In 1860 the Government of South Australia offered a prize to the first expedition to cross the Australian continent from south to north. Policeman, Robert O'Hara Burke led an expedition which left from Royal Park, Melbourne on 20 August 1860. (SEE PHOTO ABOVE)! The expedition reached Menindee in about 8 weeks. It is believed that while here, Burke heard that Stuart was going to attempt to cross the continent from south to north also. Burke left some of the men there and went on with others to Cooper Creek where he established a base camp. Burke's plan was to wait at Cooper Creek until the others arrived. But five weeks passed and they did not arrive. First they were delayed back at Menindee and then on the journey to Cooper Creek some men got sick and died. The remaining men decided to stop before reaching Cooper Creek at a place called Bulloo. After waiting for the five weeks, Burke became impatient to race to the Gulf of Carpentaria to become the first white men to cross Australia from south to north. Burke decided to set out with William John Wills, John King and Charles Gray with one horse and six camels and supplies to last for three months. He ordered four other men to remain at Cooper Creek, with William Brahe in charge, and wait three months for their return. Burke and his party took eight weeks to get from Cooper Creek to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Although they reached the Gulf , they failed to see the sea because mud and thick mangrove swamps blocked their path. Burke began the return to journey to Cooper Creek immediately. On this journey supplies were short so the men killed and ate one of the camels and later Burke's horse. Charles Gray got sick and died. When they got back to Cooper Creek, Burke, Wills and King found that the men who had been waiting, for almost 5 months, had left. Some food had been left buried in a box and near a tree with a sign carved on it saying 'DIG'. A letter inside the box indicated that Brahe and the others had left just nine hours before the return of Burke, Wills and King, thinking that the party must have died. The tree still stands there to this day! Burke, Wills and King were too weak to follow Brahe on foot. Wills buried his notebooks and left a note telling where the group were heading, but no one thought to make a sign at the Dig Tree to indicate that they had been there and were still alive. This was a costly mistake because two of the men who had left earlier came back a few days later to see if Burke and his group had returned. Because Wills and the others had made no sign, these men left again. By now the Burke, Wills and King were very sick and were starving. Burke died of starvation on July 1, 1861. Wills died a few days later. After burying Wills, King joined the Yantruwanta people, who looked after him until he was found a few months later, on September 15, 1861 by other explorers.