Join us for some of the sights of Moondyne Joe country, in WA.
Keith and Susan Hall write: In the pantheon of Australian bushrangers, Moondyne Joe is not as well known as Ned Kelly or Ben Hall, but his colourful exploits made him a legend in his own lifetime. That legend has continued to grow and today it is often difficult to distinguish between the real facts of his life and the romanticised myths that have been added over the years.
Moondyne’s career differs from other bushrangers as he wasn’t noted for robbing banks or engaging in gunfights. Instead, his fame rests firmly on his uncanny ability to escape from many different prisons. Some have suggested that he had more prison escapes than good meals. That may be an exaggeration, but he certainly did break out of many gaols in Western Australia.
There is no officially designated Moondyne Joe Tourist Trail, but it is easy to drive along a 200km route linking the key Moondyne sites between Toodyay and Fremantle. The roads are all sealed and the sites along the way conveniently follow the timeline of his life as a bushranger.
See the November 2009 edition (#471) of Caravan World for the full story