Burke and Wills Expedition

The Burke and Wills Expedition was originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition and its aim was to cross the continent of Australia from Melbourne on the south coast to the north coast. The expedition was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria and it became the first to cross the continent. Three men traveled 5,000 kilometres from Melbourne to the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria and then back to the Depot Camp at Cooper Creek. Seven men died in the attempt, including the leader, Robert O'Hara Burke and the third in command William John Wills. Only one of the four men who reached the north coast, John King, survived to return to Melbourne. Background In the 1850s the Gold Rush in the newly-formed colony of Victoria turned Melbourne into one of the richest cities in the world. It was the height of the Victorian Era, a time full of confidence and of an explosion of interest in science and discovery. In this decade Melbourne acquired a host of public buildings, a University, a Public Library, a Museum, a Herbarium, gas lighting in the streets and its first telegraph and railway lines. In 1854 the Philosophical Institute was founded, later to become the Royal Society of Victoria. Settlement had extended throughout Victoria, and the new colony was hungry for new land and a place in the race to explore the outback. In 1857 the Philosophical Institute appointed an Exploration Committee. In August 1858 Ambrose Kyte's anonymous offer of '1000 toward exploration was announced in the Melbourne Argus, an Exploration Fund Raising Committee was established and a decision made to import camels into Australia. By the end of 1859, the Philosophical Institute had received a Royal Charter and become the Royal Society of Victoria, and had moved into its newly built premises in La Trobe Street. 1859 was also the year of publication of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. In January 1860 the Exploration Committee produced its fourth quarterly progress report and a special report. Over '3000 had been raised and the time had come for action: the Committee was determined that the Victorian Exploring Expedition would be the first to cross the continent from South to North. Fund-raising and organisation of the Expedition began in earnest and events unfolded. Explorers Everyone knows about Burke and Wills. Some people remember the names of Gray, who died on the return journey from the Gulf, and King, who survived and returned to Melbourne. But what of the others? Robert O'Hara Burke William John Wills George Landells Dr Hermann Beckler Dr Ludwig Becker William Brahe Charley Gray John King William Wright William Patten Thomas McDonough Charles Ferguson John Drakeford Owen Cowen Henry Creber Patrick Langan Dost Mahomet Robert Fletcher Explorers 150th anniversary In 2010, the Royal Society of Victoria instigated and coordinated a range of projects to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Victorian Exploring Expedition, now better known as the Burke and Wills Expedition. These commemoration activities continued into 2011 and beyond, and some are still in progress. A website was set up to advertise and promote the commemoration activities. Over time, it has become a record of all the events that have taken place. Burke and Wills Memorial by Charles Summers, 1865 (Seen above) The Burke and Wills memorial (1865) is the oldest and most historically significant piece of public art in Melbourne After almost a decade out of public view, in late 2026 the Burke and Wills monument will be found at Exhibition Street Reserve*. Map - Exhibition Street Reserve * City Of Melbourne noted the location was across the road from the Royal Society of Victoria, the organisation that sponsored their ill-fated expedition. Not true!