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Charles GrayPrint Page Print this page

The plaque commemorates Charley Gray who was a member of Burke and Wills expedition.

Charley Gray died on the morning of Wednesday, 17 April 1861. Burke, Wills and King spent the day digging out a shallow grave before continuing on to the Cooper. This was Camp 58R on the return from the Gulf. He died at the Lignum Lake, Polygonum Swamp. This location is unknown, but has been suggested to be Lake Massacre.

Wills did not record the exact location, having planted all his surveying instruments on the 4 April 1861 and as a result there has been much conjecture over the actual site of Gray's death.

Location

Address:Lake Massacre, Cooper Creek , Innamincka, 5731
State:SA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -27.339391
Long: 140.103726
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Exploration
Actual Event Start Date:16-April-1861
Actual Event End Date:16-April-1861

Dedication

Front Inscription

The Burke & Wills Expedition  1860 - 1861 

Charlie Gray died near this spot on the Sixteenth of April 1861.  He was one of four men first to cross the continent from south to north.  He and King accompanied Burke and Wills.

Burke and Wills died on Coopers Creek.

King being rescued by Alfred Howitt on the fifteenth of September 1861.

He had been living with the natives for three months.  They having befriended him.

 

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au