1860. Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, with a well equipped party of fifteen men and Aboriginal support, left Melbourne to attempt -- successfully -- to cross the Australian continent from south to north.
The expedition had two springboards along the way:
Menindee: (on the Darling River) where Burke left half his party (eight men) with most of the stores. Under Wright, these were to follow Burke with the main supplies to establish a permanent depot on the next station at...
... Cooper's Creek: (some 700 kilometres from Menindee) where Burke again divided his half of the party and, taking three men with him -- Gray was to die on the way back -- succeeded in the crossing.
Meantime he left Brahe in charge until Wright arrived up from Menindee with the main stores and the other men. But Wright did not arrive. And, after waiting four months with no sign of either Burke or Wright, Brahe left... nine hours before Burke, Wills and King arrived back in advanced stages of exhaustion.
Burke and Wills died of malnutrition two months later. King survived, and was picked up five months later.
Brahe was in the rescue party.
Reed, Bill: - Bill Reed is a novelist, playwright and short-story writer. He was born in Perth, Australia, but grew up in Adelaide and Melbourne, where he is better known as a local author. His nine professionally-produced plays include Burke's Company, Mr Siggie Morrison with his Comb and Paper, Truganinni, Cass Butcher Bunting. These plays have also been published. His twelve novels have included Dogod, The 1001 Lankan Nights books 1 and 2, Me the Old Man, and the novel tetralogy Throw Her Back, Are Your Human?, Awash and Tasker Tusker Tasker. The Australian Script Centre has accepted 32 of his plays of various genres for listing and purchase through its official website Australianplays.org. He has worked as editor and journalist both in Australia and overseas. In Australia he has been Publishing Manager of such major book-publishing houses as Rigby, A.H. and A.W. Reed, and the Macmillan Company of Australia. His novel Stigmata won the Fellowship of Australian Writers' ANA award. Among his awards for drama are Critics Choice and The Alexander Theatre Award for Burke's Company and Cass Butcher Bunting. He has won national competitions in all three categories of drama, novels and short stories, including the National Short Story Award. He now divides his time between his native Australia and Sri Lanka.
