ProvenanceThe hoof is from Billy, Burke’s horse from his and Wills’ 1860-61 expedition from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The expedition was plagued with delays and bad weather, forcing the men to eat the horse whom they shot on 10 April 1861 at Camp 52R on the Diamanta River near what is now known as the town of Birdwood. There was apparently a great deal of meat on the horse, despite being emaciated. A diary entry from John McKinlay records finding the bones of the horse and its saddle some time later. He writes that they could not find anything buried, but each took a hoof from Billy as a Memento mori.
This hoof was transferred from the Art Gallery of South Australia to the History Trust of South Australia in 1984. Part of the Historical Relics Collection.Hoof was donated to AGSA/public library in 1920 by Miss Beatrice jones, daughter of J W Jones, surveyor general and expedition leader to the Cooper Creek area in the 1880s. It is not known how he acquired the hoof.SignificanceThis hoof is part of the Historical Relics collection. Burke and Wills were two of the early European explorers of Australia. The exploration of Australia was important to the European settlers who strived to be the first to explore the land. This now forms a key stage of Australian colonial history.DescriptionA hollowed light brown coloured horse hoof.AcknowledgementKeywordscolonisationDate of CreationBetween 1st January 1861 and 31st December 1861Date of UsageBetween 1st January 1860 and 31st December 1861MaterialAnimal material, keratinous material - hoof DimensionType: Hoof
Height: 70
Width: 100
Depth: 140
Unit (Lengths): mm
|Type: box
Height: 120
Width: 180
Depth: 150
Unit (Lengths): mm Accession NumberHT 1986.0920
Image Credits
Image FilenameHT1986-0920_CI4228.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0PhotographerKylie Macey
Image Credits
Image FilenameHT1986-0920_CI4235.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0PhotographerKylie Macey
Image Credits
Image FilenameHT1986-0920_CI4229.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0PhotographerKylie Macey
