The Stringybark Creek Incident was a pivotal event in Ned Kelly's life that occurred on October 26, 1878, in northeastern Victoria, Australia. It marked the point at which Ned Kelly and his gang transitioned from small-time criminals to notorious outlaws. The incident began when a party of four policemen - Sergeant Michael Kennedy and Constables Thomas Lonigan, Michael Scanlan, and Thomas McIntyre - set out to capture Ned and Dan Kelly, who were hiding in the Wombat Ranges. The police set up camp at Stringybark Creek, unaware that the Kelly brothers and their associates Joe Byrne and Steve Hart were nearby. Ned Kelly, upon discovering the police presence, decided to ambush them. In the ensuing confrontation, three of the policemen - Lonigan, Scanlan, and Kennedy - were killed, while McIntyre managed to escape. Kelly claimed the killings were in self-defense, but the authorities viewed it as cold-blooded murder. This event led to the Kelly Gang being officially declared outlaws, with a substantial reward offered for their capture, dead or alive. The Stringybark Creek Incident escalated the conflict between the Kellys and the law, setting in motion the chain of events that would ultimately lead to Ned Kelly's capture and execution two years later.