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The Dig Tree
A gripping retelling of the ill-fated journey of Burke and Wills.
In 1860 an eccentric Irish police officer named Robert O'Hara Burke led a cavalcade of camels, wagons and men out of Melbourne. Accompanied by William Wills, a shy but ambitious English scientist, he was prepared to risk everything to become the first European to cross the Australian continent.
A few months later an ancient coolibah tree at Cooper Creek, in central Australia, bore a strange carving: 'Dig Under 3ft NW.' Burke, Wills and five other men were dead. The expedition had become an astonishing tragedy-and its leaders were quickly lionised.
In 1860 an eccentric Irish police officer named Robert O'Hara Burke led a cavalcade of camels, wagons and men out of Melbourne. Accompanied by William Wills, a shy but ambitious English scientist, he was prepared to risk everything to become the first European to cross the Australian continent.
A few months later an ancient coolibah tree at Cooper Creek, in central Australia, bore a strange carving: 'Dig Under 3ft NW.' Burke, Wills and five other men were dead. The expedition had become an astonishing tragedy-and its leaders were quickly lionised.
Sarah Murgatroyd reveals new historical and scientific evidence to tell the story of the disaster, with all its heroism and romance, its discoveries, coincidences and lost opportunities. 'The Dig Tree' is a gripping account of one of Australia's most notorious events.
'A masterpiece of exploration history-entertaining, trenchant, a marvel.' - National Geographic
489 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2002
35 people are currently reading
1296 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Murgatroyd
2 books5 followersSarah Murgatroyd was born in England in 1967, and grew up on a farm in Sussex.
After a year spent wandering through China, India and the Himalayas, she gained an honours degree in philosophy and literature at Warwick University and then studied broadcast journalism at Cardiff University.
Murgatroyd’s journalism career began with local radio in Bournemouth; it was interrupted by her diagnosis with breast cancer at the age of twenty-five. She entered a stage of aggressive treatment and then, in her unstoppable way, joined the BBC Radio 5 Live network.
In 1993, she resigned and moved to Australia with her future husband. She travelled extensively, providing news and current affairs coverage for the BBC. To research The Dig Tree, Murgatroyd retraced the footsteps of Burke and Wills. Under normal circumstances this is a difficult journey but she completed it three times while enduring chronic pain. She carried an emergency jar of morphine with her on her travels.
Sarah Murgatroyd died of cancer in March 2002, a few weeks after The Dig Tree was published to universal acclaim.
Source: http://textpublishing.com.au/books-an...
After a year spent wandering through China, India and the Himalayas, she gained an honours degree in philosophy and literature at Warwick University and then studied broadcast journalism at Cardiff University.
Murgatroyd’s journalism career began with local radio in Bournemouth; it was interrupted by her diagnosis with breast cancer at the age of twenty-five. She entered a stage of aggressive treatment and then, in her unstoppable way, joined the BBC Radio 5 Live network.
In 1993, she resigned and moved to Australia with her future husband. She travelled extensively, providing news and current affairs coverage for the BBC. To research The Dig Tree, Murgatroyd retraced the footsteps of Burke and Wills. Under normal circumstances this is a difficult journey but she completed it three times while enduring chronic pain. She carried an emergency jar of morphine with her on her travels.
Sarah Murgatroyd died of cancer in March 2002, a few weeks after The Dig Tree was published to universal acclaim.
Source: http://textpublishing.com.au/books-an...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
September 24, 2018
This was a fantastic book. Like most Australians I 'know of' the expedition of Burke and Wills, the amazing explorers who were the first to cross and map the interior of Australia all the way to the gulf. Like many modern Australians I had hints that these guys were not quite the amazing heroes 1860's Victoria painted them, because early colonists were starved for heroes and tended to get carried away, but I thought they still did something pretty noteworthy.
How wrong I was; I knew nothing.
In this book the author takes us, with brutal honesty through the less well known facts about the expedition. With brief sketches of the political situation and the rivalry between Victoria and South Australia which helped fuel the 'Race' between the Victorian expedition led by the inexperience,d unqualified Burke, and the very experienced Stuart from South Australia.
This book is beautifully researched and (for me) perfectly written, I can't even quite explain why I enjoyed the actual writing style as much as I did, but with historical or factual books I normally need to take breaks from them, to absorb the details. This book I mostly didn't want to put down. The writing also managed to capture that ineffable element of traveling in the interiors of Australia, I was impressed. It is hard to explain to someone who has not, just how vast, empty, lonely and downright dangerous the interior can be. It has mercurial weather and even these days, with roads and cars and maps it can be unbelievably remote. The way it can get into some peoples soul and lodge there, while leaving others completely unmoved, is also mentioned.
For people who have never heard of, or read much about this expedition I suspect this book will be a revelation, as it was for me - also it is rather like watching a train wreck happen in slow motion, more than a bit disturbing but utterly fascinating at the same time.
For people who know more about the events, and genuinely respect Burke and Wills, this book will probably be enraging as it starkly condemns Burke's lack of planning and leadership. While they did cross the desert to the gulf, the waste and the many deaths make it feel like a fail and the response of the Victorians , well I will just let you read it yourself, because it is incredible and Sarah Murgatroyd tells it way better than I can.
As someone interested in art, the images captured by the poor maligned and mistreated artist of the expedition Ludwig Becker, are fascinating and entrancing, they perfectly capture the sense of the interior of Australia and the plates in the book, both colour and black and white enhance the story.
The final chapter of the expedition, which revolve around the DIG tree of the title are a little breath taking. One KNOWS what the out come was! It is history after all, but the events still kept me on the edge of my seat as they unfolded.
Very glad I read it, recommend it especially to anyone interested in Australian Colonial history or traveling in outback Australia: Very good capture of the Australian deserts, now dammit, I want to drop everything and go on another long road trip, maybe in the tracks of Burke and Wills, only without the mismanagement and the dying.
How wrong I was; I knew nothing.
In this book the author takes us, with brutal honesty through the less well known facts about the expedition. With brief sketches of the political situation and the rivalry between Victoria and South Australia which helped fuel the 'Race' between the Victorian expedition led by the inexperience,d unqualified Burke, and the very experienced Stuart from South Australia.
This book is beautifully researched and (for me) perfectly written, I can't even quite explain why I enjoyed the actual writing style as much as I did, but with historical or factual books I normally need to take breaks from them, to absorb the details. This book I mostly didn't want to put down. The writing also managed to capture that ineffable element of traveling in the interiors of Australia, I was impressed. It is hard to explain to someone who has not, just how vast, empty, lonely and downright dangerous the interior can be. It has mercurial weather and even these days, with roads and cars and maps it can be unbelievably remote. The way it can get into some peoples soul and lodge there, while leaving others completely unmoved, is also mentioned.
For people who have never heard of, or read much about this expedition I suspect this book will be a revelation, as it was for me - also it is rather like watching a train wreck happen in slow motion, more than a bit disturbing but utterly fascinating at the same time.
