The Dig Tree: The Story of Burke and Wills

It took nearly 200 years to map the circumference of Australia and discovering the interior became a race between the states. It had already been 72 years since the first colonists had arrived and yet no one had yet crossed the continent.  The Burke and Wills expedition was determined to open up new fronteirs in Australia.

With the help of original source documents Sarah Murgatroyd has woven together the most beautiful living book history of the expedition to find a way through the center of Australia.  Follow Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills as well as Chales Sturt.

The Dig Tree: The Story of Burke and Wills

• Format Paperback | 384 pages
• Dimensions 130 x 196 x 26mm | 281.23g
• Publication date 04 Jan 2010
• Publisher Text Publishing Co
• Imprint The Text Publishing Company
• Publication City/Country Melbourne, Australia
• ISBN10 192152099X
• ISBN13 9781921520990 

From Book Depostitory:
"Murgatroyd has brought together for the first time new scientific and historical evidence, and tells the story of Burke and Wills, the explorers who set out to cross Australia from coast to coast, in brilliant detail. Here, at last, is the book that brings to life Australia's most infamous story of exploration. The Dig Tree describes vividly the remarkable courage, the suffering and the moments of sheer lunacy, as Burke and Wills struggled to survive in a harsh land they did not understand. Sarah Murgatroyd's style is immensely readable. She has written with warmth about Burke and Wills and their party, and reveals fascinating detail - for example, that Burke had a notoriously bad sense of direction, and was famous for getting lost even on the way home from his local pub! Though we all know the basic story of the Burke and Wills expedition, The Dig Tree reveals just how little most of us know of the individuals, the politics, the blunders and the ambitions behind this extraordinary event in Australia's history. This is essential and utterly compelling reading."

The Dig Tree Audio Book

• Format CD-Audio
• Dimensions 134 x 146mm | 258g
• Publication date 01 Dec 2009
• Publisher Bolinda Publishing
• Imprint Bolinda Audio Books
• Publication City/Country Tullamarine, Australia
• Edition Unabridged
• Edition statement Unabridged edition
• ISBN10 1742334601
• ISBN13 9781742334608 
• Read by Catherine Milte

We loved listening to Catherine read The Dig Tree on our Outback Adventure a few years back.  I gained such a new appreciation for the Outback listening to this book.

This is post three of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Blog Hop 2018. The other posts in the series can be found here:

Day 1 - The Switherby Pilgrims and Jamberoo Road.
Day 2 - Australian Historical Fiction
Day 3 - ANZAC Books

Looking ahead on the host blog:

• Day 1 - Keeping the Read aloud Revival Alive
• Day 2 - Fostering Independence
• Day 3 - Encouraging Reading
• Day 4 - When College Isn't the Next Step
• Day 5 - homeschooling with the Brain in Mind