From the cemetery it was only a short distance to the impressive cairn that marks the place where the expedition officially started in 1860. The modern buildings of Melbourne in the distance form a fitting tribute to the huge progress made in Australia since the days of the early pioneers and suggests that their faith in their new country was justified.
From here the actual expedition only covered a mile or two the first day and already required some major rethinking on the logistics
To Swan Hill
Near Lancefield the sealed road was actually signposted "Burke and Wills Track" On their sixth night the expedition reached Swan Hill, this was our first nights stop and we stayed in the Burke and Wills Motel, where we watched the 7pm ABC TV news reporting our departure that morning from Melbourne. Next morning we bought the Herald Sun to see their report, visited the official monument and the fig tree planted by the explorers. We then headed for Menindee via Mildura.
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