For people who know more about the events, and genuinely respect Burke and Wills, this book will probably be enraging as it starkly condemns Burke's lack of planning and leadership. While they did cross the desert to the gulf, the waste and the many deaths make it feel like a fail and the response of the Victorians , well I will just let you read it yourself, because it is incredible and Sarah Murgatroyd tells it way better than I can.
As someone interested in art, the images captured by the poor maligned and mistreated artist of the expedition Ludwig Becker, are fascinating and entrancing, they perfectly capture the sense of the interior of Australia and the plates in the book, both colour and black and white enhance the story.
The final chapter of the expedition, which revolve around the DIG tree of the title are a little breath taking. One KNOWS what the out come was! It is history after all, but the events still kept me on the edge of my seat as they unfolded.
Very glad I read it, recommend it especially to anyone interested in Australian Colonial history or traveling in outback Australia: Very good capture of the Australian deserts, now dammit, I want to drop everything and go on another long road trip, maybe in the tracks of Burke and Wills, only without the mismanagement and the dying.
March 14, 2019
Easy to rate - I thought it was great, and give it 4.5 stars, settling for 4 - harder to wrap a review around it.
Murgatroyd does a great job of distilling out the information and presenting it in a readable narrative, with a simple time-line, and isolating out those facts which can't be proven beyond speculation clearly so that all the relevant detail can be absorbed. It has excellent pace, and a very well managed structure so as not to bog the reader down in possibilities and variables (except where necessary).
It tells not only the story of Burke and Wills, and their expedition, but extensively deals with Stuarts various expeditions happening concurrently with B&W. This was handled masterfully, as it had the potential to be a complex and confusing mess. Added to these, the start of the book (and also the end) tell of the relevant exploring and expeditions which occurred before (and after) the 1860 expedition.
This book exposes the rivalry between the individual states of Victoria and South Australia battling for the overland telegraph route - and the political manipulating behind the scenes. It shows the Victoria Philosophical Institute (which became the Royal Society of Victoria), the Exploration Committee, and the Exploration Fund Committee as being inept, factional, having personal or hidden agenda, and lacking in adequate process. Similarly it exposes the poor planning and inadequacy of the expedition team, its instructions and the equipment. Burke seemed to utilise a divide and rule process - putting on the outer those he meant to remove from the expedition (eg the scientists, the artist, etc), and to turn the expedition into a footrace.
The best example of the poor planning is the shear volume of equipment they collected, without sufficient camels, horses and wagons to transport it. Nevertheless they hired extra and transported it part of the way, only to leave a lot behind and sell other parts. The confusion of the rescue party when they viewed those items left behind (medicine, limejuice etc), when they took items unnecessary (only to abandon them later) showed how out of their depth the Committee and the expedition leaders were.
The miracle, if anything, is how close they were to succeeding, despite the lack of organisation.
There is a sad side to the story too. Despite his flaws, Burke was a driven man who, wills wills and King, achieved incredible feats of endurance (despite marking it incredibly hard for themselves), and only through some quirks in communication, were not saved and able to make their way back with William Wrights backup team to what would likely have been the glory Burke was seeking. Wills also proved incredibly hardy, despite all odds. The sadness of dying of starvation, and not thirst in a place with so many realistic options to provide food - the Aboriginals even fed them for a long period before tiring of them - all they needed to do was learn.
So with a sad end to the expedition, the book turns to the enquiry into the expedition, and to the scapegoat who takes the lions share of the blame - very unfairly. Meanwhile the Committee get mild rebuke, and Burke and Wills maintain a heroic standing.
It is a great read, and well worth seeking out for those with an interest in Australian history, exploration and expeditions in the 1860s, or just a train wreck rolling out in slow motion.
Murgatroyd does a great job of distilling out the information and presenting it in a readable narrative, with a simple time-line, and isolating out those facts which can't be proven beyond speculation clearly so that all the relevant detail can be absorbed. It has excellent pace, and a very well managed structure so as not to bog the reader down in possibilities and variables (except where necessary).
It tells not only the story of Burke and Wills, and their expedition, but extensively deals with Stuarts various expeditions happening concurrently with B&W. This was handled masterfully, as it had the potential to be a complex and confusing mess. Added to these, the start of the book (and also the end) tell of the relevant exploring and expeditions which occurred before (and after) the 1860 expedition.
This book exposes the rivalry between the individual states of Victoria and South Australia battling for the overland telegraph route - and the political manipulating behind the scenes. It shows the Victoria Philosophical Institute (which became the Royal Society of Victoria), the Exploration Committee, and the Exploration Fund Committee as being inept, factional, having personal or hidden agenda, and lacking in adequate process. Similarly it exposes the poor planning and inadequacy of the expedition team, its instructions and the equipment. Burke seemed to utilise a divide and rule process - putting on the outer those he meant to remove from the expedition (eg the scientists, the artist, etc), and to turn the expedition into a footrace.
The best example of the poor planning is the shear volume of equipment they collected, without sufficient camels, horses and wagons to transport it. Nevertheless they hired extra and transported it part of the way, only to leave a lot behind and sell other parts. The confusion of the rescue party when they viewed those items left behind (medicine, limejuice etc), when they took items unnecessary (only to abandon them later) showed how out of their depth the Committee and the expedition leaders were.
The miracle, if anything, is how close they were to succeeding, despite the lack of organisation.
There is a sad side to the story too. Despite his flaws, Burke was a driven man who, wills wills and King, achieved incredible feats of endurance (despite marking it incredibly hard for themselves), and only through some quirks in communication, were not saved and able to make their way back with William Wrights backup team to what would likely have been the glory Burke was seeking. Wills also proved incredibly hardy, despite all odds. The sadness of dying of starvation, and not thirst in a place with so many realistic options to provide food - the Aboriginals even fed them for a long period before tiring of them - all they needed to do was learn.
So with a sad end to the expedition, the book turns to the enquiry into the expedition, and to the scapegoat who takes the lions share of the blame - very unfairly. Meanwhile the Committee get mild rebuke, and Burke and Wills maintain a heroic standing.
It is a great read, and well worth seeking out for those with an interest in Australian history, exploration and expeditions in the 1860s, or just a train wreck rolling out in slow motion.
March 17, 2019
DIG. What a pity that some of the men who returned to the area of the DIG Tree did not act on the verb because it may have saved some lives. What they thought the word had been carved into the tree for is beyond me, especially when the added legend read '3 feet under'. There were supplies buried there that might have done some good to the travellers. However, it was not to be.
This book tells the story of the expedition to cross Australia from south to north, through the dangerous untamed wilderness. And to demonstrate exactly how much was dangerous and untamed, there is a map within the book that shows that something like 75% of Australia in mid-Victorian times was unexplored. And sometimes dangerous aboriginal tribes occupied much of the area.
