'They have left here today!' he calls to the others. When King puts
his hand down above the ashes of the fire, it is to find it still
hot. There is even a tiny flame flickering from the end of one log.
They must have left just hours ago.' MELBOURNE, 20 AUGUST 1860. In
an ambitious quest to be the first Europeans to cross the harsh
Australian continent, the Victorian Exploring Expedition sets off,
farewelled by 15,000 cheering well-wishers. Led by Robert O'Hara
Burke, a brave man totally lacking in the bush skills necessary for
his task; surveyor and meteorologist William Wills; and 17 others,
the expedition took 20 tons of equipment carried on six wagons, 23
horses and 26 camels. Almost immediately plagued by disputes and
sackings, the expeditioners battled the extremes of the Australian
landscape and weather: its deserts, the boggy mangrove swamps of
the Gulf, the searing heat and flooding rains. Food ran short and,
unable to live off the land, the men nevertheless mostly spurned
the offers of help from the local Indigenous people. In
desperation, leaving the rest of the party at the expedition's
depot on Coopers Creek, Burke, Wills and John King made a dash for
the Gulf in December 1860. Bad luck and bad management would see
them miss by just hours a rendezvous back at Coopers Creek, leaving
them stranded in the wilderness with practically no supplies. Only
King survived to tell the tale. Yet, despite their tragic fates,
the names of Burke and Wills have become synonymous with
perseverance and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. They
live on in Australia's history - and their story remains immediate
and compelling.
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