Reilly History in Australia

Bushranger Moondyne Joe

"Moondyne Joe" is Western Australia's most famous bushranger. He was born Joseph Bolitho Johns, born between 1827 and 1831, the son of a Welsh blacksmith. However the twin surnames Bolitho and Johns mean that his ancestral roots almost certainly lie somewhere in Cornwall.

The link to the Reilly history comes when Joseph Bolitho Johns was deported aboard the convict ship 'Pyrenees' as Imperial convict number 1790. On board that ship was Joseph Reilly and his family, travelling to Perth as a Pensioner Guard. The 'Pyrenees' set sail from Torbay, England on the 2nd of February 1849. She carried 94 passengers and 293 convicts, one of the convicts being Joe. After a voyage of 87 days the 'Pyrenees' arrived in Fremantle, Australia on the 30th of April. Three of the convicts on board had died during the passage. The next day Joe along with most of the other prisoners was issued with a 'ticket of leave', which enabled him to find work within the colony and he was then disembarked from the ship.

Up until 1855 Joe worked as a ticket of leave convict until being freed and conditionally pardoned, he then worked at various tasks near Moondyne Spring in Toodyay, keeping himself out of trouble. In August 1861, Johns caught an unbranded stallion, and branded it with his own mark. He was arrested for horse stealing. From this moment there is a string of dealings with the law and incarcerations. He became well know for his escapes from prison.