Before Burke set out on his expedition there had been various unsuccessful attempts to make the crossing so there was a high degree of hope that the Irish policeman would lead his party all the way. Camels were imported to make the journey easier, along with the horses that were to be used, and a team was picked that were supremely confident.
Planning was detailed but the organisers had not accounted for Burke's lack of man management and lack of organisational ability. These traits were to manifest themselves on numerous occasions both on the way out and, more pertinently, on the way back.
Wills was originally third in command; he was a surveyor, astronomer, and meteorologist and was rather a shy individual. But when Burke fell out with his second in command and dismissed him, Wills was promoted. It was just as well for he was the only member of the original party who had any idea of direction!
Eventually Burke made a decision to split the party, leaving most of the members at Cooper Creek and he and three others moving on toward the north coast. Instructions were left as to how those left behind were to act and how long they should wait for Burke and his party to return. Unfortunately things did not work out; it took Burke longer than he anticipated and when he did eventually get back to what could be called base camp, his fellow explorers had gone back to Melbourne.
This left him and his colleagues, one had already died, rather stranded and they did not dig for supplies! So, unsurprisingly, it all turned out badly in the end. Burke and Wills perished but one member, John King, survived, albeit in poor shape.
When news leaked out as to what had happened expeditions went to the
outback to retrieve what was left of the bodies of the two main men. Subsequently there was a state funeral at which over 100,000 turned out and Burke was treated as a conquering hero (even though he had not actually reached the very northern coastline due to mangrove swamps).
Sarah Murgatroyd tells a magnificent tale of adventure, made all the more realistic because she actually made the journey herself on more than one occasion to do first-hand research for this absolutely enthralling and sometimes harrowing book. Sadly she died a few weeks after this book was published.
This book tells the story of the expedition to cross Australia from south to north, through the dangerous untamed wilderness. And to demonstrate exactly how much was dangerous and untamed, there is a map within the book that shows that something like 75% of Australia in mid-Victorian times was unexplored. And sometimes dangerous aboriginal tribes occupied much of the area.
Before Burke set out on his expedition there had been various unsuccessful attempts to make the crossing so there was a high degree of hope that the Irish policeman would lead his party all the way. Camels were imported to make the journey easier, along with the horses that were to be used, and a team was picked that were supremely confident.
Planning was detailed but the organisers had not accounted for Burke's lack of man management and lack of organisational ability. These traits were to manifest themselves on numerous occasions both on the way out and, more pertinently, on the way back.
Wills was originally third in command; he was a surveyor, astronomer, and meteorologist and was rather a shy individual. But when Burke fell out with his second in command and dismissed him, Wills was promoted. It was just as well for he was the only member of the original party who had any idea of direction!
Eventually Burke made a decision to split the party, leaving most of the members at Cooper Creek and he and three others moving on toward the north coast. Instructions were left as to how those left behind were to act and how long they should wait for Burke and his party to return. Unfortunately things did not work out; it took Burke longer than he anticipated and when he did eventually get back to what could be called base camp, his fellow explorers had gone back to Melbourne.
This left him and his colleagues, one had already died, rather stranded and they did not dig for supplies! So, unsurprisingly, it all turned out badly in the end. Burke and Wills perished but one member, John King, survived, albeit in poor shape.
When news leaked out as to what had happened expeditions went to the
outback to retrieve what was left of the bodies of the two main men. Subsequently there was a state funeral at which over 100,000 turned out and Burke was treated as a conquering hero (even though he had not actually reached the very northern coastline due to mangrove swamps).
Sarah Murgatroyd tells a magnificent tale of adventure, made all the more realistic because she actually made the journey herself on more than one occasion to do first-hand research for this absolutely enthralling and sometimes harrowing book. Sadly she died a few weeks after this book was published.
March 22, 2015
4.5★s
I picked up The Dig Tree: The Story of Bravery, Insanity, and the Race to Discover Australia's Wild Frontier by Sarah Murgatroyd on the spur of the moment at my local library, when I was looking for a non-fiction genre title to add to my 2015 Australian Authors challenge. This is a book of factual history, written not by an academic but by a journalist. The writing style flows easily and the language is plain English and accessible to all readers. I was surprised at how quickly I consumed the text, being rather fearful that stiff, formal academic-style writing would turn me off. Far from it, The Dig Tree is a darned good read.
Like most Australians I thought I knew the history of Burke and Wills, those intrepid heroes who set off on the quest to cross the continent, and died in the process. I am now a lot wiser about what really happened. This book goes behind the scenes to tell the real story of what transpired, and it debunks many of the cherished myths of Australian popular culture regarding Burke and Wills. For example, it opened my eyes to learn that a total of nine people perished on the expedition, not just B&W themselves. At no stage were they lost, thanks to Wills’ exceptional navigational skills, but they were abandoned by their support group. They did not die of thirst, but rather of starvation, on the banks of Cooper Creek, surrounded by abundant bush tucker and a well-nourished, supportive tribe of indigenous people. How could such a tragedy have occurred?
Murgatroyd goes behind the scenes of the decision-making in Melbourne in the late 1850s, to expose the political machinations of Victorian politicians, and to examine in detail the character and personality of Robert O’Hara Burke, the expedition leader. It helps to explain how such a well-equipped expedition could fail so spectacularly. There were lessons learned at the time, and we can all take heed of some of the outcomes for our own lives.
I picked up The Dig Tree: The Story of Bravery, Insanity, and the Race to Discover Australia's Wild Frontier by Sarah Murgatroyd on the spur of the moment at my local library, when I was looking for a non-fiction genre title to add to my 2015 Australian Authors challenge. This is a book of factual history, written not by an academic but by a journalist. The writing style flows easily and the language is plain English and accessible to all readers. I was surprised at how quickly I consumed the text, being rather fearful that stiff, formal academic-style writing would turn me off. Far from it, The Dig Tree is a darned good read.
Like most Australians I thought I knew the history of Burke and Wills, those intrepid heroes who set off on the quest to cross the continent, and died in the process. I am now a lot wiser about what really happened. This book goes behind the scenes to tell the real story of what transpired, and it debunks many of the cherished myths of Australian popular culture regarding Burke and Wills. For example, it opened my eyes to learn that a total of nine people perished on the expedition, not just B&W themselves. At no stage were they lost, thanks to Wills’ exceptional navigational skills, but they were abandoned by their support group. They did not die of thirst, but rather of starvation, on the banks of Cooper Creek, surrounded by abundant bush tucker and a well-nourished, supportive tribe of indigenous people. How could such a tragedy have occurred?
Murgatroyd goes behind the scenes of the decision-making in Melbourne in the late 1850s, to expose the political machinations of Victorian politicians, and to examine in detail the character and personality of Robert O’Hara Burke, the expedition leader. It helps to explain how such a well-equipped expedition could fail so spectacularly. There were lessons learned at the time, and we can all take heed of some of the outcomes for our own lives.
