The old Bootmaker’s Shop on Arundel St has been restored to its original glory.
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In 1877, 16-year-old Ned Kelly was being escorted to the Benalla courthouse.
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Escaping his captors, he ran across the road, into 64a Arundel St, where he took a local bootmaker hostage.
In 2025, nearly 150 years later, that infamous building has been sold — and one of the new owners is a descendant of Ned.
Ned Kelly was involved in an infamous incident at 64a Arundel St in 1877, some 148 years later, one of his descendants is part owner of that building.
The property, known as ‘The Bootmaker’s Shop’, looks almost identical to how it did in 1877, which was not always the case.
Purchased in 1988, the old wooden building was in a state of disrepair and in danger of demolition.
Over the years, it had also been renovated, and had lost its original charm.
Speaking to the Ensign in 2023, the previous owner, David Moore, explained how he had taken on the task of restoring it to its original glory.
“It had no verandah, the front had been clad, and it needed rewiring,” he said.
Mr Moore said once it was rewired, he had to get special permission to install a verandah to bring it back to its former glory.
“It was the first commercial building in Benalla to have its verandah put back on since they pulled them all out in the 1960s,” he said.
“I had to get council at the time to agree to it.
“Then I went down to Melbourne to meet with the historic buildings people and a heritage architect.
“He gave me some very good advice and drawings on how to recreate it, which we followed.
“We made it as close to the original as possible.”
In 2024, Mr Moore took the decision to put the property on the market, in the hope that one of Benalla’s most important historical buildings would be taken care of by its next custodians.
Selling agent Shayne McKean, from Ray White Benalla, said he was pleased that one of the purchasing party was a descendant of Ned.
“It took a while to sell. It was a bit of a unique property,” he said.
“But it was a fantastic result with a distant relative of Ned’s being a part of the new owner group, which is fantastic.
“Walking through that building, every time there was that sense that something obviously happened there.
“It’s steeped in Australia’s history, which is really cool.”
The property was eventually sold at auction, for $360,000.
“With that family connection, that shopfront will certainly stay as is and be improved and maintained,” Mr McKean said.
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