Burkes Death

After resting for a couple of days on Cooper Creek at the "Dig Tree", on 23 Apr, Burke, Wills and King set off for Mount Hopeless, over 300kms south west.
And hopeless it was. Burke died under this tree on the banks of Cooper Creek some 70kms from the Dig Tree on 29/30 Jun 1861.

If you wanted to write a handbook about how not to lead an expedition of discovery, you would surely get Robert O'Hara Burke to write it. It was doomed from the day he started planning it. As one historian has commented "Perhaps the most striking thing about the Burke and Wills expedition is not that it failed, but how close it came to success".

No need to comment - just telling a story

See the background to this series of postings at http://365project.org/terryliv/365/2015-08-12

[Margo]

Very interesting history, thanks for showing us

[Jane Anderson]

I wonder if anyone back then had any idea of the temperatures they would encounter.

[Denise Wood]

It's certainly an amazing piece of history for us. Pleased to see the tree is still there :)

[ShirleyB]

Lovely to read this interesting story. Love the shape of this tree and the light on it

[pam]

wonderful tree!!!!

[Babs]

Interesting piece of history

[Irene Marshall]

Thanks for the history lesson super tree.

[Peter Grave]

Nice series Terry.Did this at school.