August 17, 2015
Take a committee that needs a committee to form another committee to assign a committee to decide if it needs another committee to look into the matter of funding an expedition from Melbourne, Victoria, to the North coast of Australia. Then add an ambitious, inexperienced, media hungry, hubristic expedition leader, a "team" that has no cohesion, an unclear mission direction, a naturalist who thinks the expedition has a scientific aspect and he's to document new species of Australian flora and fauna, many camels, horses, a few wagons, supplies that put the fancies of the British Empire to shame and you have all the makings of a disaster. And basically it was. The amazing thing is that the leader and his second in command, Burke and Wills, who lost their lives on the expedition (due to unclear instructions, bad decisions, and sheer bad luck) are heroes. Isn't that just the way of the world?
Murgatroyd does a marvelous job of covering the Burke-Wills expedition to cross the Australian continent, south to north, in 1860. They set off with pomp and cheers from Melbourne and one survivor of the entire (4 persons who attempted to reach the actual coast) trip arrived back, totally broken down physically and mentally. Seven of the expedition and one aborigine were killed, most of the animals died and, to top it off, the group that made the last run to the coast didn't succeed.
The journey begs comparison with both the Lewis and Clark expedition in America and the Scott expedition in Antarctica. Lewis and Clark, however, had clear directions and were both experienced. Scott's expedition more resembles it in that the leader, Robert Falcon Scott, ignored the advice of many and the experience of the few and died in the marvelous Victorian hero manner. He didn't succeed either.
Of course there's more to it than this. Victoria and South Australia were in a race to provide a route from the northern coast of Australia to their territory for a telegraph wire. Other things, of course, added to it.
But basically this is a story of a failure made heroic. I'm not sure if I agree with the heroic part. I have trouble seeing people like Scott and Burke as heroes given their part in their own demise.
But the story is fascinating and the writing impeccable. I finished the book in one day. And you have to decide whether Burke and wills were heroes.......or not.
Murgatroyd does a marvelous job of covering the Burke-Wills expedition to cross the Australian continent, south to north, in 1860. They set off with pomp and cheers from Melbourne and one survivor of the entire (4 persons who attempted to reach the actual coast) trip arrived back, totally broken down physically and mentally. Seven of the expedition and one aborigine were killed, most of the animals died and, to top it off, the group that made the last run to the coast didn't succeed.
The journey begs comparison with both the Lewis and Clark expedition in America and the Scott expedition in Antarctica. Lewis and Clark, however, had clear directions and were both experienced. Scott's expedition more resembles it in that the leader, Robert Falcon Scott, ignored the advice of many and the experience of the few and died in the marvelous Victorian hero manner. He didn't succeed either.
Of course there's more to it than this. Victoria and South Australia were in a race to provide a route from the northern coast of Australia to their territory for a telegraph wire. Other things, of course, added to it.
But basically this is a story of a failure made heroic. I'm not sure if I agree with the heroic part. I have trouble seeing people like Scott and Burke as heroes given their part in their own demise.
But the story is fascinating and the writing impeccable. I finished the book in one day. And you have to decide whether Burke and wills were heroes.......or not.
February 20, 2025
Echt een geweldig boek.
Vanaf het begin wordt je door de schrijver meegenomen in het verhaal. Niet zoals andere geschiedenisboeken droog, feitelijk en meningloos, maar als menselijke lezer. De schrijver laat soms subtiel maar ook soms minder subtiel zijn mening over evenementen en personages doorschemeren. Dit leidt niet alleen tot grappige- maar ook tot tragische momenten waardoor je het verhaal leest met een constante “oh nee, alsjeblieft niet” gedachte in je hoofd.
5 van de 5 sterren
Vanaf het begin wordt je door de schrijver meegenomen in het verhaal. Niet zoals andere geschiedenisboeken droog, feitelijk en meningloos, maar als menselijke lezer. De schrijver laat soms subtiel maar ook soms minder subtiel zijn mening over evenementen en personages doorschemeren. Dit leidt niet alleen tot grappige- maar ook tot tragische momenten waardoor je het verhaal leest met een constante “oh nee, alsjeblieft niet” gedachte in je hoofd.
5 van de 5 sterren
March 27, 2022
VERDICT: 4+ stars, bumped up to 5 as it provided much history I was unaware of. Would be a good gift book for someone fascinated with the 19th century, Australia, or early explorers.
IN SHORT: A true tale of some of Australia's first national "heroes," who in 1860 set out to explore a huge portion of the land's unknown interior--and these guys decided to use some newly-imported animals in their quest (I won't spoil the surprise; read it yourself).
It's a tale of courage, --and it's worth reading. Includes a few maps, illustrations, and photographs. There's even a minor romantic subplot, of sorts. It's a serious and dramatic tale, though there are a couple of brief humorous events along the way.
MILD ISSUES: Some portions were a bit dry, but they were relatively few. The book would have benefitted from better maps--such as one in each chapter showing in greater detail where the exploration party was at that point.
Overall a quite interesting and educational book. I also appreciated that the latter part of the book told of events after the expedition--a trial of sorts, the eventual fate of some people and their spouses, etc.
Also of interest were some details on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is a 1985 movie (PG-13) titled 'Burke & Wills' which is generally well-reviewed (6.2 stars on IMDB.com).
And also a 1985 parody/comedy (PG), titled 'Wills & Burke', somewhat lower rated, in which a young Nicole Kidman plays a minor role.
You can find more info on these and a couple of related titles by going to IMDB.com and searching for keywords "burke & wills".
IN SHORT: A true tale of some of Australia's first national "heroes," who in 1860 set out to explore a huge portion of the land's unknown interior--and these guys decided to use some newly-imported animals in their quest (I won't spoil the surprise; read it yourself).
It's a tale of courage, --and it's worth reading. Includes a few maps, illustrations, and photographs. There's even a minor romantic subplot, of sorts. It's a serious and dramatic tale, though there are a couple of brief humorous events along the way.
MILD ISSUES: Some portions were a bit dry, but they were relatively few. The book would have benefitted from better maps--such as one in each chapter showing in greater detail where the exploration party was at that point.
Overall a quite interesting and educational book. I also appreciated that the latter part of the book told of events after the expedition--a trial of sorts, the eventual fate of some people and their spouses, etc.
Also of interest were some details on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is a 1985 movie (PG-13) titled 'Burke & Wills' which is generally well-reviewed (6.2 stars on IMDB.com).
And also a 1985 parody/comedy (PG), titled 'Wills & Burke', somewhat lower rated, in which a young Nicole Kidman plays a minor role.
You can find more info on these and a couple of related titles by going to IMDB.com and searching for keywords "burke & wills".
