Heath Ledger's boots from Ned Kelly

These are Heath Ledger's trusty boots from the 2003 film Ned Kelly, in which he plays the iconic outlaw. Kim Ledger, Heath’s father, donated them to the NFSA. Ned Kelly reunited Ledger with his Two Hands director, Gregor Jordan. Jordan and Ledger had remained friends since they made the 1999 crime comedy.

Ned Kelly films have encompassed drama, action and comedy in varying shades of accuracy since The Story of the Kelly Gang was made in 1906. These boots show off the detailed costuming of Jordan's Western-style dramatisation of the Ned Kelly legend, based on Robert Drewe’s novel Our Sunshine. The work that went into the costumes did not go unrecognised, with costume designer Anna Borghesi winning an AFI Award for her work on the film.

Heath tragically passed away in 2008 at 28 years of age and will be long remembered for his varied roles from romantic heroes to spine-tingling villains.