ROBERT O'HARA BURKE

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© Mountain Tracks

In 1860 Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led a party of sixteen men from Melbourne on an expedition to cross Australia from south to north. After establishing a base camp at Cooper's Creek, Burke, Wills and two companions, King and Gray, continued north through western Queensland. The Gulf of Carpentaria was finally reached in February 1861. On the return journey, Gray died of dysentery and the remaining three explorers arrived back at Cooper's Creek on the very day the base camp had been abandoned. Burke and Wills survived in the area for another two months before dying. John King was later found alive by a search party, having been assisted by Aboriginals.

Two years before this fateful journey, Burke fell in love with a fifteen year old actress named Julia Mathews. She was performing at Beechworth where Burke was a senior inspector of police. He attended all her performances over a three week period, followed her around the countryside and unsuccessfully proposed marriage to her. Before leaving on his expedition for the Gulf, Burke gave Julia a bracelet which featured a miniature photograph of himself. He also made a will which left all his possessions to her. In a final letter to his sister written while on the expedition, Burke cancelled this will. And what happened to the bracelet? Julia claimed to have lost it in Melbourne's Botanical Gardens in 1861.

© Mountain Tracks