When we think of fool explorers, we usually think of the richly equipped expedition of the Royal Society of Victoria led by the utterly incompetent Robert O’Hara Burke.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Because of ambiguous signalling, their camels, horses and all expedition members, save King, died amid plentiful food.
However, there are members of other exploring teams who rate as poorly as Burke.
In October 1836, the bugler accompanying Thomas Mitchell’s expedition drowned in the Broken River near present-day Lakeview Close.
Coo-ee: Benalla before the railway came through
James Taylor or "Tally-ho" is said to have leapt his horse into the river at this spot, convinced he had found a safe crossing place. He had not.
Tally-ho carried a bugle used for signalling expedition members.
Its noise also frightened local Aborigines.
The bugle had been made for Tally-ho in April 1834 by Mr Ellard in Sydney.
Another fool explorer was John Horrocks.
He was one of the first settlers in the Clare valley of South Australia.
In 1846 he set off with amateur botanist S.T. Gill and three others to seek good agricultural land in north-western South Australia - a foolish idea to begin with.
On September 1, just three days into the expedition, Horrocks saw a bird he wanted to shoot for food.
His double-barrelled shotgun was loaded with a slug in one barrel and ball in the other.
Quickly, Horrocks stopped and began to reload the shotgun with birdshot.
However, Harry, an expedition camel, leaned his load against the shotgun’s barrel causing a discharge.
Horrocks had his middle finger of his right hand shot off.
He also lost a row of teeth from his upper jaw.
The expedition was abandoned and the explorers returned home.
Horrocks died three weeks later, being the only man ever shot to death by his own camel.
Harry had been the first camel ever imported into Australia.
Before he died, Horrocks ordered Harry shot.
Horrocks is buried near his home in Penwortham. The camel’s grave is unknown.
Toota one of Benalla's most memorable characters
S.T. Gill gave up botany and foolish expeditions. He later made his name as an illustrator of the Victorian gold rushes.
Ludwig Leichhardt and five others set out from Condamine river in Queensland in 1848 to reach the Swan river in Western Australia.
The expedition was seriously under equipped. No trace of them was ever found.
In 1865, 17 years later, Duncan McIntyre was employed by the Ladies of Melbourne to undertake a fourth search for the missing expedition.
McIntyre set off with five others in drought conditions.
By November their horses were dead and the men were exhausted, thirsty and hungry, at Cooper Creek.
By February 1866, the expedition had regrouped.
It now had 12 camels, five horses and two tonnes of supplies acquired from Burketown.
McIntyre had acquired something else there.
Fever was sweeping the town.
McIntyre rode back from Burketown with the fever.
Ten days later he was dead. He was 34.
His team continued the search for a year longer. It found no trace of Leichhardt’s expedition.
If you would like to send a letter to the editor on this, or any subject, click this link
Editor