Antarctica (back then)
Folder: Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Album transferred across from Flickr.
These photographs are more or less in sequence and were taken when I was a member of the Australian National Research Expedition (ANARE) to Australia's Mawson Station in Antarctica in 1965-7. They document the voyage, and some of the activities around the station itself and on field trips.
My longest trip was for four months with six others, to begin… (read more)
These photographs are more or less in sequence and were taken when I was a member of the Australian National Research Expedition (ANARE) to Australia's Mawson Station in Antarctica in 1965-7. They document the voyage, and some of the activities around the station itself and on field trips.
My longest trip was for four months with six others, to begin… (read more)
Digging out #2
From an old slide. Blizzards, usually lasting several days, left huge amounts of drift piled against, over and around our tractors and caravan trains. Clearing it typically took at least a day, sometimes two. Here, late in a long day's digging, much of the sledges and linking cables have been cleared of snow.
Blizzard aftermath
From an old slide. Totally "drifted in". A few days of blizzards left huge amounts of drift piled through and around the tractors and caravan trains. Clearing it typically took at least a day, sometimes two. On our return trip, blizzards were frequent and often we had only one day's travelling before being pinned down for several days, then repeating the process.
Blizzard aftermath #2
From an old slide. Totally "drifted in". A few days of blizzards left huge amounts of drift piled through and around the tractors and caravan trains. Not only is this SnowTrac filled with snow, but it is perched on a sledge that has been totally buried, as have the cables linking it to the next sledge, itself equally buried...
Merry 66 Xmas
From an old slide. About as white as Christmas can get - while we had our celebrations, another blizzard developed and was filling the air outside with whirling snow. Our chef, back in Mawson, had prepared the cake for us prior to departure.
Ghost of Christmas (long) past
From an old slide and being reposted with a better copy. This is the "Spring Trippers" group photo on Christmas Eve, 50 years ago (1966). We were on a four month mapping trip, at this stage some 200km inland from Mawson station, Antarctica.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's a song to go with the season.
Why did we stop?
Heading back to Mawson station, late at night on the 100th day of our trip and trying to make up lost time, when suddenly we stopped. Our tractor had hit a crevasse, generally referred to as a 'slot'. Many trips had been through this particular area and never before had one been encountered here.
Another blow
Having both our tractors stuck in the crevasse late at night, we expected to start releasing them the following day. It was not to be, as we had another blizzard, lasting four days and leaving the tractors half buried in snow drifts. More dangerously, the crevasse also had been covered with soft snow, so we had to use safety ropes and ice picks to determine its location.
Getting them out
When the blizzard was over, it was necessary to clear the snow from the tractors and sledges. Fortunately, on our way south, we had left our third tractor at a depot not far away, so it was possible to go there with a Snowtrac and retrieve it - checking a safe route and returning very carefully. The first tractor was relatively easy to extract, the "sideways" one proved a problem. First (as above) we tried lifting it sideways with two tractors, using steel cables and bridging timbers: all we achieved was to shake the tractor further down the slot while breaking cables and chains.
Back to Mawson
Apart from weather, we had a relatively smooth run back to Mawson. Here the caravans and sledges are being ferried to Mawson - and, since our departure, the sea ice had disappeared.
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