Captain Melville and the Kooyoora State Park Caves By Nelson McDonough & Michael Downes We would like to acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people who are the traditional custodians of this land. We would also like to pay respect to Elders both past and present of the Jaara nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginal people present. Forty minutes out of Bendigo lies Kooyoora State Park. Proclaimed in 1985 the State Park lays home to a range of Indigenous artefacts of differing importance, it also has a rich and conflicted history. Within the park lays an area formally known as Melville’s Caves, named after the famous 1840s bushranger Captain Melville. This illustrated essay will look into the life of Captain Melville and his famed exploits. The Indigenous history of Kooyoora will also be explored and how the naming of Melville’s Caves is not factually correct. Captain Melville was born Francis McNeiss McNeil McCallum in 1822 in Inverness, Scotland1. Throughout his life he had many different aliases including Francis Melville, Edward Melville, Frank McCallum, James McCallum and Thomas Smith. But for the purpose of continuity in this essay he will be referred to here on out as ‘Melville’. Not a great deal is known about Melville’s early life except for his year and place of birth, and even his year of birth is disputed by some sources. What we know is that Melville first appeared before the courts in Perth, Scotland at age 12 in (1844) in just the three years after he spent twenty-two months behind bars2. In 1836 at 15 years old he was sentenced to seven years Captain Melville Portrait (No date) transportation for housebreaking, he 1 L. J. Blake. (1974). 'Melville, Francis (1822–1857)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved from http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/melville-francis-4183/text6723, accessed online 3 October 2015. 2 L. J. Blake. (1974). 2 [Type text] would spent another twenty two months languishing in jail before being sent to Hobart aboard the Minerva3. The Minerva can still be seen today, as it’s capsized hulk remains somewhere off the coast near Geelong4. Captain Melville Arrived in Tasmania on the 19th September 1838, and it is in Australia that Melville’s notoriety would rise and also where he would eventually die. Upon arrival in Tasmania Melville was placed in a juvenile justice institution at the convict settlement of Port Arthur. His criminal ways would not be ironed out by the harsh convict treatment over the coming years. Between 1839 and 1848 Melville was pulled before the courts an astonishing twenty-five times5. Although Melville would often lead the gangs he was committing crimes with there are occasions of him briefly mentioned as a back up or not the main culprit6. During this time Melville was also sentenced to life in prison, a sentence that was reduced and he was even granted probation in 18467. Once granted probation, Captain Melville absconded from colonial life and spent a year living with Aborigines, by all account being accepted into their way of living and even learnt much of their language. He was eventually captured and 9 months labour in hard chains in 1847 and again in 1850. In 1851 Captain Melville left the harsh convict life of Tasmania and headed for the gold fields of central Victoria. Not finding much success in the diggings, by the years end Melville had turned to the life of a bushranger. Melville created his own gang, The Mount Macedon Gang and held up wayward travellers around the Black Forest. Around this time was when Melville’s infamy really grew, holding up prominent grazier and farmer Alfred Joyce8. Melville and his gang continued to rob and steal from diggers returning from the goldfields across central Victoria until he was undone by his own audaciousness. On the morning 18th of December 1852 Captain Melville, together with mate William Roberts, rode into a remote sheep station near Wardy Yallock on their way to Geelong. Melville, when asked by the station owner what he wanted replied with gun in hand: “Gold and horses, and we’re going to get them”9. Melville and Roberts then preceded to tie up all 18 men on the station, rob the house of jewels and money then take there pick of the best horses and rode out of the station that afternoon10. The boldness two men robbing 18 without struggle caused excitement amongst the goldfields and embarrassment on the station owner and hands. Melville and Roberts did not travel far before encountering two more wayward travellers, who were robbed of 30 pounds a 3 L. J. Blake. (1974). 