February 22, 2017
Thoroughly researched story of Burke and Wills. In 1860 an eccentric Irish police officer Robert O'Hara Burke led a cavalcade of camels, wagons and men out of Melbourne accompanied by William Wills, a shy English scientist. Burke was prepared to risk everything to become the first European to cross the Australian continent. A few months later the expedition had become an astonishing tragedy.
Sarah Murgatroyd retraced these ill fated steps and reveals new evidence both historical and scientific to shed some light on what led to the disaster. Well written and generously illustrated throughout. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in early Australian history
Sarah Murgatroyd retraced these ill fated steps and reveals new evidence both historical and scientific to shed some light on what led to the disaster. Well written and generously illustrated throughout. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in early Australian history
February 28, 2011
Fantastic. Every Australian should read it.
March 2, 2021
Fascinating story of exploration and misfortune in Australia's unexplored interior. My take away: when you want a place mapped, hire someone who knows the place, and don't worry about whether he's a "gentleman." Then maybe he'll survive.
November 6, 2012
Wow, Robert O'Hara Burke and Dr. William Wills were quite possibly the unluckiest explorers ever. If this story weren't nonfiction, it would be hard to believe the big twist at the end.
When I was twelve, I read Cooper's Creek by Alan Moorehead, a novelized middle grade version of the story of Burke and Wills, the first men to nearly succeed in crossing the continent of Australia across the Outback, from South to North. I was recently reminded of this and wanted to revisit the story, and when I saw this adult nonfiction book complete with a terrific quote from Bill Bryson, I had to have it.
It is a straight-up history, not novelized at all with no reconstructed conversations, and Ms. Murgatroyd points out where historical facts are missing and details can only be guessed at. Yet, it is a riveting and heartbreaking story, if also at times ridiculous. The mid-1800s were a time of great exploration as unknown lands were quickly disappearing, and therefore explorers having to take on bigger challenges with bigger risks. The race for the North Pole and exploration in the wilds of South America were nearly all that was left, as the American West was quickly, if sparsely, becoming populated and even Australia was colonized. And yet the middle of Australia remained a great unknown. Was there a vast inland sea? Was it a barren desert? Were there acres of farmland and grazing land going ignored? Many wondered at what lay beyond the Flinders Ranges but the land had defeated those who had tried to find out. Finally, a carrot was offered that would not be easily ignored: the laying of an international telegraph line from the Northern coast that needed to somehow get to one of the cities along the Southern and Eastern coasts. Both Adelaide and Melbourne decided they wanted this, and both put up groups of men to try to forge a way across the continent to the north.
The Outback is very inhospitable. Bitterly dry, with plants that cut up your ankles and feet, swarms of mosquitoes and flies, occasional boggy, swampy areas, unending sand dunes, it is nearly as difficult to traverse as Antarctica, if filled with mostly opposite problems. (The one problem they both shared: starvation.) Yet it is beautiful and Aboriginals have lived there for tens of thousands of years, so obviously the obstacles can be overcome. The two competing groups of explorers had very differing theories on how to go about this. Stuart, from Adelaide, had already explored halfway up the continent previously, and he took just a handful of trusted men, horses, and the bare minimum of supplies (although not skimping on food.) It took him three tries, getting further each time, but Stuart eventually was the first to cross the continent. Burke and Wills from Melbourne took about 40 men with camels and wagons as well as horses, and a shocking amount of supplies. And yet this crew, the best outfitted and equipped, failed miserably. They came within 30 km (18 mi) of the coast two years before Stuart did, and didn't reach it. How did things go so terribly wrong?
Smoothly written with obvious great research that doesn't bog down the narrative, this is the rare history book that will keep you awake at night, wondering how the participants get to the inevitable ending. It is a testament to a great writer that, even when you know the outcome, you are still anxious and hoping for a different set of events than you know happened. If you love history or exploration and are interested in a story you've not heard before, The Dig Tree is the book for you.
When I was twelve, I read Cooper's Creek by Alan Moorehead, a novelized middle grade version of the story of Burke and Wills, the first men to nearly succeed in crossing the continent of Australia across the Outback, from South to North. I was recently reminded of this and wanted to revisit the story, and when I saw this adult nonfiction book complete with a terrific quote from Bill Bryson, I had to have it.
It is a straight-up history, not novelized at all with no reconstructed conversations, and Ms. Murgatroyd points out where historical facts are missing and details can only be guessed at. Yet, it is a riveting and heartbreaking story, if also at times ridiculous. The mid-1800s were a time of great exploration as unknown lands were quickly disappearing, and therefore explorers having to take on bigger challenges with bigger risks. The race for the North Pole and exploration in the wilds of South America were nearly all that was left, as the American West was quickly, if sparsely, becoming populated and even Australia was colonized. And yet the middle of Australia remained a great unknown. Was there a vast inland sea? Was it a barren desert? Were there acres of farmland and grazing land going ignored? Many wondered at what lay beyond the Flinders Ranges but the land had defeated those who had tried to find out. Finally, a carrot was offered that would not be easily ignored: the laying of an international telegraph line from the Northern coast that needed to somehow get to one of the cities along the Southern and Eastern coasts. Both Adelaide and Melbourne decided they wanted this, and both put up groups of men to try to forge a way across the continent to the north.
The Outback is very inhospitable. Bitterly dry, with plants that cut up your ankles and feet, swarms of mosquitoes and flies, occasional boggy, swampy areas, unending sand dunes, it is nearly as difficult to traverse as Antarctica, if filled with mostly opposite problems. (The one problem they both shared: starvation.) Yet it is beautiful and Aboriginals have lived there for tens of thousands of years, so obviously the obstacles can be overcome. The two competing groups of explorers had very differing theories on how to go about this. Stuart, from Adelaide, had already explored halfway up the continent previously, and he took just a handful of trusted men, horses, and the bare minimum of supplies (although not skimping on food.) It took him three tries, getting further each time, but Stuart eventually was the first to cross the continent. Burke and Wills from Melbourne took about 40 men with camels and wagons as well as horses, and a shocking amount of supplies. And yet this crew, the best outfitted and equipped, failed miserably. They came within 30 km (18 mi) of the coast two years before Stuart did, and didn't reach it. How did things go so terribly wrong?
Smoothly written with obvious great research that doesn't bog down the narrative, this is the rare history book that will keep you awake at night, wondering how the participants get to the inevitable ending. It is a testament to a great writer that, even when you know the outcome, you are still anxious and hoping for a different set of events than you know happened. If you love history or exploration and are interested in a story you've not heard before, The Dig Tree is the book for you.
July 24, 2023
I’m always engaged when a book not a only describes a journey, but leaves you with a sense of inspiration. Not necessarily because the journey was to reach a previously undiscovered place (for this was not the case) but because of the lengths individuals went, the sacrifices they made, to reach a target, arrive at a destination, accomplish a goal leaves you aghast.
The strengths, resources, energies they must draw upon to do these acts, I find enthralling. Perhaps because today, there are few challenges left that truly test our merit, for what was once achieved by true grit, blind determinism and misguided belief are simply ticked off by technology in nano seconds. Such achievements are impressive, but rarely inspiring.
