Interactive Map of Burke/Wills Exploration of the Interior of Australia - 1860

Click here to speed up viewing this map, it will take you to the original Google Map, complete with legend.

Read the
eBook here.

In this documentary, in the form of an interactive map, you can zoom in on the 1860-61 Burke and Wills expedition of the Australian Interior. A tragic situation where mismanagement, poor planning, impatience, fate, and extreme weather conditions led to the deaths of the lead team of explorers, the public disgrace of many of the surviving support team; and how only one hour's wait by the support team could have saved the last three explorers who died. Unlike most maps, this map enables you to digitally experience the expedition and zoom in close on each location while you read the  eBook online. Each location is referenced and quoted from the book written by John Wills' father, who managed to retrieve the expedition's journals.

The locations in this map are determined from William John Wills' book:  A successful exploration through the interior of Australia: from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Gutenburg Burke/Wills map I found at Gutenburg.net, a Burke/Wills map associated with the book, and Burke and Will Expedition Wikipedia page. Many of the locations in the outback required the use of the coordinates listed in the book in order to find the locations. 


Digitally walk this expedition in a Google Earth KML file.


See Contradictions regarding the Burke and Wills Expedition about how many different interpretations there are about the course traveled.

Location #19 / Cooper's Creek Camp 65 / Page 153:
“The accompanying tracing will show the course taken by the expedition party from the Torowoto Swamp in latitude 30° 1’ 30” S., long 142° 36' E., to the depôt on Cooper's Creek Camp 65 latitude 27°37’ 8” S., longitude 141° 6’ E."

The 250-year old Dig Tree and its Monument
atCooper's Creek can been seen in this Google Map.

The return journey.

Please see our Site Map for more interactive maps on explorers and conquerors.


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Potential Student Class Assignment: Contradictions in history
Have your students compare the above map of the Burke and Wills Expedition and the Contradictions regarding the Burke and Wills Expedition, research the issues presented, and write about how they feel about the reliability and truthfulness of the information available on the Internet, including mine.



More Class Assignments.