ABSTRACT
Count Reinhold, after travelling in the 1880s as far north as Rockhampton in Queensland, returns to Sydney and heads south. On completion of this task — it takes him only a few weeks to pass through Cooktown, Cairns, Rockhampton and Bowen — he sets out on his old route again via New England, the Hume Highway and so on to see whether anything has changed. The mountainous road and the gorges of the numerous creeks looked picturesque, but the road was in poor condition and very steep, going uphill most of the time around countless curves. It was an isolated area and the few dilapidated houses appeared deserted. The country looked wild and desolate. Hiding is made easier for the gang by the fact that most tenant farmers between Beechworth and Wodonga are Irishmen who supply the robbers with all necessities and who keep them informed about all the moves of the police.
