Robert O’Hara Burke

Robert O’Hara Burke (1820-1861), Irish explorer who was one of the first Europeans to cross Australia from south to north, although in doing so he died. Born in Galway County, Burke was educated at the Royal Military Academy in England. In 1840 he joined the Austrian army, and in 1848 he served with the Irish Constabulary (a police force). In 1853 he immigrated to southeastern Australia, where he rose to become superintendent of police in the colony of Victoria. The Victorian government later appointed Burke and William John Wills to forge a route for the overland telegraph. The route was to travel from the city of Melbourne on the southern coast to the Gulf of Carpentaria on the northern coast. Neither Burke nor Wills had experience exploring the Australian bush (wilderness).

The expedition, with between 15 and 18 men, left Melbourne in August 1860 with a pack of camels and horses. The party soon split into two groups, with an advance party leading and a main party trailing. In mid-October Burke’s advance party pressed on to Cooper Creek, in the arid heart of east central Australia. There, they established a supply depot. The rest of the party stayed at the depot while Burke, Wills, and fellow explorers John King and Charles Gray headed for the Gulf of Carpentaria. Swamps prevented Burke’s group from reaching the shore of the gulf, but the saltwater and tide they encountered proved they had reached the sea. The return journey, begun on February 13, 1861, was a nightmare of constant rain and dwindling rations. Gray died on April 17. Four days later Burke, Wills, and King reached Cooper Creek to find that the party at the depot had left only hours before. The three men tried to reach a nearby cattle ranch. Although they received help from local Aboriginal people, Burke and Wills died at the end of June. Only King survived.