Burke and Wills vs. Modern Resilience: What Went Wrong on the Dig Tree Expedition & How to Avoid Their Mistakes
- Nathan Burns
- Jul 11
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 26
Famed explorers Burke and Wills can offer some lessons about Resilience, sort of.
Whilst loosely following the path beaten by these rugged men, Nathan Burns contemplates what can be learned from their approach.
If, like me, you were educated in the myopic, Euro-centric pre-2000(ish) Australian school system, it can be safely assumed that you have lingering recollections of the ‘official’ hero story surrounding the Great Victorian Expedition of 1860.* In case your memory is slightly fuzzy, here’s how it goes: The swashbuckling, brave and visionary Robert O’hara Burke, along with his young, studious and inquisitive deputy, William Wills, were given the reins to the grandest expedition of their time - a transection of the Australian continent from south, to north. They were subsequently met by every challenge conceivable in some of the hottest, most barren terrain on earth. Due to their sheer tenacity, doggedness and supreme bush skills, however, they achieved their objective of reaching Australia’s northern coastline, only to perish as martyrs on the return journey.
Story over. The End.
Except, that’s not the whole story, is it?
As part of our own family journey across Australia, I’ve challenged myself to support the experience through deeper learning and understanding - primarily through books and genuine interactions/observations. Hence, I’ve found my reading list loaded with gems that paint the pictures and tell important stories about the country we live in. Classics such as First Footprints, Juice, Cosmos, Fire Country, Mr Stuart’s Track and Deeptime Dreaming have all lined up, eager to help me further understand this country.
Sarah Murgatroyd’s excellent book The Dig Tree: The Story of Burke and Wills, has been my guide as we meander north, leaving the luscious southern Victoria coastal areas, transitioning into the dry plains of South Australia, up and into the eruptious Flinders and Gammon Ranges. This is a (very) loose parallel route to that taken by Burke and Wills which, nevertheless, provides beautiful terrain backdrops, through which the thinking mind can wander. Importantly, Murgatroyd pulls no punches, tearing away our classic veil of blind belief surrounding Burke and Wills to reveal the true calamity and inherent failures of the expedition. Some of these criticisms provide the perfect springboard from which to investigate areas of Resilience.
Before proceeding, I need to state something from the outset: there is absolutely
no question that the men who undertook the Great Victorian Expedition of 1860 were courageous, skilled, ambitious, dedicated, hard men. They were neither afraid of the unknown or failure and should be applauded - if nothing else - for their willingness to upend their lives, shake off a complete lack of expertise (Burke was an Irish-immigrant Policeman, with next-to-no expedition experience), and give it a red-hot crack.
Cast through the lens of modern Resilience, however, the approach of these men - particularly Burke - can be viewed as ill-informed, under-prepared, overly dogmatic and fatally blinkered.
Let’s unpick five key juxtapositions, set against the science of modern Resilience…
Preparation & Planning vs. Complacency & Overconfidence
The Burke and Wills expedition serves as a stark lesson in the dangers of inadequate preparation and unchecked confidence. Despite the grandeur of their mission, the team’s departure was rushed, with insufficient supplies and untested equipment. Burke, a charismatic but inexperienced leader, lacked essential survival skills—navigation and bushcraft—critical for such an arduous journey.
Overconfidence in European methods and an underestimation of Australia’s harsh environment led to fatal miscalculations. Compounding these errors was the failure to establish reliable depots and clear contingency plans, leaving the team stranded without recourse when conditions deteriorated. Their tragic end underscores a fundamental truth: Resilience is not born in the moment of crisis but forged long before through meticulous planning and realistic risk assessment.
This aligns with The Resilience Lab’s principle of creating a strong, wide BASE. True
resilience demands proactive preparation—building skills, securing resources (physical, mental, and social), and developing robust contingency plans before adversity strikes. Burke’s "rush-in" mentality stands in sharp contrast to this principle; his disregard for methodical planning and reliance on sheer determination proved catastrophic.
The modern takeaway is clear: Resilience is not luck. It requires humility in the face of challenges, a willingness to learn core competencies, and a rejection of overconfidence. Whether in exploration, business, or personal endeavoUrs, the difference between success and failure often lies in the groundwork laid long before the journey begins.
Adaptability & Flexibility vs. Rigidity & Dogmatism
One of the most glaring failures of the Burke and Wills expedition was Burke’s stubborn adherence to his original plan, even as conditions made it increasingly unworkable. He pushed north at all costs, splitting the party illogically and refusing to adjust timelines despite extreme heat, unexpected floods, and gruelling terrain. Worse still, he dismissed opportunities to learn from Indigenous peoples—those who knew the land best—about food sources and survival techniques. This rigidity, compounded by poor decision-making under pressure, turned manageable setbacks into fatal disasters.
Resilience, in contrast, demands the ability to pivot when circumstances change—something Burke’s dogmatic leadership fatally lacked.
This brings us to one of The Resilience Lab’s Key Components of Resilience, of adaptability. True resilience isn’t just about sticking to a plan; it’s about developing cognitive flexibility—the willingness to shift strategies, absorb feedback, and explore alternatives. Scenario planning, rapid learning from mistakes, and comfort with uncertainty are key. Burke’s downfall was his inability to let go of sunk costs or ego, doubling down on flawed decisions rather than adapting.
The modern takeaway? Whether in leadership, business, or personal challenges, resilience means balancing determination with humility. Success often hinges not on brute-force persistence, but on the wisdom to change course when reality demands it. Rigidity kills; adaptability thrives.
