Crossing Australia in the Footsteps of Burke and Wills

Apr 18, 2010
Brian Cross

Camping in the Outback - Photo by Mike Laird

A British Adventurer's Trek from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria Commemorates the Famous Expedition's 150th Anniversary

Former BBC Castaway participant Mike Laird is now in Queensland on his trek north across Australia. Laird left Melbourne on 19 March 2010, destination Normanton in Northern Queensland. His planned 3,200km course approximates the route taken by the Victorian Exploring Expedition led by Robert Burke, which set out from Melbourne amid great fanfare and expectation on 20 August 1860.

Across Australia By Foot and Cycle

Laird is not using any form of motorised transport on his journey. However his original intention to walk all the way had to change when he realised that without a support crew he could not carry all the food and water needed to see him through the sparsely populated Outback. Also carrying a sizeable burden of camping gear and filming equipment, he is cycling as much as the terrain will allow - about 80% of the journey so far. Laird hopes to reach Normanton by the end of April - within the eight weeks he allocated for the trip.

Laird’s plan to travel closely in the footsteps of Burke and Wills was thwarted by the biggest flooding around Coopers Creek in more than a century. It broke a 17 year drought and covering an area half the size of Europe, according to Laird’s blog. So detours have been needed in places, but the target is always northward.

After trekking through the relatively well-populated Victorian country, the going has got steadily harder for Laird. The red sand of the Outback has frequently meant that there was nothing for it but to walk and carry his 60kg of gear.

Reaching Queensland and the Journey’s Last Stage

On 5 April Laird crossed the New South Wales – Queensland border and the dingo fence at Warri Gate. The floods meant Laird was unable to get to the site of the famous Dig Tree where Burke and Wills had rested on their return south (but failed to leave a clear sign that would have possibly provided salvation). On the outward journey, Burke and Wills arrived in Queensland from South Australia, but Laird’s track had been forced to the east.

Before leaving Britain on his journey to and then across Australia, the 40 year old Laird was reported by the Times newpaper as saying “I am a person who collects experiences. Australia is a country which has long fascinated me. As far as I know I will be the first Brit to do it, and certainly the first Brit to do it unsupported, solo and without animals.” Laird hastened to add that he was not trying to recreate what Burke and Wills did. “They were pioneers. All we can ever do is follow their footsteps.”

Onward to the Gulf

Laird is now resting up in Longreach with two thirds of the journey behind him. Along the way he has been raising funds for charity. Marocaroundtheclock was founded by Laird in 1997 after a visit to Morocco. It is working closely on its latest project in Senegal with Just A Drop, a travel industry-based charity focussing on improving water quality in developing nations. Laird’s venture is also aiding the Scientific Exploration Society, which undertakes expeditions in support of scientific research and conservation projects.

When Burke and Wills and their two companions reached the mangrove forests of the Gulf of Carpentaria, they could not find their way through and had to turn back without sighting the sea. The rest as they say, is history. Once Laird reaches Normanton he will face no such challenge or risk. There he will consider his journey complete, and he will leave town by train.