Burtt continued his search for Warburton's party. Fresh drinkable water was still difficult to find, and from 5 November 1858 he recorded that he could see no sign of the supposed lake after ascending several hills. He left directions to the nearest permanent water at a cairn he erected on Trooper's Hill on 4 November 1858. He also built a fire and used smoke signals to try and establish the location of Warburton's party. By 6 November he had actually crossed one of the many gaps that exist between South Australia's salt lakes, and which since 1840 had been considered to be one continuous horseshoe lake barring the road to the north.

In 1840 Edward John Eyre explored South Australia's northern regions looking for good pastoral lands. He encountered a series of salt lakes barring his passage in whichever direction he turned to the north-west, north or north-east. Heat haze and mirage lead him to believe that there was an extensive horseshoe shaped salt lake. Subsequent attempts tp travel to the north only appeared to confirm this, until in 1858, explorations by Benjamin Herschel Babbage, Corporal Burtt, Peter Egerton Warburton, Augustus Gregory and John McDouall Stuart all found paths through the horseshoe. The road to the north was opened and would be exploited by Stuart in particular as he searched for a route to the north coast of Australia, and following him, by the pastoral industry.