Ned Kelly

State Library Victoria is the custodian of a rich collection of historical and contemporary Ned Kelly material, which has been acquired and donated over the years.

Key historical material includes the Jerilderie letter, Ned Kelly’s armour and death mask, family photographs, police telegrams and photographs, newspaper reports, letters, minutes from the 1880 Royal Commission into the Kelly Outbreak and books written about the bushranger by authors and historians from the 19th century to today.

Kelly’s cultural impact from the 19th century onwards is also well represented. Material relating to the 1906, 1970 (starring Mick Jagger) and 2003 (starring Heath Ledger) film versions of Kelly’s story is complemented by Peter Carey’s papers (an archive acquired from the author of the 2001 Booker Prize-winning novel The true history of the Kelly gang).

The Library continues to acquire and receive donations and long-term loans of Kelly-related material.

Digital material

Digital material about the Kelly story can be explored by:

Non-digital material

The Library has a large collection of books about Ned Kelly. These cover Ned Kelly fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. These and other non-heritage items can be requested for on-site viewing at the Library.

Ned Kelly's armour is on display in the Redmond Barry Reading Room.

More to explore