The strengths, resources, energies they must draw upon to do these acts, I find enthralling. Perhaps because today, there are few challenges left that truly test our merit, for what was once achieved by true grit, blind determinism and misguided belief are simply ticked off by technology in nano seconds. Such achievements are impressive, but rarely inspiring.
April 11, 2022
4.5 ★s
I read this historical account of the Burke and Wills Expedition some years ago. I've re-read it this week for my face-to-face book club. My feelings about it have not changed - it is still an excellent book which tackles the human aspects of the ill-fated journey as much as the geography.
Most members of the book club greatly enjoyed The Dig Tree and we had a long and enthusiastic discussion which mused on Robert O'Hara Burke's personality and lack of skills, the resilience of William Wills, and the politicians and social elites who meddled in the affair.
I read this historical account of the Burke and Wills Expedition some years ago. I've re-read it this week for my face-to-face book club. My feelings about it have not changed - it is still an excellent book which tackles the human aspects of the ill-fated journey as much as the geography.
Most members of the book club greatly enjoyed The Dig Tree and we had a long and enthusiastic discussion which mused on Robert O'Hara Burke's personality and lack of skills, the resilience of William Wills, and the politicians and social elites who meddled in the affair.
October 23, 2023
While I'm not entirely sure it meant to be, this was a laugh a minute.
Relying entirely on facts, including diaries and letters, it details the absolute disaster that was the famous Bourke and Wills expedition.
While there may have been many great men and women in our nation's history, we can't ignore the arrogance, incompetence, and on occasion malice of our 'heros'.
This book is a necessary salve for any nationalistic fever pitch.
Relying entirely on facts, including diaries and letters, it details the absolute disaster that was the famous Bourke and Wills expedition.
While there may have been many great men and women in our nation's history, we can't ignore the arrogance, incompetence, and on occasion malice of our 'heros'.
This book is a necessary salve for any nationalistic fever pitch.
March 31, 2025
As an account of the Burke-Wills expedition to cross Australia, the book fails to reach the heights of ‘The Wager’ or ‘Madhouse at the End of the Earth’ which are similar books in the genre. The lack of diary entries or other forms of documentation make for a rather factual writing style, that sticks to the stuff we know and can only guess about the motives and feelings of the people involved. With the exception of the main two or three explorers, I had a hard time being invested in any of the characters or telling them apart. The story is quite fascinating, but it fails to captivate for 350 pages. Three stars out of five.
October 31, 2017
This story of Burke and Wills is much different to the one we as teachers portrayed to the children in the 1960’s Social Studies Curriculum.
Another English disaster created because of the social class in England.
Another English disaster created because of the social class in England.
August 23, 2015
It all started with a BBC documentary about what is either known as the "Dead Heart" or the "Red Heart" of Australia: an extension of mountain ranges, deserts, salt lakes and bushland stretching out for thousands of miles between Perth and Sydney (West-East) and Melbourne and Darwin (South-North).
The documentary mentioned the golden age of explorations which in the 19th century helped in mapping out inner Australia, a part of the country bigger than continental Europe. An enormous mass of land where the local Aboriginal populations lived for thousands of years but where no Australian colonists and settlers dared to venture for almost a century.
Too harsh and hostile the heart of Australia when compared to the nature and climate of the towns blossoming up along the coastline from Adelaide to Brisbane.
Then, something interesting happened: the young Aussies decided to look beyond their towns and thus begun having a look into the core of their new mysterious land. And the competition for supremacy among the states of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia led the wealthy citizens and the local governments to finance "scientific" expeditions in the heart of the continent. The funny thing is that most of the first Australian explorers were actually foreigners: Germans, Scots, Irishmen and Englishmen.
Some of these explorers genuinely thought that inner Australia could have been a promised land, with inland seas, hidden civilizations, mythological beasts, green pastures, huge forests and all sort of precious resources. Alas, Australia was not Africa and most of these adventurers had to struggle very hard to come back alive reporting about an endless and silent desert in the outback.
Some expeditions kept a low profile approach to the bushland involving a half dozen of men, horses and essential supplies under the command of clever expert explorers. Other explorations were lavish, equipped with all sorts of paraphernalia and sometimes ill-driven by swashbucklers who had no knowledge of the bush and would have been able to get lost going for a picnic.
"The Dig Tree", which I bought in Brisbane, is the fascinating and nail-biting account of the most famous trip into the great Australian beyond, the Wills and Burke expedition of 1860.
An expedition led by the Barry Lyndon-esque Irish policeman - Robert O'Hara Burke - chosen by the Royal Society of Melbourne due to "his vocation to command". An expedition involving dozens of camels shipped from India with their drivers and all, tons of superflous equipment (oak tables, a boat, 270 litres of rum) and a wild bunch of adventurers with no experience at all into the wild. An expedition following a man who didn't even bother to write a diary or to leave written instructions to his subordinates but who was madly in love with a 16 year old actress he left behind in town and to whom he decided to leave all of his possessions (graciously minus the debts).
The final goal of the quest? Crossing the whole continent from south to north reaching the Gulf of Carpentaria and coming back to Melbourne bringing tidings on the possibility of exploiting natural resources and opening new trade routes. All of this disguised into the pretext of a "scientific mission".
No surprises that the whole party ended up pretty tragically with most men, camels, scientific instruments and supplies being left behind by Burke who eventually died of starvation in a place where the Aborigines lived happily and well-fed.
And even if Burke and his men never reached the shores of Carpentaria ending up engulfed by mangroves and thus giving up their goal, they became national heroes with statues, songs and paintings dedicated to their memory.
That's why the story of Wills and Burke is very well known Down Under and this book written by Sarah Murgatroyd (a British journalist who prematurely died) will probably embitter many an Australian in showing how much Burke and his party did wrong and how amateurish the whole expedition was in the first place.
One can object that it's quite easy to look at the matter in a critical way now that the red heart of Australia is no more terra incognita, but some of the mistakes and miscalculations of Mr Burke were simply too spectacular to be ignored.
Sarah Murgatroyd doesn't despise the Wills and Burke expedition in its whole, but delivers what I believe is a fair, well-documented and deft-written account of this controversial page of Australian history.
The author here is able to take you along with the explorers and manages to dig into the personal stories of William John Wills, Robert O'Hara Burke and many others of their men with an excellent background work to put the expedition in the contest of its age. Thumbs up, then!
The documentary mentioned the golden age of explorations which in the 19th century helped in mapping out inner Australia, a part of the country bigger than continental Europe. An enormous mass of land where the local Aboriginal populations lived for thousands of years but where no Australian colonists and settlers dared to venture for almost a century.
Too harsh and hostile the heart of Australia when compared to the nature and climate of the towns blossoming up along the coastline from Adelaide to Brisbane.
