The Expeditioner December 2011

Demonstrating reindeer wrangling

at Yanrakynnot village

King of KingsTim Griffin has won this year’s Aurora

Expeditions’ Antarctic photography competition

with a stunning portrait of king penguins at

South Georgia’s Gold Harbour.

Tim claims it was something of a lucky shot.

‘I was in a state of information overload with this

landing being my first at a king penguin colony.

The sun was setting and the light fading fast. I

found my way to a stream that runs behind the

beach—it was like a mirror and reflected the

sunset perfectly. I had the ISO turned up as high

as I could without the quality of the photo being

impacted, the shutter speed as low as I could

handhold, and the aperture wide open. When I

spotted these two kings posing perfectly, I rattled

off a couple of shots—it all just fell into place.’

The day before visiting Gold Harbour, Tim

had reunited with fellow passengers and his

wife Fiona after completing a gruelling alpine

crossing over South Georgia from King Haakon

Bay to Stromness Whaling Station.

Tim and Fiona have one more reason to

celebrate. In November they welcomed the

birth of a beautiful daughter, fittingly named

Georgia Nieve.

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At this time of year i reflect on the wild and remote places that you, our passengers, have

experienced aboard our ships. in the Aurora expeditions’ office we feel numerous pangs of envy, but we never tire of hearing about the remarkable encounters with wildlife, and being immersed in nature at its best. extraordinary moments seem integral to our style of adventure travel.

In this issue, you’ll share our thrill in

being one of the first passenger vessels

to traverse Russia’s North East Passage.

You’ll hear about that other Aurora, the

northern lights, and the wonders of an

East Greenland voyage.

On 2 December, 100 years to the day

after polar explorer Douglas Mawson

steamed south from Hobart towards

the frozen south, I shared the excitement

and nervous anticipation as our own

Akademik Shokalskiy motored down the

Derwent River bound for Antarctica’s

Commonwealth Bay.

Our Antarctic season is well underway,

bringing with it a much-anticipated fly-

sail era. Already our 2012–2013 brochures

have landed on my desk. They promise

the largest-yet range of destinations and

options, with two sister ships and double

the voyages. In 2012 we offer two trips

to Papua New Guinea; we return to Wild

Scotland and those fabulous Faroes. Two

new voyages have been added to our

Russian Coast program.

On the home front, we warmly

welcome Ludmila to the finance team,

and Amanda Till, who we have enticed

ashore for some of her time, to a new

role as Expeditions Executive.

Those aboard our ships in Antarctica

will be enjoying a very white Christmas.

Whether this finds you at home or abroad,

I wish every one of you a safe and joyous

holiday season and a happy 2012!

Lisa BoLton, CEO, Aurora Expeditions

The Expeditioneraurora Expeditions’ newsletter • December 2011

Across the topBy golly, we did it! Aurora Expeditions is thrilled

to be amongst the first to navigate Russia’s

North East Passage in an ice-strengthened

passenger vessel.

Aboard Akademik Shokalskiy, 50 pioneering

adventurers, our expedition staff and

indefatigable Russian crew pushed back from

the port of Murmansk in August, traversing

Siberia’s vast north coast and crossing nine

time zones to arrive in Anadyr 26 days later.

The inaugural voyage, led by Howard Whelan,

was one of Aurora Expeditions’ most extreme

in scope and duration, visiting a corner of the

globe where few have ventured.

We took the chance to land at military-

restricted Novaya Zemlya, name peaks

on mountainous Severnaya Zemlya, and

cruise at midnight around the Novosibirskie

Islands. Shokalskiy steamed north of Wrangel

Island to the edge of the pack ice, where

we encountered a dozen polar bears and

hundreds of walrus. During the voyage

we discovered 10,000-year-old fossils of

mammoth tusks and teeth. At dusk, a frenzy

of short-tailed shearwaters rose from the

water and darkened the skies. We plied the

waters alongside beluga whale and white-

beaked dolphin, Zodiaced amongst fractious

walrus, and those with cameras at the ready

snapped the rarest sighting of all: a wolverine.

With safety at the forefront, Aurora

Expeditions continues to push the boundaries

of adventure tourism, creating itineraries

to stimulate the senses and open up some

of the least-known places on our planet.

