Why were Burke and Wills famous?

Answer 1

Burke and Wills did not actually find anything of value on their arduous trek across Australia's inland. They found no new rivers and no new pasture land. Their greatest claim to fame is the unfortunate fact that they embarked upon the biggest, most expensive expedition in Australia's history, and due to Burke's impatience, it ended up the most disastrous, with the loss of three lives.

Answer 2

Robert O'Hara Burke and William Wills were Australian explorers. They led the expedition that was supposed to bring fame and prestige to Victoria: being the first to cross Australia from south to north and back again.

They left from Melbourne in August 1860, farewelled by around 15,000 people. The exploration party was very well equipped, and the cost of the expedition almost 5,000 pounds. This was a disadvantage, however. Because of the size of the exploration party, it was split at Menindee so that Burke could push ahead to the Gulf of Carpentaria with a smaller party. The smaller group stayed to establish the depot which would serve to offer the necessary provisions for when the men returned from the Gulf. In November 1860, Burke and Wills first reached Cooper Creek. From here, they made several shorter trips to the north, but were forced back each time by waterless country and extreme temperatures. It was not until December 16 that Burke decided to push on ahead to the Gulf, regardless of the risks and the searing summer temperatures.

In February 1861, a small party consisting of Burke, Wills, King and Gray finally reached the northern coast. Crossing extensive marshes, they came to a salt tidal channel surrounded by mangroves, which prevented them from either seeing or reaching the sea. The group immediately turned around and began the long and arduous trip back to Cooper Creek - a trip which Gray never completed. Burke and Wills themselves perished in mid 1861. Only King survived, aided by Aborigines, to tell the tale of their journey.

Answer 3

The expedition of Burke and Wills was one of the largest to ever be undertaken in Australian history - and one of the most tragic.

Robert O'Hara Burke, with William Wills appointed second-in-command, led the 1860-61 expedition to try to cross Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north - and back again. Their party was very well equipped and, because of its size, was split at Menindee so that Burke could race ahead to the Gulf of Carpentaria with a smaller group. Part of this smaller group established a depot at Cooper Creek to stock provisions for when the explorers returned from the Gulf. Burke chose the wrong tim,e of year to make the push for the north, leaving in December 1860 - Australia's summer. He took with him Wills, Charles Gray and John King.

The expedition to the Gulf took much longer than Burke expected: when he returned to Cooper Creek, he found that the relief party had left just seven hours earlier, which was actually less than how much time it had taken to bury Gray, who had died on the return journey. Through poor judgement, lack of observation and a series of miscommunications, Burke and Wills never met up with the relief party. They perished on the banks of Cooper Creek. King alone survived to lead the rescue party to the remains of Burke and Wills, and the failure of one of the most elaborately planned expeditions in Australia's history.

Burke and Wills, whilst possibly the first to actually cross the continent, essentially lost the race to John MacDougall Stuart who crossed Australia on his third attempt and returned alive.

Answer 4

They were Australian explorers, and infamous for the fact that they died.

Robert O'Hara Burke and William Wills led the expedition that was supposed to bring fame and prestige to Victoria: being the first to cross Australia from south to north and back again. Burke, with Wills appointed second-in-command, led the 1860-61 expedition to try to cross Australia from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The party travelled via Menindee and Cooper Creek before pushing on to the Gulf.

They left from Melbourne in August 1860, farewelled by around 15,000 people. The exploration party was very well equipped, and the cost of the expedition almost 5,000 pounds. This was a disadvantage, however. Because of the size of the exploration party, it was split at Menindee so that Burke could push ahead to the Gulf of Carpentaria with a smaller party. The smaller group stayed to establish the depot which would serve to offer the necessary provisions for when the men returned from the Gulf. In November 1860, Burke and Wills first reached Cooper Creek. From here, they made several shorter trips to the north, but were forced back each time by waterless country and extreme temperatures. It was not until December 16 that Burke decided to push on ahead to the Gulf, regardless of the risks and the searing summer temperatures.

In February 1861, a small party consisting of Burke, Wills, King and Gray finally reached the northern coast. Crossing extensive marshes, they came to a salt tidal channel surrounded by mangroves, which prevented them from either seeing or reaching the sea. The group immediately turned around and began the long and arduous trip back to Cooper Creek - a trip which Gray never completed. Burke and Wills themselves perished in mid 1861. Only King survived, aided by Aborigines, to tell the tale of their journey.

The greatest claim to fame of Burke and Wills is the unfortunate fact that they embarked upon the biggest, most expensive expedition in Australia's history, and due to Burke's impatience, it ended up the most disastrous, with the loss of three lives.

Answer 5

The expedition of Burke and Wills set out on Monday, 20 August 1860, leaving from Royal Park, Melbourne, Victoriaand was farewelled by around 15,000 people lining the streets of the city.

Answer 6

Burke and Wills were the first explorers to cross the Australian desert from the south coast, to reach the Gulf on foot. However, they did not survive the trek all the way back, both dying in the desert from starvation, so it cannot be said they were the first to cross Australian and back.

Burke and Wills did not actually find anything of value on their arduous trek across Australia's inland. Their greatest claim to fame is the unfortunate fact that they embarked upon the biggest, most expensive expedition in Australia's history, and due to Burke's impatience, it ended up the most disastrous, with the loss of three lives.

Answer 7

The Burke and Wills expedition had the potential to be very important to the state of Victoria. 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.

This would provide a very important link for Australia to the rest of the world, and Victoria wanted to be the first state to receive overseas news, as this would be a psychological advantage for the state. It also could have been the winning card to tip the authorities in favour of making Melbourne Australia's national capital in the future, over the larger and older Sydney (as it was, neither Melbourne nor Sydney was chosen).

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. In the end, due to their premature deaths, the Burke and Wills expedition sadly had no lasting importance or significance for Australia, except in history books.

Answer 8

Not a lot happened in 1858. The Burke and Wills expedition only departed Melbourne in 1860. In 1861, both men died without managing to return all the way to Melbourne.

Burke and Wills led the expedition that was supposed to bring fame and prestige to Victoria: being the first to cross Australia from south to north and back again.

They left from Melbourne in August 1860, farewelled by around 15,000 people. The exploration party was very well equipped, and the cost of the expedition almost 5,000 pounds. This was a disadvantage, however. Because of the size of the exploration party, it was split at Menindee so that Burke could push ahead to the Gulf of Carpentaria with a smaller party. The smaller group stayed to establish the depot which would serve to offer the necessary provisions for when the men returned from the Gulf. In November 1860, Burke and Wills first reached Cooper Creek. From here, they made several shorter trips to the north, but were forced back each time by waterless country and extreme temperatures. It was not until December 16 that Burke decided to push on ahead to the Gulf, regardless of the risks and the searing summer temperatures.

In February 1861, a small party consisting of Burke, Wills, King and Gray finally reached the northern coast. Crossing extensive marshes, they came to a salt tidal channel surrounded by mangroves, which prevented them from either seeing or reaching the sea. The group immediately turned around and began the long and arduous trip back to Cooper Creek - a trip which Gray never completed. Burke and Wills themselves perished in mid 1861. Only King survived, aided by Aborigines, to tell the tale of their journey. Burke and Wills died primarily from Nardoo poisoning, not understanding the correct way to prepare the plant pods, but their secondary cause of death was starvation.

Answer 9

Burke and Wills took both horses and camels on their exploration.