The Dig Tree

Carmen Friend
Mar 15, 2018
1 min read

We decided it was too warm to be hanging around the caravan and the flies were terrible so a trip from Innamincka to The Dig Tree (about 60km) and Burke’s grave would fill up some of the afternoon. We had previously visited the Burke and Wills memorial in Castlemaine, so this was apt to check out other significant sights.

Burke and Wills and their team were essentially the first explorers to travel from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south of Australia. In doing so, the Dig Tree was a safe place for the group to return to. Provisions had been left at the Dig Tree with Burke’s face and other symbols carved into the tree. Unfortunately, most of the exploration party died – Burke and Wills around the Innamincka area. Only one person survived the trek and was looked after by Aboriginals – King and was found by Howitt’s search party.

The road leaving Innamincka to the Dig Tree starts out as rough gravel – graded and not too bad. Once you hit the boarder of QLD it is sealed! The one major hazard we came across and had been warned about was at the Burke and Wills Bridge – big massive holes which had been created by the road trains. Hitting them at speed in your car or even with a van on the back would potentially be lethal.