Ned Kelly and the dead roos

Bradman Oval

Bright and early the next morning we set off on our 12-hour trek to Melbourne. Surprisingly, despite the previous evening’s antics, we left on time and reached our first lunch stop, the Bradman Oval at Bowral – a wonderfully picturesque pitch adjacent to the Bradman Museum. The Mosman executives were kind enough to present us with free tickets. Berlin loves to save!

At the Bradman Musem in Bowral

Another 4 hours and 5 dead Roos later, we reached our second, unscheduled stop – Glenrowan, the famous scene of Ned Kelly’s last stand! It nearly became Reuben’s last stand as he was attacked by a swarm of army ants not far from the spot where Ned left the Anne Jones Inn decked out in 100-kilo armour. Curiously, Ned covered his head, arms and body with armour – but forgot to protect his legs, so the constables simply aimed there! He survived and was later hanged at Melbourne gaol.

As we approached Melbourne, the heavens opened and the rain fell for the last 2 hours of the journey – totally unprecedented for this time of year! Here’s hoping none of the games are cancelled, but that seems unlikely.