Burke and Wills

The triumph and tragedy of Australia's most famous explorers

By: Peter FitzSimons

Narrated by: Michael Carman

'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, Charley Gray 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.

Critic reviews

FitzSimons brings this story of failure, curiosity and heroism alive in a compelling read.

great book a little slow to begin with.

I found the earlier parts a little slow but then the overall story and how I was told was very engaging I would recommend this to anybody who wants to know about Australian history

Bravery and wisdom.

The story of Burke and Wills is an amazing account of a true expedition to journey through the centre of Australia in 1860. There are many characters involved but large degree Grey between the heroes and villians. Misfortune and mismanagement frequently hound the expedition. Add to this a touch of the exotic, with the young nation drawing upon different nationalities to accompany the expedition. Not to forget the somewhat novel use of camels, as well as the frequent interactions with the natives. Loved every word of this book, and was rewarded by the extensive coverage given to the Royall Commision afterwards, further analysing the many failures of communication and management, that led to Burke and Wills being abandoned. As for King, there's a character who clearly suffered depression following his rescue.
If you've never read about the story of Burke and Wills, then look no further than Peter FitzSimons version for a vivid and thorough account.

Recommended!

Great book. Great story. Great performance. Very very long, though, and takes a real commitment to finish!

Wonderful narrator.

Loved the camel noises. All other accents were very convincing as well! An entertaining listen.

The part about the photographs still makes me mad

I'm still stewing about the part about 3 hours from the end talking about the photographs. But aside from that the book itself is great, Interesting story I knew nothing about beforehand. The misconceptions by rescue parties searching for them about the aborigines really shows the flawed logic in a lot of the missing Leichhardt expedition theories of the same time. I feel bad for the horses and camels. I feel bad for the people. So many mistakes were made. I'm glad we have one witness to history in John King.