Robert O'Hara Burke was the leader of the largest land expedition Australia had ever seen and the story of his adventures is both enthralling and scarifying. Presenter Dermot Somers starts his modern journey at Burke's birthplace in Galway Ireland before following the trail to Melbourne Australia where Burke began his fateful journey north into the void. Burke's goal - to cross the centre of Australia and reach the Gulf of Carpentaria thus becoming the first white man to complete the traverse. In Melbourne, Somers explores the background to the expedition and its somewhat unlikely choice of leader. He then heads north into the outback following Burke's unfolding journey. Tracking the Irishman as far as Cooper Creek, Somers lays out the unfolding tragedy. Burke is hampered by unwieldy equipment and inexperienced comrades and decides to make a bolt for the north with a few trusty companions. He instructs the remainder to wait at Cooper Creek for 3 months and if he hadn't returned from his 1500 mile round trip to the coast by then, they should presume him dead and head south for home. These instructions set the stage for one of the greatest tragedies in the history of exploration.