KEY POINTS:
In the centre of Australia, at an unlikely oasis, stands the Dig Tree. This tree and its message have become synonymous with Australian courage and sense of adventure.
It marks the spot where it all went wrong for the first Europeans who crossed the continent: Robert Burke and William Wills - men who had focused on this tree as a point of salvation on their return from the northern coast. But rather than find their colleagues and supplies nestled under the leafy boughs, they were greeted with a simple message chiselled into the trunk instead: "DIG UNDER 3FT NW."
This would ultimately prove to be their epitaph. By the mid-1800s, Australians were keen to cut a path through the centre of their nation. They had broken free from the shackles of their inauspicious beginnings and had been huddled about the coast ever since.
Now was the time for a bold new adventure. No one had any idea what secrets the interior of the continent would hold - fertile lands, strange plants and animals, an inland sea perhaps - but one thing was for sure, there was not only the prestige of being first but also a great deal of financial reward at stake. Victoria, the smallest state, had the dual aspirations of annexing the entire Northern Territory and of acquiring the rights to the much coveted inter- continental telegraph.
In an attempt to achieve this goal they hired a local lawman, Burke. Their choice was both foolhardy and inspirational. On one hand, Burke was a complete novice who lacked leadership and people skills, while on the other he was a self-assured, utterly courageous individual.
Ironically, this would prove just the right combination required to succeed - he was far too ignorant to know when he was doomed and fierce enough to keep going regardless.
It is unlikely, though, that the impulsive Burke would have even made it out of Victoria, if it wasn't for the young and idealistic, yet methodical scientist, Wills. With Burke's brawn and Wills' brains, they would set out to create history. Let's face it, most of us don't know a great deal about the history of our transtasman cousins.
Sure, we have heard of Ned Kelly, got their whole convict beginnings down pat, and listened to Rolf Harris sing about swagmen and billycans. This book fills the gap nicely with its entertaining and accessible prose - the perfect travelling companion on your next flight across the ditch. Not only will you know more about our neighbours by the time you arrive, and perhaps glean some insights into how they tick, but the time will literally fly by.
The Dig Tree
By Sarah Murgatroyd (Text $29.99)
* Steve Scott is an Auckland reviewer.
