Burke and Wills' Camp B/CXIX and Walker's Camp, Little Bynoe River

A visit to this remote site evokes the sense of isolation of the Burke and Wills expedition in 1861, which crossed Australia from south to north, and almost back again. This was the northernmost camp, number 119, established on 11 February 1861 near Bynoe Creek. The expedition had made base camp at Cooper Creek in November 1860, and Robert Burke, William Wills, John King and Charlie Gray continued north. King and Gray camped here for three days, marking 15 trees. Burke and Wills tried to find the Gulf coast, but were impeded by mangroves and the boggy terrain. With Gray’s health declining, the men struggled back towards Cooper's Creek, short on supplies and with failing camels. Gray died on 17 April 1861. When the other three finally arrived at the base camp on 21 April, they found it deserted, although the campfire ash was still warm. They continued south but King was the only one to survive. A search party led by Frederick Walker arrived at Bynoe Creek on 8 January 1862 and established a camp on a small seasonal lagoon near Burke and Wills' Camp. Walker's expedition blazed a tree approximately 1.2 kilometres north of Burke and Wills' Camp.