THE EPIC 1844-45 EXPLORATION EXPEDITION OF LUDWIG LEICHHARDT ACROSS THE AUSTRALIAN SAVANNA

The German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt joins the group of European explorers who made long and arduous journeys across the “Great unknown” interior. Well - unknown to Europeans and colonists with settlements along the coastline. Join his epic exploration from Moreton Bay (Brisbane) to the very remote colonial settlement of Victoria on the shores of Port Essington. Follow his progress by map and description. Assist your students to become aware of the dangers faced. Understand why this long journey which was expected to take 4-6 months ended up taking nearly 14 months. Find evidence along the route by photographic inclusions. Recognise the challenges faced by members of the exploration party. Find out why the ultimate success of this exploration depended on the skills of two aboriginal guides in the group. Find out how Leichhardt contributed
to the naming of features within the Australian Savanna. Work out why this expedition has been given the title of “epic”. The description, maps and photographs provide a record of the journey that had been labelled as “a failure” was to be praised as “a success”. The attachments are provided for the provision of hard copies. Your students can develop their own expedition map and the screens are numbered so that answers to the set questions can be located and filled in. You may decide to use the attachments as you screen the pages in class or you may used them as check questions when the unit has been completed.
Ludwig Leichhardt is generally less well known than Burke and Wills and McDouall Stuart but this expedition places him alongside them in terms of length, difficulty and achievement. Find out why. This unit can lead on to one of the great mysteries of Australian European exploration - the mystery surrounding the disappearance of all members of Leichhardt’s exploration group on the 1848 exploration attempt to reach the Swan River Settlement from Moreton Bay (Brisbane).