Bushranger Thomas Whitton's exploits captured on film

Whitton was part of a gang of bushrangers called 'The Bathurst Mob' and one newspaper report of the day described them as: "wild, reckless, bloodthirsty fellows who would stop at nothing to gain their ends."

The gang had terrorised the district for eight years in the 1830's, holding up stores, raiding homesteads and having wild shootouts with farmers and police.

Whitton was captured and hanged in Goulburn in 1840. His remains are believed to be underneath the Post Office precinct.

Now, a research project is underway to uncover more about this villain, with the prospect of a short film being made about him. 

The group involved in the project is historian and researcher Tricia Mack and film-makers David and Karen Geerlings, of Geerlings Digital Moments.  

The Geerlings travel around the countryside making short films about the fascinating history in rural and regional areas. The films are then loaded onto their Youtube site. 

"Cities like Goulburn have fascinating stories and we love finding out about them," Mr Geerlings said. 

Mrs Mack said her interest in Whitton was piqued because she comes from Murringo and Whitton had one of his hideouts near there. 

"In those days - this was the frontier of the colony and it was wild," Mrs Mack said. 

Mrs Mack has been researching the project with the Geerlings for three months. They plan to come back to the area in a few weeks and continue their research.

Mayor Bob Kirk welcomed the group to the city. 

Check out some of the film on the Geerlings Digital Moments website at https://www.geerlingsdigitalmoments.com.au/