For those ready to layer up, stride out and

explore the North East Passage, call us about

our 2012 & 2013 program (we have limited

berths still available on our 2012 voyages). Or

check our two new 2012 Russian adventures:

Arctic Ocean Discoverer – Wrangel Island and

Treasures of the Russian Far East at

www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/

expeditions/category/russia-cruise

2012 – 2013 VoYAge cALenDAr

A rarely seen wolverine

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epic VoYAgesFor centuries, daring

explorers have struck

out across unknown

oceans in search of

new lands. In 1521

Ferdinand Magellan

proved the world

was round when his

ship Victoria circumnavigated the globe.

Captain James Cook’s voyages of discovery

led him to the great southern continent

of Australia. More recently, explorers have

been propelled by scientific curiosity or

the urge to attain the near impossible.

Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and

his 28 men struck disaster in Antarctica’s

Weddell Sea when their ship Endurance

was crushed by ice, beyond all hope of

help. Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedition

overcame remarkable odds to show that

a traditional log raft could traverse the

world’s widest ocean. And yachtsman

Francis Chichester became the first to sail

single-handedly around the world.

With fold-out posters, maps, photos,

illustrations and charts, young readers will

be captivated as authors Robyn Mundy

and Nigel Rigby recount the drama and

perils faced by these five courageous

explorers during their epic voyages of

adventure and discovery.

Epic Adventure: Epic Voyages is published

by The Five Mile Press ISBN 978-1-74248-

505-8, and Kingfisher ISBN 0753465744.

DouBLe the cApAcitY, DouBLe the fun!

Antarctica in a shorter length of time by

eliminating one sea crossing.

South Georgia & Weddell Sea – Shackleton’s

Odyssey is a voyage inspired by explorer Sir

Ernest Shackleton, whose survival story is

one of the greatest in Antarctic exploration.

In this new voyage we attempt to explore

deep into the Weddell Sea, while those with

climbing experience will have the option to

lace up their glacier boots for Shackleton’s

Crossing, a rigorous alpine traverse of South

Georgia’s interior.

Prices for the 2012–13 Antarctic season

start from US$6,365 per person based on

a triple cabin for an 8-day cruise. Visit


expeditions/category/antarctica-cruises

With two sturdy sister ships and 20 premium

voyages designed to make the most of the

Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, South

Georgia and the Falkland Islands, this season

is shaping up to be our biggest and brightest.

We now offer a choice of comfortable

vessels, Polar Pioneer and Akademik

Shokalskiy, each carrying a maximum

of 54 passengers. The small-group

advantage is part of our winning

formula, while the added capacity allows

a greater diversity of voyages, with more

opportunities for adventure activities such

as kayaking, scuba diving, ice climbing and

camping overnight.

Our new Fly & Sail option on select voyages

allows passengers to experience more of

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Epic VoyagesIncludes

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E p i c A d v e n t u r e


Discover how adventurous mariners used their skill and resourcefulness to adapt to challenging conditions— unpredictable weather, physical hardship, unforeseen perils.Find out which strategies and survival techniques succeeded and which failed, sometimes with tragic results.

Explore the vast oceans and wild seas navigated by these intrepid sailors on their long, dangerous voyages.

Epic Voyages

EpIc

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YAG

ES

MAGELLAN s cOOK s SHAcKLETON s HEYERDAHL s cHIcHESTER

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Equator

A S I A

NORTHAMERICA

SOUTHAMERICA

EUROPE

A F R I C A

SPAIN

PORTUGAL

TREATY OF TORDESILLAS LINE

MAGELLAN’S FLEETShips Tonnage

TrinidadFlagship 110 tons

San Antonio 120 tons

Concepción 90 tons

Victoria 85 tons

Santiago 75 tons

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VeniceAntwerpGenoa

Overland routesSea routes

FERDINANDMagellanSetting Sail MAGELLAN MovES To SpAiN As a young captain, Magellan argued with King Manuel of Portugal and was scorned at his court. Magellan left his homeland in disgust and moved to Spain to serve the new, 17-year-old King Charles.

ANToNio piGAFETTA A young Italian nobleman, Antonio Pigafetta, volunteered to join the expedition. Through the three-year voyage he kept a daily journal of events and observations. He was one of only 18 survivors and, luckily, his journal has survived to tell us much about the journey.

