It has been a couple of years since Beechworth Courthouse shut its doors to the public for renovations. The original reopening date came and went, as did the original media company hired to bring the project to life (citing creative differences), then a revised opening date was abruptly canned upon the discovery of a small piece of asbestos. Now the attraction, one of the key projects greenlit following the much discussed Ned Kelly Alive study, is finally open to the public — what is it like?
Visitors are led inside through the same doors that the public would have gone through when the courthouse was operational. This is followed by a brief spiel by a guide that introduces the history and features of the courthouse. Next, the lights dim and speakers rise from the dock, the witness boxes and the jury box, and the projectors mounted in the ceiling activate.
The wraparound projection plays out on three walls, creating a deeply immersive experience. A mix of contemporary photography and illustrations, historical film, and modern stock footage illustrates the stories of four Kelly-related trials that were held in the courthouse. There are many clever and slick animations and annotations that make everything clear to viewers who might not be that familiar with the subject matter.
We learn about the case of Ned Kelly assaulting Ah Fook and Ned’s alleged theft of the Benalla postmaster’s horse. We also learn about the incident where Aaron Sherritt and Joe Byrne were tried for assault against Ah On,as well as the trial of Ellen Kelly, William Williamson and William Skillion. We finish with Ned Kelly’s committal hearing for the police murders at Stringybark Creek. The audio-visual experience ends with a brief discussion of the later history of the courthouse and its part in the history and culture of Beechworth.
The stories are presented without bias and in a condensed format that allows people who are unfamiliar with the stories to learn the key aspects without getting bogged in the details. This will be infuriating for those who were hoping this would be used as a tool to denigrate the Kellys or those who expected an in-depth re-enactment of the trials. In my opinion, based on many re-enactments I have seen in places like Beechworth Courthouse in the past, they are only occasionally very effective at conveying important information, but are great pantomime.
The key thing to remember here is that this is a courthouse, not a playhouse, and the primary function of this building as a historic site is to educate, not to entertain. As fun as it is to have people dress up and pretend to be Ned Kelly, Ellen Kelly or Harry Power, as we saw back in the days of the Ned Kelly Weekends, investing in a technological solution not only allows for the information to be conveyed in a meaningful way to engage and educate, it also means that visitors can always experience the attraction so long as somwone is there to push the right buttons. Actors are not machines and doing multiple performances a day is very draining, not to mention that if an actor is sick or unable to come to work it may cause the show to be cancelled.
At the conclusion of the presentation visitors are able to explore the exhibits. These fill the rooms and convey different aspects of the building’s history and the history of law enforcement in Beechworth. There are displays that cover law enforcement on the goldfields, the role of police in the Colonial era, the layout of the court, the experience of women in the colonial era such as Elizabeth Scott, migration during the colonial era, colonial politics, et al. The text is punchy and gets the information across efficiently, and the rooms are not overstuffed with images and items but what is on display is tied in with the theme of each room. The area that was formerly the reception before the refurbishment has been turned into a display on the people that protected the building and helped turn it into a tourist attraction.
It’s definitely a stark contrast to the previous approach of leaving books of printouts on the table for visitors to flick through and decking out the walls with pages of text that had been printed out and framed. Very few people will stand in one spot to read several pages of text hanging on a wall — that is what books are for.
The emphasis on the Kelly history is probably going to ruffle feathers, but it must be remembered that the money for the refurbishment and upgrades were specifically acquired for the purpose of facilitating Kelly tourism, which was demonstrated in the Ned Kelly Alive study to be a key contributor to the economy in towns like Beechworth. The money injected into creating this presentation on the Kelly trials has allowed the installation of an efficient and adaptable audio-visual system that can be utilised for future projects covering other aspects of the courthouse’s history too. The money raised through bookings will help recoup costs, which can fund aforementioned future projects.
My takeaway from my first visit is that it was worth the wait. The building is looking great, with the original furniture on full display and slick new displays. The audio-visual presentation, created by the same company that created the excellent panoramic documentary for the Ned Kelly Discovery Hub, is a deeply immersive experience that demonstrates a high level of understanding of the history it conveys. Unlike the Discovery Hub, however, the presentation portion is not reliant on delicate footpads or motion sensors to work, which means it is less likely to break down with even light use and render the multimillion dollar project mostly out of order or be unable to loop because it can only reset if there is nobody in the area for a period of time (a significant design flaw for an attraction that should be able to cater to big groups being present if it plans to make money). My only real quibble is that I didn’t feel like I had enough time to see everything and really absorb it all as your ticket only grants you access for a limited period of time, whereas previously you had free reign to wander as long as you liked. This is great motivation for return visits, which I will assuredly be undertaking.
I encourage all Ned-heads to check out the Kelly Trials at Beechworth Courthouse at the soonest opportunity.
Glenrowan 