The Kelly family home at Beveridge, built by Ned Kelly's father, John, on his 40 acre farm in 1859
A sleepy farming community just off the Hume Highway, Beveridge would have remained little more than a name on a map were it not for the fact that the legendary outlaw, Ned Kelly, was born here. Kelly's father, John, was an emancipated convict who settled here after serving time in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). The less affluent pioneers like Kelly were subject to harassment from the wealthy and influential squattocracy, and also by the police if they were Irish, and the out-of-the-way village of Beveridge would have been seen as the perfect place for Kelly to eek out a living away from trouble. During his 14 years lving in the Beveridge district, Kelly made a living from horse dealing, dairy farming and even some gold mining.
Ned Kelly, John and Ellen Kelly's third child, lived at the kelly family home at Beveridge from the age of 4 to 9. Financial hardship forced John Kelly to sell the farm for £80 in 1864 and head further inland with his family to Avenel, where he rented 40 acres.