In which year did Ludwig Leichhardt, along with seven other men, go missing on his ill-fated expedition to cross Australia from east to west?

The boundless Australian deserts are the stony lockers of many secrets – but the most enduring modern mystery to be held there is the fate of Ludwig Leichhardt, the strange Prussian scientist who vanished in 1848 along with seven men, 20 mules, 50 bullocks, seven horses and masses of gear.

The German-born scientist and naturalist mounted two significant overland expeditions to explore Australia before vanishing on the third, most ambitious and risky trek: a 4,500km east-to-west crossing on horseback the unknown and forbidding Australian interior.

By 1846, four years after his arrival in Australia, he was lauded as the “Prince of Explorers”, and public and private support grew for his future expeditions in line with his hero status.

In 1848, Leichhardt set out to surpass his previous journey to the north. He now wanted to cross Australia from east to west, through its mysterious, arid centre – a place unknown to Europeans.

Before he left, he learned he had been awarded gold medals for his work by both the London and Paris geographical societies and wrote: “I’ve had the pleasure of hearing that the geographical society in London has awarded me one of its medals, and that the Parisian geographical society has conferred a similar honour upon me. Naturally I’m very pleased to think that such discerning authorities consider me worthy of such honour; but whatever I have done has never been for honour. I have worked for the sake of science, and for nothing else.”