Intrepid Science Blog

Discovered in 1810, Macquarie Island suffered its first shipwreck three years later and hasn’t really let up. It is not hard to imagine why. The  Caroline ,  Nelson ,  Eagle  and  Endeavour  are just a handful of craft that have ended their days here. The only way in is by sea but steep cliffs, shallow waters, wild winds and frequently heavy surf combine to make the shore a hazard to visitors.  Even getting close is fraught with danger as Mawson’s team learnt on their arrival. On their approach to Macquarie Island, the AAE saw a beached sealing vessel, the  Clyde,  which had been wrecked on a reef after a particularly bad storm. Under guidance from the sealers, the  Aurora  edged itself into more protected waters before delivering the team and equipment that were to call this remote spot home for two years. Morning panoramic view over Macquarie Island Sitting at 54˚S and 34 kilometres long, the 5 kilometre wide Macquarie Isl...

On the 2 December 1911, the residents of the island state of Tasmania turned out in droves to farewell the heavily laden  Aurora  when it headed south from Hobart. Sir Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition was off. It had been an extraordinary year. Mawson had somehow managed to raise the necessary funds; appoint a team of scientists, engineers and ship’s crew; buy and provision a vessel; and obtain enough equipment and supplies to sustain a scientific expedition in the field for fourteen months. But it was not all plain sailing. A week after departure, Mawson wrote to his fiancé Paquita: ‘Our journey has been lengthened by a gale and encumbered decks – we scarcely thought to get through Tuesday last, but providence has asserted itself right from the beginning.  The Starboard bulwarks, motorboat and part of the bridge have been broken up – repairs are however well underway…The Aurora rolls day and night without ceasing – I have been trying to sleep on a c...