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The Burke and Wills expedition set off from Royal Park at about 4pm on 20 August 1860, watched by around 15,000 spectators. The nineteen men of the expedition included six Irishmen, five Englishmen, three Germans, an American, and four camel drivers from South Asia .
Aug 10, 2023 · The death of Burke, Wills and Charles Gray during their return led the expedition to be mythologised in Australian culture as a heroic failure. It ultimately prompted the discovery of vast grazing lands, enabling further European settlement of the interior.
Aug 20, 2022 · The expedition of nineteen men departed from Royal Park, Melbourne, on 20 August 1860, led by Robert O’Hara Burke. They stopped at Swan Hill to take on supplies; whilst there Burke fired some of the men, and hired replacements. The party then went on to Menindee.
What was the legacy of Burke and Wills’ expedition? Rescue groups sent from Victoria, Queensland and South Australia to find the men discovered valuable new grazing lands. This led to more European settlement, and the further displacement of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands.
Forever strung together as one, bonded in death, Robert O’Hara Burke and William Wills are two of Australia’s most famous, and tragic, explorers. The first to successfully cross the continent from south to north, they died beside Cooper Creek in south-west Queensland on the return journey.
The Burke and Wills Expedition was the first European expedition to cross the continent of Australia from the south coast to the north coast. It was officially called the Great Northern Exploration Expedition. Robert O’Hara Burke led the expedition, which took place from 1860 to 1861.
The Burke and Wills Expedition, the first to cross the Australian continent from south to north, ended in tragedy, yet it resulted in opening up of vast tracts of Queensland to pastoral settlement.
Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills share the honour of being the first Australian explorers to cross the continent from south to north - though they paid the ultimate price for their triumph. Their expedition was one of the largest, best equipped and most elaborate in 19th century Australia.
In Robert O’Hara Burke …explorer who led the first expedition known to attempt the crossing of Australia from south to north. Read More
Burke and Wills Web: digital research archive of records from the Burke and Wills Expedition (1860-1861) from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. This website is a comprehensive digital research archive containing transcripts of historical documents, reports, manuscripts and archives.