Then, something interesting happened: the young Aussies decided to look beyond their towns and thus begun having a look into the core of their new mysterious land. And the competition for supremacy among the states of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia led the wealthy citizens and the local governments to finance "scientific" expeditions in the heart of the continent. The funny thing is that most of the first Australian explorers were actually foreigners: Germans, Scots, Irishmen and Englishmen.
Some of these explorers genuinely thought that inner Australia could have been a promised land, with inland seas, hidden civilizations, mythological beasts, green pastures, huge forests and all sort of precious resources. Alas, Australia was not Africa and most of these adventurers had to struggle very hard to come back alive reporting about an endless and silent desert in the outback.
Some expeditions kept a low profile approach to the bushland involving a half dozen of men, horses and essential supplies under the command of clever expert explorers. Other explorations were lavish, equipped with all sorts of paraphernalia and sometimes ill-driven by swashbucklers who had no knowledge of the bush and would have been able to get lost going for a picnic.
"The Dig Tree", which I bought in Brisbane, is the fascinating and nail-biting account of the most famous trip into the great Australian beyond, the Wills and Burke expedition of 1860.
An expedition led by the Barry Lyndon-esque Irish policeman - Robert O'Hara Burke - chosen by the Royal Society of Melbourne due to "his vocation to command". An expedition involving dozens of camels shipped from India with their drivers and all, tons of superflous equipment (oak tables, a boat, 270 litres of rum) and a wild bunch of adventurers with no experience at all into the wild. An expedition following a man who didn't even bother to write a diary or to leave written instructions to his subordinates but who was madly in love with a 16 year old actress he left behind in town and to whom he decided to leave all of his possessions (graciously minus the debts).
The final goal of the quest? Crossing the whole continent from south to north reaching the Gulf of Carpentaria and coming back to Melbourne bringing tidings on the possibility of exploiting natural resources and opening new trade routes. All of this disguised into the pretext of a "scientific mission".
No surprises that the whole party ended up pretty tragically with most men, camels, scientific instruments and supplies being left behind by Burke who eventually died of starvation in a place where the Aborigines lived happily and well-fed.
And even if Burke and his men never reached the shores of Carpentaria ending up engulfed by mangroves and thus giving up their goal, they became national heroes with statues, songs and paintings dedicated to their memory.
That's why the story of Wills and Burke is very well known Down Under and this book written by Sarah Murgatroyd (a British journalist who prematurely died) will probably embitter many an Australian in showing how much Burke and his party did wrong and how amateurish the whole expedition was in the first place.
One can object that it's quite easy to look at the matter in a critical way now that the red heart of Australia is no more terra incognita, but some of the mistakes and miscalculations of Mr Burke were simply too spectacular to be ignored.
Sarah Murgatroyd doesn't despise the Wills and Burke expedition in its whole, but delivers what I believe is a fair, well-documented and deft-written account of this controversial page of Australian history.
The author here is able to take you along with the explorers and manages to dig into the personal stories of William John Wills, Robert O'Hara Burke and many others of their men with an excellent background work to put the expedition in the contest of its age. Thumbs up, then!
September 25, 2017
This. Was. Faaaantastic. A stunningly beautiful piece of narrative that pulled together the incredible story of Burke and Wills and their expedition across Australia.
September 10, 2020
Burke and Wills are familiar names from way back in primary school, but I don't remember much about them, besides that they were early Australian explorers, which meant that this book came as a pretty huge shock to me. I had no idea the whole expedition had been such a mess. At times the writing was a little too 'facts and figures'-type history for me, but when it shifted into a more narrative mode, it was riveting. It reads almost like fiction, like something you'd hardly believe if you saw it in a movie - so many small (and large!) mistakes and near-misses that are almost painful to read as you can see them leading to tragedy. Here, too, the role of local Aboriginal populations in assisting (and occasionally hindering) the group is made much more prominent than it ever was in school, and learning a little something about their perspective on these misguided and ill-fated outsiders is also fascinating.
January 13, 2014
Sarah Murgatroyd's "The Dig Tree: A True Story of Bravery, Insanity and the Race to Discover Australia's Wild Frontier" is really an excellent book.
The book tells the story of the Burke and Wills expedition, which aimed to cross the Australian desert and fill in the wide, blank spaces on the map. Burke is portrayed as supremely bungling, which taints the successful completion of his goal, as does the fact he managed to kill both himself and eight other men.
The book really succeeds on Murgatroyd's talent as a writer. It's an interesting story with a huge cast of characters and she manages to make them all memorable and easy to tell apart. For someone who knows little about Australia's history, I found this book pretty fascinating.
My only quibble is I would have loved to hear more about the Aborigines, who kept the only survivor of the desert crossing alive.
The book tells the story of the Burke and Wills expedition, which aimed to cross the Australian desert and fill in the wide, blank spaces on the map. Burke is portrayed as supremely bungling, which taints the successful completion of his goal, as does the fact he managed to kill both himself and eight other men.
The book really succeeds on Murgatroyd's talent as a writer. It's an interesting story with a huge cast of characters and she manages to make them all memorable and easy to tell apart. For someone who knows little about Australia's history, I found this book pretty fascinating.
My only quibble is I would have loved to hear more about the Aborigines, who kept the only survivor of the desert crossing alive.
February 10, 2018
As a kid I looked up at the statue of Burke and Wills in Melbourne City Square in awe. Reading this account brought so well to life left me feeling more of the tragicness of the whole expedition. I still loved following them from their first night on the Maribynong River to their last on Coopers Creek.
September 7, 2020
this was ok. yep, absolutely impressively researched and written but as dry as the desert the author was writing about. i learnt a lot i didn’t know but in the same breath i wonder if i needed to know in the first place. crazy people, crazy times and was constantly struck by the ignorance of the day about our wonderful indigenous population who could have averted the whole disaster.
June 28, 2016
OK, there are some basic errors in this (like getting date Queensland founded wrong), but this is history as it should be written. Constantly engaging - I enjoyed it just as much on this read as I did six years ago.
July 9, 2020
A simply remarkable tale. Hard to believe it is actually true. Even still, it was written so well and managed to explain the complexities of the tragedy clearly.
August 19, 2021
I read a lot of biographical /historical novels and have a lowish expectation of really enjoying the experience. I have very limited knowledge of our earlier explorers so when this book crossed my path I felt the usual obligation to grind through it and educate myself. Oh my goodness how wrong I was.
The story is so enthralling. We know the end but Sarah’s genius is to make you fee you are right there in the middle of it, every step. Her research is astounding in its depth which enables her to create ‘real’ people and define their interactions and relationships with each other. The human strengths, flaws and the culture of the time that create a slowly unfolding disaster. The feeing of impending doom hangs over this book but it is captivating rather than depressing.
