Burke & Wills 8: Royal Park - Burke and Wills Expedition (sitios de interés)
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The Burke-Wills Cairn in Melbourne's Royal Park marks the beginning of the legendary journey. The monument has been here since in 1890, taking over commemoration duties from the tree that marked the actual departure point, which was originally fenced off in tribute. The cairn is 200 metres east of the tree. It was here that the expedition party trained in shooting and camel husbandry, and where the stores were amassed for the excursion. The VEE set off at 4pm on August 20, 1860 – three hours later than planned, but there were many pats on the back to be received.
The Melbourne Herald: "At an early hour crowds of eager holiday folks, pedestrian and equestrian, were to be seen hieing along the dusty ways to the pleasant glades and umbrageous shade ... Hour after hour passed in the preparations for starting. In the bustle of hurried arrangements, some very amusing contretemps occurred. One of the most laughable was the breaking loose of a cantankerous camel, and the startling and upsetting in the scatter of a popular limb of the law. The gentleman referred to is of large mould, and until we saw his tumbling feat yesterday, we had no idea that he was such a sprightly gymnast. His down-going and up-rising were greeted with shouts of laughter, in which he good-naturedly joined. The erring camel went helter-skelter through the crowd, and was not secured until he showed to admiration how speedily can go 'the ship of the desert'."
