This landmark documentary series explores the most iconic crimes of Australia's colonial history. These are stories of violent murder and gun toting mayhem, foundation tales of those that make and break the law. From the birth of the Ned Kelly legend to the brutal death of Ben Hall, these pivotal events are shrouded in mystery and folklore. Using archaeology and the latest forensic methods to test the historical evidence, Mike Munro and the team illuminate a fact-based version of our history.
Episode 1
Stringybark Creek (Vic) 1878, Ned Kelly and his gang kill three policemen in a brutal gunfight: he later claimed the killings were in self-defence, so was Ned Kelly a legend or a liar?
Episode 2
'Captain Moonlite' leads a group of five young men into one of the most violent gunfights of the bushranging era at Wantabadgery (NSW) in 1879: a policeman is killed and Moonlite is hanged for the crime, but did he really fire the fatal bullet?
Episode 3
Ben Hall is ambushed and killed by police near Forbes (NSW) in 1865: was Hall a dangerous criminal, lawfully killed while trying to escape? Or as legend tells, did the police shoot Hall as he slept, an act tantamount to cold-blooded murder?
Episode 4
In 1902 the notorious Kenniff brothers were convicted for one of the grisliest double murders in Queensland colonial history and one was hanged for the crime: it was a brutal crime and a brutal punishment – but was justice served?
