B&W (V) Broken Hill Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
By Geocaching Australia on 20-Aug-10. Waypoint GA2340

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.

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Validating Your Log
Take a picture of your GPS receiver showing the same co-ordinates as the cache page (plus or minus 100 meters) 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
From Menindee to Cooper's Creek was the most straightforward leg of the entire journey, even though the route formed a wide arc. The weather was good, and the recent rains provided plenty of water and lush grass. Having left the cumbersome wagons behind, the party began to make good progress. Leaving George Landells behind had also greatly improved Burke's frame of mind.
Determined to make the most of the favourable conditions, Burke set a brisk pace - he did not allow the customary rest days, and often did not order a halt until well into evening.
Burke set out for Cooper's Creek in high spirits. He was fortunate. The wet season had been extremely wet, and there was plenty of fodder for the animals. The weather was mild, topping 90F only twice. He allowed no rest days, and pushed his men from dawn until as late as 11pm. After 23 days he and his entourage reached Cooper's Creek, with the loss of only one camel. Burke and Wills got along admirably, and their harmony filtered down through the rest of the crew. But while Burke wrote to the committee that he had discovered valuable new pastoral land with plenty of water, Wills noted that there had been no permanent water for some 36 miles. This discrepancy should have tipped them off, but did not.

Additonal Information
Source: Paul Dorsey Used with Permission