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Charles GrayPrint 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 |
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State: | SA |
Area: | AUS |
GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -27.339391 Long: 140.103726 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
Monument Type: | Plaque |
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Monument Theme: | People |
Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
Actual Event Start Date: | 16-April-1861 |
Actual Event End Date: | 16-April-1861 |
Dedication
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.