B&W (V) Kerang (Loddon River) Kerang, Victoria, Australia
By Geocaching Australia on 20-Aug-10. Waypoint GA2332

This is a special Burke & Wills cache listed on Geocaching Australia.

This cache requires you to visit a Burke & Wills historical location and take a photo as described along with your GPS receiver and if possible yourself in the picture. Once you have logged this cache as a find, you are required to load your picture to your log to validate your find.

Validating Your Log
Take a picture of your GPS receiver and if possible yoursef showing the Loddon River and attach it to your online log.

Important Information
The Burke Wills Historical Society notes: "The actual route Burke and Wills followed once they left Camp 78 is unknown and one of the most intensely debated issues. Wills' map and some of his journals containing astronomical observations have been lost. Because the journals have never been transcribed, it means the expedition's track north of the Diamantina, through the gibber rises, confused sand dunes and extensive claypans, is a matter for conjecture."
Travel in Outback Australia can be extremely hazardous. Plan your trip with care and seek and follow local advice on what precautions to take. Be aware of private property restrictions. Do not risk your life to log this geocache.

About This Location
The Loddon River, which the expedition crossed here at Kerang in late August, flows 392 kilometres from its headwaters in the Great Dividing Range near Daylesford, through Castlemaine to Swan Hill, where it meets the mighty Murray River.
Melbourne's German community had been well represented on the expedition's planning committee, and two German-Australians were among the officers appointed. Hermann Beckler, 32, the botanical collector and doctor, wrote his own account in his native language. The manuscript remained with his family for nearly a century before being translated and published as "A Journey to Cooper's Creek". Melbourne University Publishing says it "offers insights into the causes of the expedition's failure - an ill-chosen leader and route, and inappropriate and excessive supplies".
A Bavarian, Beckler, below left, was a physician, botanist, zoologist and mineralogist who came to New South Wales in 1856 hoping to discover new plant species. He tended the men stricken with dysentery and scurvy but could do little since the cause was malnutrition. He returned to Germany in 1862 and was a village doctor until his death in 1914.

Dr Ludwig Becker, below right, was the expedition's official artist, naturalist and geographer. Born in Darmstadt, Germany, he'd come to Australia in 1851 and become a prominent figure in Melbourne's scientific and artistic circles. At age 52, he may have been too old for the difficult journey, but his seniority within the Royal Society seems to have secured him his place on the expedition. Regardless, his sketches of landscapes, people and wildlife from the journey represent an outstanding accomplishment on such a troubled adventure.

Additonal Information
Source: Paul Dorsey Used with Permission