmill, ‘Steelwings’. Made in Sydney in the early 1900s, it stands 50ft tall, has a wheel diameter of 25ft and a tail length of 24ft.

From Luke Park, walk along Horgan’s Walk to the Jerilderie Steam Rail and Heritage Club site where you can take a ride on the mini rail. The Club operates every 2nd Sunday of the month from 11am. The steam rail track is nestled on the banks of Billabong Creek.
Jerilderie boasts a modern swimming pool and sporting complex, 18-hole golf course, bowling greens and turf racetrack. Jerilderie offers excellent facilities for a short stop or a longer stay, with no shortage of places to obtain light refreshments or scrumptious home-style meals. Accommodation is available to suit all needs and budgets, ranging from family operated motels, a caravan park and backpacker accommodation.

Today Jerilderie is famous for wool, rice, wheat, canola, mung beans, onions, tomatoes and grapes- to name just a few of the diverse range of crops grown in the irrigation area. Billabong Products, a privately owned factory, processes crushed and dried tomatoes, garlic, capsicum, chilli and eggplants. Jerilderie Shire produces 24% of the national tomato crop using irrigation farming.

For further information on Jerilderie, contact:

The Information Centre, 11 Powell Street, Jerilderie.
Phone 03 5886 1666
Or Jerilderie Shire Council, 35 Jerilderie Street, Jerilderie.
Phone 03 5886 1200