Burke and Wills across Australia
Order Description
This is a term paper for a History/Geography 4302 class due on November 6th. I have to attend my brothers surprise engagement party out of state and do not have time to write it.
Final version of the course paper( minimum 10 pages/ max 14 (double spacing, including footnotes, at least 10 tiles of books and articles as references) is due Nov 6. Chicago style.
The class is a history of cartography class, maps are a focal point in this class. This topic itself does not lean to heavily on maps itself but the integration of them into the paper is necessary. The use of maps does not count for page total, should not count here either.
Abstract I turned in earlier this year. I would like the term paper to follow this somewhat.
– This paper will be an attempt at understanding the reasons and motivations for the Burke and Wills expedition by studying then current political, social, cultural means and norms. Finding the purpose of the expedition and coming to terms with why it failed and why it captured the public’s imagination will be a central theme of the paper. I mean to accomplish this by studying the charter of Royal Society of Victoria, its stated goals, the character of the leader Robert Ohare Burke and the mission of the naturalists and scientists that he brought along. I also plan on studying mid19th century desire to conquer “terra incognita” and how it shaped the journey. By using poems, paintings and even architecture created in honor of the expedition I will attempt to understand the mythological grip they left on Australian culture.
Brief outline with points i think are worth covering. Note that it does not have to be written as listed just hopefully helpful guiding points.
Introduction- create using abstract
-very brief cover of Australian exploration prior to journey in 1860 and why the interior lay unkown
-understanding of melbourne and relations with other australian states during this time, competition
– why did the men take on arduous journey
-who they were
– why they remain important
Why they went:
– discover more resources
–was there gold like in victoria?
— was there arable land for cattle?
-fame and recognition
— newspapers and the creation of explorer heroes
-scientific gain
— plants and fauna
— needed mapping of unknown land
-was there an inland sea?
— some people believed that some rivers drained into an inland ocean
-railroad possibilities
— could use their trail to create maps for future railroad across australia, keeping melbourne important in the future
-Telegraph terminus
— news of a telegraph line being created from india to darwin in northern australia meant that cities across the south and east were racing to find a path way to the north and darwin. whichever city got there could become the telegraph hub
-competition with New South Wales and other states
— victoria was a new state and melbourne a new city, felt the need to establish themselves, led to competition with sydney as premier australian city.
— Adelaide had already launched a exploratory party north
– conquer terra incognita
— world was being mapped, closing in so to speak, not many places left for a man to put his name
-Royal Melbourne Society
— what it was, who were they, what were their established goals
Who they were:
– Robert Ohare Burke
— why was he chosen as leader
-George Landells
— camel guru
-William John Wills
— show some of his maps possibly
-Becklers, Ludwig and Herman ( my prof is german he’ll like this)
— show some maps or sketches of geographical importance
The journey itself/Why they failed (covered very well in sources given)
– dissent among the ranks
— losing Landells and Becklers
– supply follies
— overloaded, deciding where and when to build depots
– leadership woes
-deciding to push on with 4 from coopers creek
— could show maps here of travels(anywhere actually in these paragraphs)
– treatment of aboriginals
– missing the return party
-rescue of King
— was it a failure
Martyrdom and Mythology:
– what did their deaths mean to people in melbourne and australia
— poems, tombstones, monuments (pictures would work well here)
— romanticism of their deaths and journey (use the map by DeGruchy and Leigh)
– what did their relief and search parties accomplish
— irony of their deaths accomplishing more than their trip itself(search party trips map?)
– what do they mean to australians now
Conclusion:
-Talk about why they went and if they accomplished their goals
– about their contributions to the exploration of Austrlia
– could they have lived? would it have been less helpful to overall discovery
Sources:
https://sovereignhill.com.au/media/uploads/BW_Context_4.pdf (great paper to follow, can use their model and sources)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Wills_expedition (useful for sources at the bottom)
https://www.burkeandwills.net.au/ (best and most useful source, contains sources for everything needed)
https://burkeandwills.slv.vic.gov.au/
Burke and Wills: From Melbourne to Myth – Tom Bonyhady (book)
The Scientific Legacy of Burke and Wills – Bernie Joyce (journal)
On the Trail of Burke and Wills – Andrew McIntyre (article)
Seeking the Center: Australian Desert in Literature, Art and Film (book)
An R.H. poem on Burke and Wills – Brian Elliot (journal)
Burke and Wills – part national myth part French farce – Alan Attwood (article)
An acquisition of drawings from the Burke and Wills expedition – Linda Groom (collection of drawings)
The Victorian exploring expedition and relieving expeditions. 1860-61: the Burke and Wills tragedy – Ian Francis (book)
Supplementary pamphlet to the Burke and Wills exploring expedition: containing the evidence taken before the Commission of Inquiry appointed by Government. With portraits of John King and Charles Gray
Outback with Burke – Leora Moldofsky (journal)
** A few more notes, maps and pictures do not count for page total, i can insert them if need be. Footnotes are required. Chicago style, Double Spaced. All above sources can be searched in google or article searches such as JSTOR. I need at least 10 sources but would prefer more