Europeans knew little of the greater world until the 1400s when explorers established sea routes

around the southern tip of Africa to the spice-rich countries of Asia. Then in 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed west from Spain to discover the

Americas the New World. Young King Charles 1 of

Spain welcomed to his court Ferdinand Magellan, an accomplished mariner outcast from Portugal.

Charles admired Magellan and commissioned him to

undertake a voyage of discovery westward in search of el paso, a sea passage through the New World to the Spice Islands of Southeast Asia. Little did Magellan know he was embarking on the first circumnavigation of the globe, or that he would endure treachery, peril, and bitter hardship. In September 1519, a fleet of five ships and 277 crew struck out across the Atlantic Ocean. Only one ship and 18 survivors would complete the voyage.

MASTEr MAriNEr As a young page in Portugal’s royal court, Magellan received an education in navigation, astronomy, and mapmaking—skills that would guide him on his epic voyage around the globe.

Treaty of TordesillasAn imaginary line was drawn north–south through the Atlantic Ocean; Portugal could claim new lands east of the line, Spain could claim lands west of the line. Magellan assured the king that the Spice Islands, if reached by sailing west, could be claimed by Spain.

SAiLiNG FroM SpAiN With the king’s money, Magellan purchased five ships. Because he was Portuguese, several officials resented Magellan and made him hire unsuitable Spanish captains. When the fleet set sail, three captains plotted to kill Magellan and take over command.

The Age of DiscoveryThe wealth of the spice trade prompted seafaring nations to explore fast sea routes to Asia. In1498, Vasco da Gama sailed around the southern tip of Africa to reach India, creating an eastern trading route for Portugal. Magellan was inspired to explore a western route for Spain after rumors of el paso, a possible passage around southern America.

Fragrant TreasuresSpices were highly sought after in Europe, but only the wealthiest households could afford them. Transporting spices from the East involved months of arduous land and sea journeys. Every port demanded taxes from traders, while pirates and thieves posed constant danger. By the time a bale of spices reached Venice, it sold for one hundred times its original purchase price—making spices more costly than gold.

ST ELMo’S FirEAt sea during a thunderstorm the crews of Magellan’s fleet noticed St Elmo’s Fire, a bright glow of fiery light at the tip of the ships’ masts and yards. Unaware that it was caused by electricity in the atmosphere the sailors became fearful; they thought it was caused by a supernatural being.

VICTORIA

Construction of Gipsy Moth IVAt 53 feet (16 m) overall, 39 feet (11.9 m) at the waterline, Gipsy Moth IV was a large yacht for a single-hander at that time. Chichester later admitted that the boat was too big for him. The theoretical maximum speed of a yacht is related to its waterline length—the longer the hull the faster the boat —and Gipsy Moth IV was theoretically capable of sailing 200 sea miles a day. To help the speed, she also had a light, easily driven hull with a cutaway keel. Despite her length, the cabin was cramped and Chichester discovered at sea that the stowage space had been badly designed, with equipment bashing around and making a noise like “a country fair in full swing.” The hull was, however, strongly built from cold-molded Honduran mahogany, although the plywood deck leaked where it joined the hull.

Forestay and foresail.

Forehatch. Sails stored below could be man-handled through the hatch onto

the deck.

Windlass. When Chichester needed to slow the boat in strong winds he trailed warps (long ropes) behind. These were heavy and he used a mechanical windlass (a powerful winch) to let them out and take them in.

The mainmast with mainsail.

He cooked on a Primus stove, a single-ring paraffin cooker.

Steering compass in the cockpit.

Mizzenmast and mizzensail.

An inflatable dinghy was kept in the stern locker.

Self-steering gear. This essential piece of equipment for a single-hander was badly damaged in a storm, but Chichester made temporary repairs, which got him to Sydney.

The large and heavy wooden tiller.

The rudder.

Chichester’s sea berth with navigational instruments above his head.

A heads (toilet) was in a compartment forward of his sea berth.

Navigation table and communications instruments.

Chichester’s gimballed (self-righting) chair.

Lead-filled wooden keel. To improve stability 2,400 lb (1,090 kg) of lead was added.

