Wills, William John

Wills, William John (1834-61), explorer, b. Totnes, Devon, England.

The son of a doctor, William Wills studied medicine in London before emigrating to Australia. There he first worked as a shepherd and later helped his father in the gold-mining town of Ballarat.

Next he went to work in Melbourne at a weather observatory, and the director recommended him for a place in the expedition led by Robert Burke. This expedition was to cross Australia from south to north for the first time, and Wills's job was to decide the best route across the unexplored land.

Using pack-horses and camels, they completed the journey of 1600 miles (2,575 k) from Melbourne, Victoria, to the Gulf of Carpentaria. But, in bad weather, they only got about halfway back before running out of food and both Wills and Burke died of starvation.

See William John Wills A Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia