with its increasing prosperity and population, wagga wagga and the surrounding district became a place of interest to several infamous bushrangers. the wagga police magistrate henry baylis was bailed up by mad dog morgan in 1863. captain moonlite and his band arrived in the district on 15 november 1879 and held up 39 people at wantabadgery station. moonlite and his gang escaped a police pursuit only to be captured at another nearby property when police from the neighbouring townships of gundagai and adelong arrived.