Main cabin with folding table, one berth and six seats.

Forward heads (toilet) with hand basin.

Forward cabin, which Chichester mainly used to store sails.

Forward watertight bulkhead.

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.)

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

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Equator

Cape Horn

Hawaiian Islands(Sandwich Islands)

Plymouth

Plymouth

CapeTown

London

A F R I C A

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EUROPEA S I A

N O R T HA M E R I C A

SOUTHAMER ICAAUSTRALIA

A F R I C A

Second voyageThird voyage

northwest passage Cook’s ships made two brave attempts to find the Northwest Passage, but were defeated, and nearly destroyed, by pack ice.The search for the Passage would become almost an obsession for the 19th-century British Navy

easter island Cook’s second voyage in Resolution and Adventure reached Easter Island, the most easterly point reached by early Polynesian settlers. The stone statues there would later help Thor Heyerdahl form his theory of westerly Polynesian migration from America.

Captain James Cook, R.N., by John Webber. Cook was promoted to post-captain before his third and final voyage.

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After the great success of the first voyage a second was planned to continue the search for the Southern Continent and build

scientific knowledge of the Pacific. This was to be even more ambitious, with two ships and a much larger complement of scientists. Banks withdrew after a disagreement over the accommodation for his party. Cook took Resolution and Adventure beyond the Antarctic Circle, the first ships to sail so far south. Although no continent was found, the scientific rewards were enormous. Cook then retired from service at sea with great honors but could not resist coming out of retirement to command a third Pacific voyage in search of the Northwest Passage of North America. This ended tragically when Cook was killed in Hawaii.

Later Voyages Cook’s achievementsCook set new and exacting standards for maritime exploration. He mapped thousands of miles of coastline previously unknown to Europe, charting 5,000 miles (9,250 km) on his first voyage alone. He accurately fixed the positions of numerous Pacific island groups. He brought back thousands of plant and animal specimens and detailed descriptions and drawings of Pacific peoples. These were to revolutionize European science.

return to tahiti Cook returned to Tahiti on both his second and third voyages, anchoring in the familiar bay. On his second trip he took an islander named Omai back to Britain; the man’s presence caused great interest.

hawaiian islands An Hawaiin warrior wears a ceremonial helmet. Cook landed in Hawaii, most northerly point of Polynesian settlement, on the third voyage when sailing north to the Arctic. He found so much fresh food there that he decided to return the following winter.

fatal enCounter Cook, four marines, and 17 Hawaiians were killed in a brief but bloody incident at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, on February 14, 1779. Webber, artist on the third voyage, based his painting of the scene on eye-witness accounts.

Charting the PacificCook’s three great voyages replaced myth and speculation with an accurate map of the Pacific. As many later explorers commented, he left them little to do except fill in some gaps.

Large fold-out posters and gatefolds show the maps and the story of the route in a graphic style.

Ü

•Five great stories of adventure

•Into the unknown, sailing by the stars, life at sea

•Sailing craft from great square-riggers to a small raft

•photographs, illustrations and fascinating diagrams

•Detailed maps show the amazing distances travelled, and what happened along the way

Aurora expeditions – Level 3, 13-15 Bridge street, sydney, nsW 2000 Australia Aurora expeditions’ newsletter printed December 2011 • editor: robyn Mundy • Design: grin creative www.grincreative.com.au

2012 Code Destination Activities ship

January 5 – 21 ASG42 South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking PP

January 21 – February 6 ASG43 South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking PP

January 23 – February 17 MAW08 Mawson’s Centenary Celebration – Hobart to Hobart AK

February 6 – 17 ANP83 Weddell Sea & Antarctic Peninsula Diving PP


February 28 – March 18 ASG44 South Georgia – Shackleton Odyssey Alpine Crossing PP

April 2 – 14 PNG10 Islands of Smiles – Alotau to Alotau Kayaking AK

April 14 – 26 PNG11 Lost in Paradise – Alotau to Rabaul Kayaking AK

May 28 – June 7 KIM45 Kimberley Coast – Broome to Broome CP

June 8 – 18 KIM46 Kimberley Coast – Broome to Broome CP

June 11 – 24 SCOT8 Wild Scotland & Faroe Islands Kayaking / Diving PP

June 18 – 28 KIM47 Kimberley Coast – Broome to Darwin CP

June 25 – July 7 KUR04 Ring of Fire – Kuril Islands Kayaking AK

July 7 – 19 KAM05 Bering Sea Explorer – Kamchatka, Commander Islands & Chukotka Kayaking AK

