Being a penal colony, which was initially full of convicts and their keepers, it is not surprising Australia has such a colourful history of bushrangers and their crimes. Life as a convict involved working long, hard hours in poor conditions and with little food. It is no wonder that many became ‘bolters’ and took off into the bush, preferring to take their chances there. For bushrangers, adopting a life of ‘living off the land’ also involved steeling from the free settlers in order to survive. The bushranging period lasted for nearly 100 years from 1790, with the escape of John Ceasar two years after Australia was first settled, through to the end of the Kelly Gang’s reign in 1880. With an ethos of ‘fight before we surrender’ the mixture of outlaws included brutal criminals prepared to do anything to remain free and others known for robbing travellers and famers for food, money, guns and horses.  Some, such as Captain Lightening Thunderbolt and Ned Kelly, became legendary heroes earning a reputation for their gallantry towards women, their good humour and stance against violence, injustice and suffering of the innocent under corrupt law enforcement. When the gold rush kicked in the influx of immigrants and the wealth being carried from the gold fields made for attractive pickings. Lone travellers and gold transport coaches became easy targets for bushrangers. It was common for bushrangers to highjack anyone who was travelling between the gold fields to towns such as Ballarat or Bendigo, to shout ‘bail up’, tie them to a tree and rob them of their gold receipts and cheques. They would then travel to Melbourne where they would cash in the cheques and claim the gold. The police force, which was considerably strained and understaffed due to many leaving their jobs to look for fortune on the goldfields, struggled to gain the people’s confidence and were regularly criticized for their incompetence. Their job was made even harder by the fact that many of the early settlers and farmers were sympathetic towards the bushrangers, often protecting their whereabouts and helping them in their plight. It is interesting to note, that despite their notoriety, most bushrangers careers did not last for many years.