Frank (Darkie) Gardiner was born at Boro Creek near Tarago Victoria went to the gold diggings near Ballarat in the 50's and was arrested for horse stealing and was sentenced to 7 years. He served half of the term and was granted a 'Ticket Of Leave' (pardon). He had a butchers shop in Burrangong which was a resort for all the villains of the district, who were active in cattle duffing, rustling etc. The meat was stolen then sold back to the unsuspecting public. The Gardiner Gang was formed from this shop and one of the first recruited was Johnny Gilbert (Alias Roberts) who was born in Canada and came to Australia with his uncle John Davis, who opened a pub in Waverley Victoria in 1854. Aged 17 years Gilbert charged with murdering his uncle but was acquitted. Later sentenced for horse stealing he  was sent to prison on Cockatoo Island where he met Gardiner.

Also in the gang were Alex Fordyce, John Bow, Henry Manns, John McGuire and Daniel Charters. The main outbreak of the Gardiner Gang began in 1861 and during that period it was common place to blame all robberies on the Gardiner Gang although there were many others operating at the same time. It was came to a head when Gardiner was given 32 years in gaol, but after serving 10 years he was released on the condition that he left the country. It is reported that he went to America and opened a bar in San Francisco. He died in 1883. The gang by this time was being run by Gilbert and Ben Hall who had joined the gang earlier. Ben Hall was another forced into a life on the run, he had a successful farm at Pinnacle 15 miles from Forbes, married to a neighbours daughter he was respected and well liked in the district. He had no sympathy for the bushrangers of the day and even gave lodgings to the police who were often in the district tracking down the criminals. Ben Hall was as happy as a man could be but his wife being of a flighty disposition was easily seduced by one of the police officers. He walked off his farm to join the Gardiner Gang to 'Get at' the man who ruined his happiness. The public always had sympathy for Ben Hall, no one could believe that it was the same man riding in the gang, who lived in their midst. Until Ben Hall came along Johnny Gilbert was Gardiner's right hand man and they were joined by Johnny Dunn and others, they roamed far and wide taking anything they wanted and keeping the police on the trot, leading them a merry dance. The stage coaches were easy pickings for them as little or no protection was given to them or the passengers. They were accused of taking peoples clothes off of their backs but this was never true, they only took clothes from stores they held up. On many occasions they would let people go without robbing them because they were genuine and true people trying to make ends meet. After robbing a store in Forbes on May 4th 1865, a party of police and 2 black trackers followed them. On the evening of May 5th they came across 2 horses hobbled and grazing near Billabong Creek near Bogan Gate, and waited. Half an hour later a man came out of the thick patch of scrub and moved the horses to better feed. They waited until morning when the man came out again and he was recognised as Ben Hall and ordered to stand. He turned back into the patch of scrub and Inspector Davidson and 5 others opened fire on him. He was shot cold-bloodedly in the back, then shot 22 more times, the police using his body for target practice. He died there on May 6th 1865. "The troopers had "NO" warrant for his arrest.

When the news of Ben Hall's death broke it had a very depressing effect of the bushrangers as a whole, but shortly after Gilbert and Dunn sought refuge at the farmhouse of an old man named Kelly. The police caught up with them and Dunn was wounded and Gilbert shot dead. Dunn recovered and was finally hanged on 19th March 1866, those gang members remaining were sent to jail for 10 years. With the possible exception of Frank 'Darkie' Gardiner they all died broke but what a wild exciting short life they lived to the full. Ben Halls grave lies in Forbes Graveyard, strangely enough, also buried there is Kate Forster the sister of Ned Kelly.

Daniel (Mad Dan) Morgan was the son of an Sydney prostitute and a London barrow boy and had already served time before he reached his teens. While some of the Gardiner Gang were seen to hold human life cheaply when on the warpath, they met the police boldly and fought with a degree of fairness, but Morgan on more than one occasion fired on unarmed and in some cases, sleeping people. After his 2nd term in Pentridge, embittered against squatters (one gave false evidence against him), he vowed vengeance against settlers in the Narrandera district of NSW. The list of people he killed, maimed and caused misery to is a long one, but he finally met his end at Peechcelba station where he took over the homestead all night, wining and dining and listening to music, (he had no sleep for 3 nights), but during the night a maid named Alice McDonald slipped out and gave the alarm. When he stepped out into the morning light, he was shot in the back by John Quinlan like the dog he was. He died on the 9th April 1865.