Burke and Wills Statue Removal Sparks Debate Over Colonial Legacy in Melbourne
The ongoing debate surrounding the storage of Melbourne’s oldest public monument, a statue of explorers Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills, offers a crucial chance to re-examine the ill-fated 1860 expedition and its lasting impact on Australia’s First Nations people. The statue,originally erected in 1865,has been out of public view for nearly nine years,a decision recently criticized by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett and state MP David Davis as “not respectful” and a form of ancient revisionism. However, the limited public outcry suggests a broader shift in priorities, with a growing emphasis on acknowledging Indigenous narratives over celebrating colonial exploration.
The initial removal of the statue was prompted by construction of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel.But the decision not to reinstate it in the redeveloped City Square signals a more deliberate move to prioritize First Nations perspectives. Even if the monument is relocated to the Royal Society of Victoria – a former sponsor of the expedition – it is indeed anticipated to be accompanied by a new monument honoring indigenous Australians, a fitting tribute given the vital role the Yandruwandha people of South Australia played in saving John King, the sole survivor of the expedition’s advance party.
The Burke and Wills expedition, spanning 3,250km from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria and back, is now widely understood to have been marked by a disregard for the knowledge and assistance offered by numerous First Nations communities.
Driven by a desire for recognition and fueled by an unrequited infatuation with 18-year-old Julia Mathews, Burke aggressively pursued leadership of the expedition, seemingly viewing it as a means to achieve personal glory.As the ADB entry notes,the expedition represented “Burke’s last chance of achieving distinction in his own,the world’s and the divine Julia’s eyes.”
The expedition itself was a logistical disaster. Departing Melbourne’s Royal Park on August 20, 1860, with a massive entourage of wagons, camels, and supplies – including six tons of firewood, 57 buckets, and even a piano – the team lacked essential expertise, notably an Aboriginal guide. While Burke wisely invited William Wills, a skilled surveyor and navigator, to join the team, he repeatedly ignored opportunities to collaborate with Indigenous communities.
A series of miscalculations and divisions plagued the journey. Burke split the expedition at Cooper’s Creek,leaving William Brahe and four men with instructions to wait three months. He then pressed north with Wills, King, and Charles Gray, carrying limited provisions. Gray perished from exhaustion and malnutrition, and upon their return to Cooper’s Creek in april 1861, Burke, Wills, and King discovered that Brahe and his men had departed just hours earlier, leaving behind a meager supply of food buried under a coolabah tree marked with the word “DIG.”
Despite this potential lifeline,Burke insisted on continuing towards Mount Hopeless in South Australia. Burke and Wills ultimately succumbed to starvation, while King was rescued by local Aboriginal people and later found by a search party. Historian Kathleen Fitzpatrick observed that the explorers might have survived “if they had lived with the Aboriginals and shared their food as King did.” However, Burke’s ingrained prejudices prevented him from accepting assistance, even resorting to firing upon indigenous people who offered gifts of food.
the expedition’s failure prompted a royal commission that censured Burke on numerous counts. Yet, a lavish state funeral in melbourne, attended by 40,000 people, and a romanticized narrative in the press, continued to portray the explorers as heroes. As the Sydney Morning herald pondered at the time, “Mistakes there may have been… but who could look upon those poor remains of mortality and think of aught but their virtues?”
Sarah Murgatroyd succinctly captured the expedition’s doomed fate: “Once Burke had been chosen as leader, the die was cast.The enterprise was doomed before the first camel was even saddled.” The uncertain future of the Burke and Wills statue reflects a broader reckoning with Australia’s colonial past and a growing recognition of the need to center Indigenous voices in the national narrative.
