B&W (V) The Depot Camp Oontoo, Queensland, Australia
By Geocaching Australia on 20-Aug-10. Waypoint GA2353

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
Actual location. Camp 65, which Burke marked with an "LXV" on a tree, was the become the pivotal juncture for the entire expedition, and a legend in its own right. For now, the men regarded it as just another resting place, and almost immediately began searching the area beyond the creek for northerly routes that promised a ready supply of fresh water. Wills and McDonough almost perished on one of these forays when they allowed their camels to wander off and were forced to return to camp on foot, a 48-hour hike.

Burke had the option of waiting until March and avoiding the summer heat, but, still panicked that John McDougall Stuart might reach the distant coast first and steal his glory, he changed his mind about waiting for Wright to bring up the rest of the men and supplies from Menindee and announced that he, Wills, King and Gray would set off promptly.
Burke's despatch to the planning commmittee in Melbourne: "I did not intend to start so soon, but we have had some severe thunderstorms lately, with every appearance of a heavy fall of rain to the north ... I do not wish to lose so favourable an opportunity. We are all in good health, and the conduct of the men has been admirable."

Additonal Information
Source: Paul Dorsey Used with Permission