Robert O'Hara Burke was born in Ireland in 1821 and served in the Austrian Army until 1848 when he joined the Irish police force. In 1853, he emigrated to Tasmania and later worked in Victoria as Superintendant of Police at Castlemaine. William John Wills, doctor and surveyor, was born in Devon in 1834 and arrived in Melbourne in 1853. He was employed with the Surveyor of Crown Lands. Burke with Wills led an expedition to find a south-north route across the Australian continent. They left Melbourne on 20 August 1860. At the Darling River, they were joined by William Wright and Charles Gray who led them to Coopers Creek where a base camp was established.
Rather than wait for additional supplies Burke decided to leave for the Gulf of Carpentaria with only William Wills, John King and Charles Gray. Terrain, heat and poor health impeded the return from the Gulf which they had reached on 11 February, 1861. The party at base camp left after burying supplies near a tree on which they carved the instruction "Dig". Burke, Wills and King made it back to the camp, Gray having died on the return trip from the Gulf, but did not find the tree. Burke and Wills perished two months later. King, who had been helped by the Aboriginals, was rescued and returned to Melbourne.
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