[4] The Age called it "a haunting fusion of poetry and mime, captured by George Ogilvie's imaginative production.

It juxtaposes the events of the trek itself with the agonizings of Brahe, the man left in charge of the stockade to wait for the return of Burke, Wills and King.

Brahe’s decision to give up the wait and go back, his discovery later with King’s return that Burke might still he out there and later still that he decamped just nine hours too soon, and the proceedings of the court of enquiry, all slip in unchronologically.

Reed draws on a number of telling non-naturalistic devices to mime the horrors of Burke’s return, and to counterpoint Brahe’s anguish.

"[7] The play was adapted for radio in 1969 with George Whaley as Burke, Brian James as Wills and Frederick Parslow as King.