Physical description

8-383; ill.; plates; maps; index; ref.; 26 cm.

Summary

The first half of the book examines the organization and conduct of the expedition by drawing on a wide range of sources either ignored by or unknown to previous writers. The second half considers the changing place of the explorers in Australian culture, examining the presentation of Burke and Wills in paintings and sculptures, poems and plays, films and children's books. Context of Burkes Victorian Exploring Expedition, the course of the expedition and its subsequent place in Australian history and culture; numerous brief references to Aborigines - as guides, the Yantruwanta (Yandruwantha) generosity to Bourke, Wills and King and hostility to expeditions.