Resource Management (Physical & Emotional) vs. Exhaustion & Depletion
The Burke and Wills expedition provides a textbook case of how poor resource management can turn ambition into tragedy. Burke drove men and animals to the brink through relentless, unsustainable marches, ignoring clear signs of exhaustion. Rations were poorly managed, leading to malnutrition that sapped strength when it was needed most. Perhaps most telling was the neglect of mental well-being—Burke’s leadership style bred isolation and despair, with Wills’ meticulous journals revealing a growing awareness of their deteriorating state, yet no effective intervention. Their story shows how even the hardiest explorers can be undone not just by external challenges, but by internal depletion.
This brings us to the Key Resilience component of health. True resilience isn’t about endless endurance; it’s about smart stewardship of physical and emotional resources. Modern research shows that foundational elements—proper nutrition, adequate rest, and stress management—are not luxuries but necessities for sustained performance. The expedition’s fatal flaw was viewing rest as weakness rather than strategy.
What can we learn? Simply: resilience requires pacing, recovery, and the wisdom to recognise that constant depletion is the enemy of endurance. As Wills’ journals poignantly demonstrate, awareness without action changes nothing—real Resilience means actively managing energy before the tank hits empty.
Connection & Collaboration vs. Isolation & Poor Leadership**
The Burke and Wills expedition unraveled as much from fractured relationships as from harsh terrain. Burke's autocratic leadership style alienated team members, creating an atmosphere of mistrust that proved as dangerous as the desert itself. His decision to repeatedly split the party - against all logic - weakened their collective strength, while critical communication breakdowns between Burke, Wills, Wright and Brahe led to fatal errors, most notably the infamous Dig Tree depot miscalculation.
Perhaps most tragically, they failed to engage meaningfully with Indigenous communities whose knowledge could have saved them, choosing isolation over collaboration in a land that demanded the opposite. These weren't just operational failures; they were profound breakdowns in human connection when it mattered most.
A modern pillar of Resilience is the notion of community. Countless scientific studies have shown that our ability to endure challenges is deeply social - psychological safety, trust and open communication form the bedrock of effective teams. It’s one of the key reasons we use Polyvagal Theory as a cornerstone of The Resilience Lab’s training. Where Burke saw dependence as weakness, we now understand that seeking and offering support is the hallmark of strength.
The expedition's fate serves as a stark warning: in complex challenges, lone wolves fail. Whether leading organisations or navigating personal trials, Resilience grows from collaborative leadership, diverse perspectives, and the humility to recognise we don't have all the answers. The Dig Tree debacle stands not just as a historical marker, but as a monument to the truth that connection isn't just helpful in adversity - it's essential for survival.
Mindset & Realistic Optimism vs. Fatalism & Cognitive Distortions
Burke and Wills demonstrate how quickly ungrounded optimism can spiral into
paralysing fatalism when reality bites. Burke's initial grandiosity - that hallmark of colonial confidence - gave way to increasingly erratic decisions as conditions worsened, his judgment clouded by stress and ego. While Wills maintained relative level-headedness, the expedition's collective mindset swung wildly from underestimating risks to overestimating helplessness, particularly during their doomed return journey. Their greatest cognitive failure wasn't just poor planning, but an inability to maintain that crucial middle ground: acknowledging their dire circumstances while still believing in their capacity to adapt and survive.
Which, of course, brings us to the concept of mindset. Modern psychology shows Resilience isn't about blind positivity or grim endurance, but about realistic optimism - the ability to see challenges clearly while maintaining faith in one's ability to navigate them. Where Burke's team vacillated between extremes, resilient individuals practice what psychologist Martin Seligman calls "flexible optimism" - assessing threats accurately while focusing on actionable solutions. They build self-efficacy through small wins, manage negative thought patterns, and crucially, maintain a sense of agency even in adversity.
The takeaway for us? Mental fitness requires the same disciplined training as physical endurance. Just as Burke should have prepared his mind along with his supplies, we too must cultivate cognitive habits that avoid both reckless overconfidence and crippling despair.
Resilience, it turns out, lives in that nuanced space between what we can't change and what we can.
Conclusion: Lessons from the Grave for Modern Resilience
The tragic fate of Burke and Wills stands as a sobering masterclass in Resilience gone wrong—a cascade of failures in preparation, adaptability, resource management, connection, and mindset that transformed ambition into catastrophe.
Yet their story need not be merely a historical cautionary tale; through The Resilience Lab framework, we see the clear antidote: proactive preparation before challenges hit, flexibility to pivot when plans falter, stewardship of physical and emotional energy, investment in collaborative relationships, and a mindset that balances realism with agency.
Modern life, like the Australian outback, demands more than grit—it requires intentional, evidence-based Resilience built before the crisis arrives. We honour Burke and Wills not by romanticising their endurance, but by actively cultivating the Resilience they lacked.
The real memorial to their expedition isn’t a tree carved with initials; it’s the choice to learn, adapt, and thrive.
________________________________
*In an effort by the calamitous Royal Society of Victoria to retrospectively save their own reputations - and that of the expedition’s - this expedition was rebranded after the leader and his expedition deputy, Roberty O’Hara Burke and William Wills. It’s important to note that there were many expeditioners who contributed to whatever success this expedition is attributed, Burke and Wills, however, were simply made the figureheads (and, quite likely, setup to be scapegoats, dependent on public opinion).
____________
Ready to build yours? Visit www.theresiliencelab.com.au and start laying foundations that won’t wash away when the storms come!!
Comments