1 Dollar - Elizabeth II The Burke and Wills Expedition

The Burke and Wills expedition of 1860–61 remains the most catastrophic failure in Australian exploration history. Lavishly funded by the Royal Society of Victoria and equipped to an almost absurd degree, the party's southward return from the Gulf of Carpentaria was undone by a matter of hours — arriving back at their Cooper Creek depot on April 21, 1861, just hours after the support party had abandoned it after waiting months beyond the agreed date.

Cook Islands issues coins of this type under licensing arrangements that have no connection to the subject matter — a Commonwealth currency convenience long used by commemorative producers targeting the collector market.