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Burke and Wills : the triumph and tragedy of Australia's most famous explorers /

Burke and Wills : the triumph and tragedy of Australia's most famous explorers /
Item Information
Shelf Location Collection Volume Ref. Branch Status Due Date Res.
994.03 FITZ
Non Fiction   Bateau Bay Library . . Available .  
994.03 FITZ
Non Fiction   Kincumber Library . . On Loan . 11 Apr 2024
994.03 FITZ
Non Fiction   Toukley Library . . Available .  
994.03 FITZ
Non Fiction   Tuggerah Library . . Available .  
. Catalogue Record 637520 ItemInfo Beginning of record . Catalogue Record 637520 ItemInfo Top of page .
Catalogue Information
Field name Details
Author FitzSimons, Peter, 1961- author.
Title Burke and Wills : the triumph and tragedy of Australia's most famous explorers / Peter Fitzsimons.
Published Sydney, N.S.W.
Hachette Australia,
2017.
Description 700 pages.
Summary 'They have left here today!' he calls to the others. When King puts his hand down above the ashes of the fire, it is to find it still hot. There is even a tiny flame flickering from the end of one log. They must have left just hours ago. MELBOURNE, 20 AUGUST 1860. In an ambitious quest to be the first Europeans to cross the harsh Australian continent, the Victorian Exploring Expedition sets off, farewelled by 15,000 cheering well-wishers. Led by Robert O'Hara Burke, a brave man totally lacking in the bush skills necessary for his task; surveyor and meteorologist William Wills; and 17 others, the expedition took 20 tons of equipment carried on six wagons, 23 horses and 26 camels. Almost immediately plagued by disputes and sackings, the expeditioners battled the extremes of the Australian landscape and weather: its deserts, the boggy mangrove swamps of the Gulf, the searing heat and flooding rains. Food ran short and, unable to live off the land, the men nevertheless mostly spurned the offers of help from the local Indigenous people. In desperation, leaving the rest of the party at the expedition's depot on Coopers Creek, Burke, Wills and John King made a dash for the Gulf in December 1860. Bad luck and bad management would see them miss by just hours a rendezvous back at Coopers Creek, leaving them stranded in the wilderness with practically no supplies. Only King survived to tell the tale. Yet, despite their tragic fates, the names of Burke and Wills have become synonymous with perseverance and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. They live on in our nation's history - and their story remains immediate and compelling.
Notes Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subjects Burke, Robert O'Hara, -- 1821-1861 -- Travel -- Australia
Wills, William John, -- 1834-1861 -- Travel -- Australia
Burke and Wills Expedition(1860-1861)
Explorers -- Australia -- Biography
Wilderness survival -- Australia -- History -- 19th century
Australia -- Discovery and exploration -- 1851-1900
Catalogue Information 637520 Beginning of record . Catalogue Information 637520 Top of page .