Robert O'Hara Burke

Robert O'Hara Burke
Robert O'Hara Burke (painted by William Strutt)
Born	(1821-05-06)6 May 1821 St Clerans, Craughwell, County Galway, Ireland
Died	28 June 1861(1861-06-28) (aged 40) Cooper Creek, South Australia, Australia
Nationality	Irish
Occupation(s)	Soldier, police officer, explorer
Years active	1841−1861
Known for	Death after leading the Burke and Wills expedition

Robert O'Hara Burke (6 May 1821 – c. 28 June 1861) was an Irish soldier and police officer who achieved fame as an Australian explorer. He was the leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australia from south to north, finding a route across the continent from the settled areas of Victoria to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The expedition party was well equipped, but Burke was not experienced in bushcraft. A Commission of Inquiry held by the Government of Victoria to investigate the failure of the expedition was a censure of Burke's judgement.^[1]