Frank Gardiner (born c. 1829, Ross-shire Scotland - died c. 1904 in Colorado,USA) was a noted Australianbushranger of the 19th century. He either migrated from Scotland to Australia as a child with his parents in 1834,[1] or was born in the settlement of Boro Creek near Goulburn, Australia in 1830.[2] His real name is thought to have been Francis Christie, though he often used one of several other aliases: "Frank Clarke or Christie"; "The Darkie"; "The Prince of Tobymen"; "General Gardiner"; and "King of the Road". His father, believed to have been Charles Christie had traveled out to Australia ahead of the rest of the family and Frank is thought to have been the product of an affair with a part aboriginal woman known as Anne Clarke, but photographs of Gardiner show that he was a full blooded white man. He supposedly took the name Gardiner after a man who lived for some years with his family and who had taught him how to ride and break-in horses. Although almost all legend states that his real name is Francis Christie, or Clarke, or even Girard, the famous outlaw himself, signed his name "Francis Gardiner, the Highwayman". He even used the surname Gardner while in America and he remains, perhaps the most mysterious Australian bushranger.
In 1862 he bailed up the Lachlan Gold Escort near Eugowra with Ben Hall and Johnny Gilbert. This hold up is still considered to be the largest ever gold robbery in Australia's history. The total value of the 2,700 ounces of gold taken was estimated at £14,000 (approximately AUD$2 million in 2006 terms). Almost half of the gold was recovered by mounted police following a raid on one of the Gardiner hideouts in the Weddin Mountains near Forbes in NSW. What happened to the remaining gold is still the subject of much speculation and rumour. Treasure hunters still visit the area and it is even rumoured that two Americans who were thought to be Gardiner's sons visited the Wheogo Station near the Weddins in 1911.
Capture and exile
In early 1864 Gardiner was living with his wife Kitty at Apis Creek near Rockhampton, Queensland, and working as a shopkeeper. He was recognised by a customer and reported to police. Gardiner was apprehended in controversial circumstances by NSW police operating outside their jurisdiction. One of the NSW policemen used Gardiner's own horse 'Darkie' during the capture. He was taken back to Sydney, and sentenced to 32 years hard labour. Gardiner served only 10 years of his sentence after successful appeals by his two sisters. He was granted an early release, conditional on his leaving the country. In late 1874 Gardiner ended up in California having travelled via Hong Kong. He is thought to be the only Australian ever to have been exiled from his country.
