The Bird Man Of The Coorong

Australia’s most unlikely bushranger.

Originally hailing from County Limerick in Ireland. Born three months premature in 1864, Liam (John) Francis Peggotty, rode into the history books on, would you believe it, an ostrich.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Reportedly never growing larger than a seven year old, he started work as a chimney sweep, or “climbing boy” where he aquired a liking for pilfering jewellery from the households whose chimneys he swept.

He supposedly travelled to South Africa where he learned to ride and race ostriches, but this didn’t last long, as apparently his family was against his career choice, since it involved gambling.

Returning to England, he began a life of petty crime. Climbing down chimneys and relieving occupants of their valuables. Caught red handed, he spent five years in jail. On his release, he emigrated to Australia and worked on his uncle’s farm in Orange NSW.

His love of jewellery landed him in more trouble, as he was discovered wearing his aunt’s valuables and summarily “asked” to leave.

Travelling South to Adelaide, he reportedly continued to satisfy his lust for expensive baubles, by again, climbing down people’s chimneys and robbing their valuables. Reports suggest that he even recruited a gang of children to help his endeavours.

In 1898, for unknown reasons, he moved to the Coorong region of South Australia, where he caught and rode one of the wild ostriches which had escaped from a nearby feather farm.

An unlikely bushranger was born. Riding his ostrich, wearing his ill gotten necklaces and rings, he would hold up local travellers on the Coorong road, so adding to his growing collection.

At first police dismissed the whole idea of Peggoty, until they found a man’s body surrounded by what was clearly the footprints of a large bird.

The little Irishman’s lust for jewels had led him to murder. Confronted by mounted police, who opened fire and gave chase, he easily escaped over the sand dunes on his feathered friend, who completely outmatched any horse on such terrain.

Finally after committing another murder, and a dozen holdups, he met his demise at the hand of local fisherman, Henry Carmichael, in 1899, at only 35 yrs old.

Carmichael, recognising he was being approached by the now infamous “Birdman of the Coorong” fired his rifle, but missed.

Peggoty took off accross the dunes, Carmichael giving chase, firing again and again. Managing to bring down the ostrich, and wound the little Irishman, he caught up, but while the big birds body lay there at his feet on the sand, only a blood stained trail leading into the thick bush, was ever found of John Francis.

And so was born, the legend of The Birdman of the coorong. Apparently his ill gotten treasure remains, draped over his tiny skeleton, buried somewhere, by the shifting sands, along the Coorong.

Today, as per Australia’s penchant for “gloryfying” the underdog, a monument of the ostrich has been erected in the main street of Meningie. Interested tourists can capture photo memories of themselves riding the ostrich in poses, supposedly, reinacting the antics of Australia’s most unlikely bushranger, The Bird Man of the Coorong.

by Zeb. Dec. 2024