Whilst the story (our story) is an incredible yarn with a hint of real life Shakespeare it is Sarah who has brought it to us in a perfect form. Half way through I was searching her profile so I could read more of her work. What can I say. So sad. From a selfish perspective we the reader are the losers too.
What really stays with me are the heroes of the book. The aboriginal people. Their kindness, and their ability to live off the land. The shocking arrogance and stupidity of the white people who ultimately Sarah reminds us will destroy this life they have.
Please read this book. It is beautifully written. There is so much to absorb about the history, the people, the land, the culture of the time. Sarah brings every detail to us. We know the personalties and characters of all the players in this story and ultimately she lets us be the judge.
The story is so enthralling. We know the end but Sarah’s genius is to make you fee you are right there in the middle of it, every step. Her research is astounding in its depth which enables her to create ‘real’ people and define their interactions and relationships with each other. The human strengths, flaws and the culture of the time that create a slowly unfolding disaster. The feeing of impending doom hangs over this book but it is captivating rather than depressing.
Whilst the story (our story) is an incredible yarn with a hint of real life Shakespeare it is Sarah who has brought it to us in a perfect form. Half way through I was searching her profile so I could read more of her work. What can I say. So sad. From a selfish perspective we the reader are the losers too.
What really stays with me are the heroes of the book. The aboriginal people. Their kindness, and their ability to live off the land. The shocking arrogance and stupidity of the white people who ultimately Sarah reminds us will destroy this life they have.
Please read this book. It is beautifully written. There is so much to absorb about the history, the people, the land, the culture of the time. Sarah brings every detail to us. We know the personalties and characters of all the players in this story and ultimately she lets us be the judge.
July 27, 2021
An interesting and engaging book in a journalistic style about the expedition initially known as the Victorian Exploring Expedition which is now known as the story of Burke and Wills who along with two others were the first white men to walk from the south of Australia to the north, the Gulf of Carpenteria. The book gives many details I was certainly unaware of along with the political context of interstate rivalry, the hubris of Victoria post gold rush and interactions with Indigenous people around Cooper Creek. I read this for the National Museum of Australia’s Time Travellers book club. I really enjoyed it. The remarkable tale gives insight to the many small events that lead to the tragedy of the expedition with many of the party dying through missed meetings hours apart.
The book could have been improved with a list of the main characters and more maps to assist in following the story as well as a timeline. It covers John McDouall Stuart’s journey from Adelaide to Darwin which was off foot during this period and shifts back and forth between this and the Bourke and Wills expedition and the various splits in B&W party making for a lot of back and forth to keep a track of all the action.
The book could have been improved with a list of the main characters and more maps to assist in following the story as well as a timeline. It covers John McDouall Stuart’s journey from Adelaide to Darwin which was off foot during this period and shifts back and forth between this and the Bourke and Wills expedition and the various splits in B&W party making for a lot of back and forth to keep a track of all the action.
June 26, 2023
4.5* An excellently told very accessible telling of a harrowing undertaking I knew nothing about.
I originally bought this book shortly after it was published on the recommendation of a friend ... and it sat undisturbed on my bookshelf for 19 years. Over the years I increasingly wondered if I would ever get around to reading The Dig Tree, but a recent enthusiasm for Australian novels and then Bill Bryson's Downunder lead me to finally pull The Dig Tree off the shelf.
And what a great read. Highly informative, deeply researched but so well presented in a fast flowing easy to digest narrative that brings to life all aspects of this extraordinary tale of heroic failure. Even the multiple committee meetings add a fascinating angle to how politics rather than good sense determined and ultimately doomed the expedition.
The author has done a fantastic job telling the struggles and complexities of exploring the Australian interior, turning an enormous amount of raw data and research into a thoroughly gripping tale. And ultimately asks us to draw our own judgement on who was to blame.
I originally bought this book shortly after it was published on the recommendation of a friend ... and it sat undisturbed on my bookshelf for 19 years. Over the years I increasingly wondered if I would ever get around to reading The Dig Tree, but a recent enthusiasm for Australian novels and then Bill Bryson's Downunder lead me to finally pull The Dig Tree off the shelf.
And what a great read. Highly informative, deeply researched but so well presented in a fast flowing easy to digest narrative that brings to life all aspects of this extraordinary tale of heroic failure. Even the multiple committee meetings add a fascinating angle to how politics rather than good sense determined and ultimately doomed the expedition.
The author has done a fantastic job telling the struggles and complexities of exploring the Australian interior, turning an enormous amount of raw data and research into a thoroughly gripping tale. And ultimately asks us to draw our own judgement on who was to blame.
October 29, 2017
The Burke and Wills Expedition.
What a story.
Setting off unto the unknown interior of Australia, led by a meglomaniac Burke with no bush skills out to impress a young lady seeking fame and glory and a young intelligent Wills. Flogged by malnutrition, exhaustion, giant rats, starving horses, dehydration, extreme heat, thick sand, bogged down wagons, mud stuck camels, diminishing food, illness, conflict and ignorance of the blessings that a relationship with the Aboriginal people could have bought, they were doomed from the start. given this however, their persistence tp push on under such adversity is admirable.
Told brilliantly by Murgatroyd, who I believe took part of this expedition herself, carrying a morphine drip while herself dying from cancer. I'll read this again some day, fascinating story and important part of Australia's history.
What a story.
Setting off unto the unknown interior of Australia, led by a meglomaniac Burke with no bush skills out to impress a young lady seeking fame and glory and a young intelligent Wills. Flogged by malnutrition, exhaustion, giant rats, starving horses, dehydration, extreme heat, thick sand, bogged down wagons, mud stuck camels, diminishing food, illness, conflict and ignorance of the blessings that a relationship with the Aboriginal people could have bought, they were doomed from the start. given this however, their persistence tp push on under such adversity is admirable.
Told brilliantly by Murgatroyd, who I believe took part of this expedition herself, carrying a morphine drip while herself dying from cancer. I'll read this again some day, fascinating story and important part of Australia's history.
June 4, 2024
A remarkable read. As a Victorian, I am only too aware of the Burke and Wills Expedition, but never did I realise how much of a failure it was. Murgatroyd does not glorify these famed heroes, but rather than attacking them for their mistakes (especially Burke, who was most at fault), she takes a bigger picture approach by looking at the motivations and desires that not only plagued these explorers to make such hapless decisions, but shone a light on the attitudes of Victorian society. Murgatroyd seems to argue that it was just as much of the Royal Society's fault as it was Burke's unbridled ambition to become the first European to cross the Australian continent.
April 8, 2020
A story of staggering incompetence by nearly all parties involved, but the crazy part is, they did it. Murgatroyd’s account of the Burke-Wills expedition does a great job pivoting between the intimate details of that and the Aborigines they encountered, the countryside they “explored”, and the bigger picture for colonial Australia. Also a crazy story to think of how all these Europeans died of starvation in places where Aborigines had lived for millennia. Highly recommend as a story of European bravado and its subsequent shortcomings.
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