Burke and Wills, like John McDouall Stuart in South Australia, were seeking a suitable route for a telegraph line from the southern regions of Australia to the north. A telegraph link to the rest of the world was available off Java, but it had to be linked to a centre in the north, then an overland telegraph line constructed to carry messages down to the main cities in the south.
Both South Australia and Victoria were vying to be the first to make a successful crossing of the continent, and both states offered sizable rewards. Burke and Wills represented the Victorian bid to cross the continent.
The ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition across Australia was in 1860-1861.
The Burke and Wills expedition left Melbourne in 1860.
The Burke and Wills expedition left Melbourne in 1860.
On the Burke and Wills expedition, Wills was initially appointed as third-in-command, surveyor, astronomical and meteorological observer. When George Landells resigned after a dispute with Burke (some sources say Burke fired Landells), Wills was then appointed second-in-command.
During Burke and Wills' expedition, they used both horses and camels.
The expedition of Burke and Wills set out on Monday, 20 August 1860, leaving from Royal Park, Melbourne, Victoria.
Australian explorers Burke and Wills departed on their expedition on Monday, 20 August 1860, from Royal Park, Melbourne.
Burke and Wills departed Melbourne on 20 August 1860. Burke is believed to have died on 30 June 1861, and Wills a few days later. Therefore, their expedition was just over ten months long.
There were no long-term effects of the Burke and Wills expedition. The expedition did not result in the discovery of any new good land; it did not allow for the establishment of new transport routes across the inland; the track taken by Burke and Wills was not the route eventually followed by the Overland Telegraph Line, which was the main purpose of the expedition.
Burke and Wills made their ill-fated expedition to cross the Australian continent in 1860-1861.
Robert O'Hara Burke and William Wills left Melbourne on Monday, 20 August 1860.
They went on a expedition together for money/gold