Geoffs Life After Work !

The Dig Tree

In 1860–61, Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kms (approximately 2,000 miles).At that time most of the inland of Australia had not been explored by non-indigenous people and was completely unknown to the European settlers.The south-north leg was successfully completed (except that they were stopped by swampland 5 kms(3.1 mi) from the northern coastline), but owing to poor leadership and bad luck, both of the expedition’s leaders died on the return journey. Altogether, seven men lost their lives, and only one man, John King, crossed the continent with the expedition and returned alive to Melbourne.

Robert O’Hara Burke had asked Brahe and the depôt party to remain at the depôt camp on the Cooper for three months. The depôt party actually waited for over four months, but by then they were then running low on supplies and starting to feel the effects of scurvy and they believed Burke would not be returning from the Gulf. Brahe decided to leave Coopers Creek and return to Menindee, but before he left he buried some provisions in case Burke did return and he carved a message on a tree to mark the spot.

September 9, 2013 - Posted by Luxxys Lovely Lived Life | Uncategorized