Site 3 - Site of the Riverina Hotel

At approximately 3.00pm on Monday, 10 February, 1879 Martin Murphy stepped out of his Riverina Hotel and was promptly beckoned by the neighbouring fruit shop proprietor, Jim Fox, to be told that something strange was going on down at the western end of town. 

Jim explained that people had been observed entering the Royal Mail Hotel or the adjoining Bank of New South Wales since 11 o’clock that morning, but nobody had been seen coming back out. The fruit shop owner offered the opinion that the Bank was being ‘stuck up’. Another shop owner joined the conversation, stating he had heard a rumour the Kelly Gang was in town to rob the Bank. 

In scoffing at the story, Mr Murphy bet Fox, the fruit shop owner, half a sovereign that there was nothing to the yarn.

While standing there, the three gentlemen noticed a crowd gathered in front of the Post and Telegraph Office, whereupon Mr Murphy decided to stroll down and see what was going on. 

On arrival, he was promptly pressed into service by Ned Kelly, who handed him an axe and ordered him to commence chopping down the telegraph pole in front of the Post and Telegraph Office. Ned quickly noted that Mr Murphy was inexperienced with an axe and subsequently ordered him to hand over the axe to another onlooker, by the name of Thomas Brown. 

Mr Murphy beat a hasty retreat back to his Hotel, with Mr Fox later lamenting that he never received payment for the winning bet!