 Newly constructed Main Base Hut The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was an Australian scientific team that expored part of Antarctica between 1911 and 1914. It was led by the Australian geologist Douglas Mawson. In 1910 he began to plan an expedition to chart the 2000-mile long coastline of Antarctica to the south of Australia. The Australian Association for the Advancement of Science approved of his plans and contributed substantial funds for the expedition. The remaining funds were raised by public subscription and additional donations. Image File history File linksMetadata Mawson_main_base. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Mawson_main_base. ...
1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...
1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...
A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth. ...
Sir Douglas Mawson (May 5, 1882-1958) was Australian Antarctic explorer. ...
1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...
The team selected for the expedition came primarily from universities in Australia and New Zealand. They would sail on the Newfoundland sealing vessel Aurora, a steam-powered sailing vessel with a length of 165 feet and a displacement of 600 tons. The ship underwent modifications for the trip, including adding three large tanks for storing fresh water. The Aurora captain was John King Davis. Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...
Seal hunting or sealing refers to the practice, history and industries associated with both personal and commercial hunting and killing of seals. ...
The steam yacht Aurora (SY Aurora) was built by Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd. ...
The vessel departed for Macquarie Island on December 2, 1911, arriving on December 11 after surviving stormy weather during the crossing. They began exploring the coastal areas, during which they discovered and claimed King George V Land and Queen Mary Land for the British Empire. Orthographic projection over Macquarie Island Macquarie Island lies in the Southern Ocean, about half-way between Australia and Antarctica. ...
The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...
 Commonwealth Bay has since been described as "the windiest place on earth" The expedition built their winter quarters in Commonwealth Bay, where they spent the winters of 1912 and 1913. (Their hut still stands.) They also built quarters on Macquarie Island and the Shackleton Ice Shelf, but these no longer survive. Image File history File linksMetadata Leaning_into_the_wind. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Leaning_into_the_wind. ...
Commonwealth Bay (66º54´S 142º40´E) is an open bay about 48 km (30 mi) wide at the entrance between Point Alden and Cape Gray in Antarctica. ...
1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...
Shackleton Ice Shelf (66º00´S 100º00´E) is an extensive ice shelf fronting the coast of Antarctica for about 384 km (95E to l05E), projecting seaward about 145 km in the western portion and 64 km in the east. ...
During a sledding trip to the east of the base with Douglas Mawson, Xavier Mertz and Belgrade Ninnis, a crevasse swallowed up Ninnis, a team of six dogs, and the sled containing most of their food. The survivors began a brutal journey home, during which they ate the remaining dogs for food. Mertz became delirious and died during the return, leaving Mawson the only survivor. He travelled 100 km back to the base at Cape Denison, dragging a sled with his geologic specimens. Mawson documents this harrowing journey in his book, "The Home of the Blizzard". Xavier Mertz (1883–1912) was a Swiss explorer, principally famous for his adventures in the Antarctic. ...
Other members were Charles Hoadley as geologist, and Cecil Madigan as meteorologist. In the Antarctic Charles Archibald Brookes Hoadley (Burwood 1 March 1887 - Footscray 27 February 1947) was an Australian geologist. ...
In the Simpson Desert, 1939 Cecil Thomas Madigan (15 October 1889 - 14 January 1947) was an Australian explorer and geologist born in Renmark, South Australia. ...
See also
Mawsons Huts are a collection of buildings located at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, in the far eastern sector of the Australian Antarctic Territory. ...
Territorial claims of Antarctica List of Antarctica expeditions is a chronological list of expeditions involving Antarctica. ...
Additional reading - Douglas Mawson, "The Home of the Blizzard, the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914".
External links - Antarctic Explorers: Douglas Mawson
- The Home of the Blizzard, available freely at Project Gutenberg
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