The Burke and Wills Exploring Expedition, Departure of the Expedition by A.H. Massina & Co

Robert O’Hara Burke, William John Wills, John King, and Charles Gray were the first Europeans to cross Australia from the south to the north. They left Melbourne in 1860 and reached the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia in February 1861, but Burke, Wills, and Gray died as they tried to return south. The expedition has become an Australian legend, often called a heroic failure. Along the way, they discovered lands for grazing farm animals, which meant more Europeans moved inland.