Australian Exploration Tragedy

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 26 August 1933, Page 14

Australian Exploration Tragedy

First Crossing Of Continent By Burke and Wills

T\ IIE Burke and Wills expedition of 1860 was, according to the Australian Encyclo- _ paedia, the “most tragic and least effec-

remained four months at the depot; Wright had not come up with the supplies; the blacks were troublesome, and the provisions exhausted. Burke, instead of following Brahe, insisted on making for Mount Hopeless, 150 miles away, relying on Cooper’s Creek for water; but before leaving he buried a letter in the hole in which Brahe had left the provisions, smoothing it over unfortunately, so that there was nothing to show that the provisions had been disturbed.

tive expedition in Australian annals,” says the Queensland “Worker.” The object of the expedition was to reach of the Gulf of Carpentaria via the Darling River and Cooper’s Creek. The sum of £12,000 (£IOOO given by Ambrose Kyte, £6OOO voted by the Government, and £SOOO subscribed by the public) was raised for it.

Life for the unfortunate men now became a mere struggle for existence. They existed for a time on the seeds of the nardoo, and natives occasionally gave them fish; but they had no bushlore to teach them where ample food supplies might be obtained —they never thought of catching fish for themselves. Wills succumbed first; Burke died two days later; ing made himself useful to a native tribe, and was supported until the rescue party under ITowitt reached him.

The command was entrusted to Robert O’Hara Burke with the following’ staff: Second in command, G-. J. Landells (who quarrelled with Burke before the settled districts were passed and returned to Melbourne) ; astronomical and meteorological observer, W. J. Wills (who on Landells resignation succeeded to second in command); medical officer and botanist, Herman Backler; artist, naturalist, and geologist, Ludwig Becker; ten white men, and three camel drivers (twenty-five camels had been specially imported from India for the expedition). After a slow passage the party reached Mendinie; here Burke formed a depot, left behind the greater part of his staff and equipment, and set out with six men and fifteen camels to reach Cooper’s Creek. The manager Of a neighbouring cattle station, William Wright, joined the expedition as third in command and guided Burke over a better route than Sturt’s.

There had naturally been much discussion about the causes of this tragic failure; but there is no necessity to go beyond the character of the leader. Burke was incompetent, and overambitious of the glory of being first across the continent. He was brave, no doubt, but other qualities are required in an explorer. He blundered in dashing off from Cooper’s Creek without assuring himself that his reserves at the Darling were on the way to the creek. He blundered in leaving his scientific staff hanging about on the fringe of the settled districts while he made a dash for glory. After his return to the Cooper’s Creek depot lie made three bad blunders. He could have followed Brahe’s party which was but fourteen miles away on April 21.

On November 11 Cooper’s Creek was reached and a camp site selected; Wright was sent back to bring up the remainder of the party, and for six. weeks Burke impatiently awaited his return. At last he could restrain his impatience no longer, and determined to dash into the interior and across the continent at all hazards with the resources at his disposal. He left our men, six camels, and four horses at the depot under the charge of Brahe, and on December 16, 1860, plunged into the interior with Wills, King and Gray, six camels, one horse, and twelve weeks’ provisions. The party appears to have at first pursued a north-west course by way of the McKinlay Range, but soon struck a stream running almost directly northwards, and so was led to cross the Dividing Range on to the headwaters of the Conelurry. This river led the explorers to the Flinders, which they followed until it widened into an estuary. Burke’s brief diary for March 28, 1861, says: “At the conclusion of the report it would be as well to say that we reached the sea, but we could not obtain a view of the open ocean, although we made every endeavour to do so.”

Instead of burying the letter in the very hole Brahe had made —and smothing the surface so that, when the latter rode back a few days later, he concluded from the absence of any signs that the explorers had not returned—lie could have left some visible signs of his return. A few strokes with a tomahawk would have made the difference between life and death. He blundered most of all when, instead of making friends with the natives, and copying their methods of obtaining food, he merely took what they could spare. King, who made himself useful, was given his share of the common stock.

Brahe meanwhile had met Wright on the Bulloo, returned with him to the depot (where as has been said, he noticed no signs of the explorers’ return) and, growing' anxious, made back to Melbourne at his best speed to urge the Rojml Society to send out search parties. This, however, had already been done. Brahe met ITowitt with the first on the Loddon and returned to Cooper’s Creek, which was reached on September 8, and the depot on the 13th. After two days of search King was found “wasted to a shadow, and hardly to be distinguished as a civilised being except by the remnants of clothes on him,” but at any rate alive, and able to tell the story of the others. He guided them to Wills’ grave; Burke’s body was found on the 21st; Ilowitt buried the two decently, but on his return to Melbourne, was instructed to go back again and fetch the bodies to that city, where they were given a nublic funeral.

Having, however reached the tidal waters, the honour of being the first to cross the continent is usually awarded to Burke and his companions. On February 21 the return journey was commenced, and on April 21 three emaciated figures staggered into the Cooper’s Creek depot—the fourth, Gray, had died on the way (according to some reports he had been killed) and was buried in the bush.

Only seven hours before their arrival Brahe (who had been, ordered to wait three months, and had actually waited four) had departed on the home journey, leaving a supply of provisions and a letter. The party, he wrote, had