4 Geelong Advertiser. (1850). Wreck of the “Minerva,” Emigrant ship. 11 November 1850 edition P. 2 5 L. J. Blake. (1974). 6 Boxall, G. E. (1935). History of the Australian Bushrangers. Chapter XIII: Captain Melville takes to the road. Sydney: Halstead Printing Company LTD. 7 L. J. Blake. (1974). 8 L. J. Blake. (1974). 9 Boxall, G. E. (1935). P. 137. 10 Boxall, G. E. (1935). P. 138. day later. In conversing with the two diggers Melville found out that they were heading to Geelong to visit family and friends for Christmas. Touched by this story, Melville gave 10 pounds back to the diggers and sent them on to Geelong11. But Melville’s own notoriety would soon get him undone. Upon reaching Geelong Melville and Roberts visited a local brothel and in that brothel, under the influence of alcohol, Melville boasted of his recent exploits to the ladies of ill repute serving him and the 100 pound reward out for his arrest. The reward was too good to pass up and one of his lady attendants snuck off to fetch the police. A small pursuit followed leading to Captain Melville’s arrest whilst attempting to steal a horse12. Brought before a judge, Melville was sentenced to 32 years prison, aboard the prison hulk ‘President’ in Hobson’s bay. He was shortly thereafter moved to another hulk called the Success were he was allowed to travel ashore to work at a stone quarry. It was during his stay on the Success that his time with Aborigines came of use. One of Melville’s jobs was too translate the bible into Indigenous languages, which he was told to be fluent in13. On the 22nd October 1856 Melville and 50 other convicts were being towed from the hulks Success and Lysander to shore to work in the quarry mines. Whilst being towed Melville lead a mutiny that attempted to escape by unhitching their tow craft and rowing away. During the attempted mutiny a guard was brutally beaten to death with a hammer, Melville was reported shortly after to be waving the hammer and yelling out “Adieu Victoria”1415. The mutiny was quashed and Melville sentenced to death, before being granted mercy again, and his sentence being commuted to life behind bars. Upon hearing of the mercy granted to him Melville was quoted as saying “Well, You’ll be sorry for it.” Unfortunately Melville didn’t have a chance to make them sorry as he was found strangled by a blue handkerchief in his cell on the 10th of August 1857. Melville’s mental state had severely deteriorated over the previous years incarceration and there were murmurings that the guards simply put him out of his misery. Despite being a convict, a thief and a murderer Captain Melville was somewhat glamorised by the newspapers of his day and even after his death, tails of his generosity to those he robbed and his fondness of women appeared more common in the newspapers than the tales of his butchery and madness. Papers describing him as “Young, handsome and fond of dress”16 and of having a “glamour about his villainous” 17 builds on Melville’s perceived identity as somewhat of a gentlemen vigilante. This persona, however factually incorrect from the truth, also helps in building mystery around Captain Melville and his 11 Boxall, G. E. (1935). P. 138. 12 Boxall, G. E. (1935). P. 138. 13 Boxall, G. E. (1935). P. 141. 14 Boxall, G. E. (1935). P. 141. 15 L. J. Blake. (1974). 16 Bill Beaty. (1947). “You’ll Be Surprised”. The Sydney Morning Herald. P. 3. 12 March 1947. In Trove [online database], accessed on 4 October 2015 17 J. H. M. Abbot, “The Polite Bushranger: Captain Melville’s unexpected visit”. The World’s News. P. 16. Wednesday 31 May 1933. In Trove [online database], accessed on 4 October 2015 4 [Type text] exploits. One such told exploit was his narrow escape from police near Mt. Arapiles, in Victoria’s West. Police are described as closing in on Melville but being foiled by his escape into a cave network. Article from the Argus (1942) There are many cave networks across Victoria. Mt. Arapiles itself is a large quartzose sandstone outcrop, popular with rock climbers today, that because of its geological history has formed an intricate network of caves18. It is of interest then that the only cave networks formally named “Melville’s Caves” are located nearly 200km to the East of Mt. Arapiles. “Melville’s caves” are located in Kooyoora State Park and there is no evidence to suggest that Melville actually ever visited the area. In contrast Melville’s hideout was believed to have been found in 1880 to the West of Mt. Arapiles in the Dundas Ranges19. On the 28 May 1880 the Kiama Independent reported that a ‘remarkable cave’ had been discovered in the Dundas Ranges. The cave bore signs of being the haunt of recluse 20-25 years prior to its discovery.