Robert O'Hara Burke

Robert O'Hara Burke ( * 1821 in St. Clerans, County Galway, Ireland, † June 30, 1861 at Cooper Creek, South Australia ) was a police officer in Melbourne. He was the leader of the first south-north crossing of Australia from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria by Europeans 1860/61.

Life

Burke was an officer in the Austrian cavalry, then served with the Irish police and emigrated in 1853 to Australia. There he became police commissioner in Melbourne, which had become rich by gold discoveries at this time and quickly grew.

After Augustus Gregory had explored the interior of Australia in 1858, a committee was formed to prepare an expedition to cross the continent in Melbourne. Gregory should be the leader of the expedition, but declined. Then sought the committee by a newspaper ad expedition leader. Under fifteen candidates Burke was chosen, although it had no expedition experience, but through his charming and extravagant way the committee was able to see obviously.

→ Main article: Expedition of Burke and Wills

The expedition left Melbourne on 20 August with a total of 19 participants, 27 Australian camels and 23 horses. Back in March, was broken up in Adelaide John McDouall Stuart to be the first to reach the North Coast. For political reasons, the crossing of Australia to race between the states South Australia and Victoria was. Both colonies wanted a port on the north coast to trade with Asia can and they wanted a telegraph line directly to their capitals, which had promised them great influence.

Already in the early stages there were differences in the expedition team, so that Burke's deputy, George James Landells, resigned and returned to Melbourne, which William John Wills was deputy leader of the expedition. In October they reached Menindee, a small settlement on the Darling River. The Australian midsummer was imminent, and the team was undecided whether it should move on. Burke told the troops into two parts and went ahead with a few men. In addition to Wills, these were Charlie Gray, John King, William Brahe and experienced the bush William Wright. They moved across the plane from Broken Hill and past the Aboriginal sanctuary Mootwingee.

On October 29, Burke Wright sent back to Menindee to bring the rest of the team. Burke and his men arrived on November 11, the Cooper Creek, where they pitched camp and waited for Wright. When they get there is still no sign of life after over a month, Burke, Wills, King and Gray moved on 16 December northwards. Brahe remained in the camp, to wait for Wright.

After a long and arduous march they reached on 10 February a river, the Flinders River, whose water tasted salty. This they took as evidence that they were in the vicinity of its confluence with the Gulf of Carpentaria. So they had reached their destination - the first because Stuart, Burke's rival, had to give up. The mangrove swamps along the coast prevented, however, that they got the sea to face. Therefore, they came on 12 February at the back.

The way back was even more difficult than the way there. They had to slaughter their horse and four of their camels. On April 17, one of the men died, Charlie Gray. Four days later they reached their camp at Cooper Creek. There, they discovered that the fire place that took the other group was still warm. So you had to have gone on that day only. A message from Brahe, carved into a tree, gave the indication that Wright never showed up and Brahe had left with his group the bin after such a long time to draw southward.

Since they had the other group never caught up (they were after thousands of kilometers across the desert far slower than the others), decided Burke, Wills and King the Cooper Creek to the southwest for 240 kilometers distant police station Mount Hopeless to follow. The road became a death march. On June 29, had the moribund Wills leave to get help King and Burke. Move collapsed Burke and died from hunger and heat probably early the next morning. King then returned to Will's back and found him dead too King himself was rescued by Aborigines and discovered on September 15 at Cooper Creek from a rescue team led by Alfred William Howitt from Melbourne.