July 19 – 29 SVAL30 Spitsbergen Odyssey Kayaking PP

July 19 – 31 KAM06 Treasures of the Russian Far East – Kamchatka & Chukotka Kayaking AK

July 29 – August 8 SVAL31 Spitsbergen Odyssey Kayaking / Diving PP

July 31 – August 13 WRA01 Arctic Ocean Discoverer – Wrangel Island Kayaking AK

August 8 – 21 GRN20 Jewels of the Arctic – Spitsbergen, Greenland, Iceland Kayaking / Diving PP

August 13 – September 7 NEP02 Across the North East Passage Kayaking AK

August 21 – September 3 GRN21 Jewels of the Arctic – Iceland, Greenland, Spitsbergen Kayaking PP

September 8 – 21 FJL03 Voyage to the End of the Earth – Franz Josef Land Kayaking AK

November 10 – 26 ASG45 South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking AK

November 12 – 30 ASG46 South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Photography PP

November 26 – December 3 ANP85 Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Camping AK

November 30 – December 11 ANP86 Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Climbing / Photography / Camping PP

December 3 – 11 ANP87 Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Camping AK

December 11 – 19 ANP88 Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Camping / Photography AK

December 11 – 22 ANP89 Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Climbing / Camping PP


December 22 – 31 ANP91 Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Camping PP

December 27 – January 12 ASG47 South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking AK

December 31 – January 10 ANP92 Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking / Camping PP



January 12 – 28 ASG49 South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula Kayaking AK


January 28 – February 7 ANP93 Across the Circle Kayaking / Diving AK

February 7 – 17 ANP94 Across the Circle Kayaking / Diving AK


February 17 – 28 ANP96 Weddell Sea & Antarctic Peninsula AK

February 22 – March 13 ASG51 South Georgia & Weddell Sea Shackleton Crossing PP

February 28 – March 16 ASG52 South Georgia & Weddell Sea Shackleton Crossing AK

AK: Akademik Shokalskiy – CP: Coral Princess – PP: Polar Pioneer

NeW

NeW

NeW

NeW

FRoM tHE HELM

5° S

10° S

145° E 150° E

145° E 150° E

B i s m a r c k S e a

C o r a l S e a

S o l o m o n S e a

T o r r e s S t r a i t

H u o n

G u l f

Sepik River

Milne Bay

Jacquinot Bay

A U S T R A L I A

Port Moresby

Karkar

AdmiraltyIslands

Cape York

Rabaul

Lambon

Manam

Rambutyo

Bougainville

Buka

New Hanover

New Ireland

N e w B r i t a i n

Lababia

B I S M A R C K

A R C H I P E L A G O

Long Island

Umboi

Tingwon Island

Djaul

Tabar Islands

Lihir

Ambitle

Madang

Lae

N E W

G U I N E A

Ow

en S t a n l e y R a n g e

Louis iade Archipelago

Woodlark Island

Tagula

Rossel Island

Misima

KitavaTrobriand

Islands

D’Entrecasteaux Islands

Normanby Island

Goodenough I.

Fergusson I.

Alotau

Tufi

Samari

Toi

Tami Island

Tuam Island

0 50 100 150 KILOMETRES

NOMINAL SCALE 1:4,250,000

0 50 100 NAUTICAL MILES

Voyage 1: Alotau to Alotau

Voyage 2: Alotau to Rabaul

AurorA expeDitions’ inforMAtion sessions

iN AN ANCieNt lAND Where glACiers

carve valleys as broad as a state, where

the passage of time is told by strata of

stone and gargantuan geological folds,

where land and ice is as immense as

the sky, wondrous displays of nature

can be found on show, day and night.

At two in the morning, unable to

sleep, journalist Ken eastwood left the

warmth of his cabin and ventured up

to the flying bridge of Polar Pioneer:

The starry night was a black velvet canopy

encrusted with sparkling jewels. Perhaps the

cold explained my tardiness in not immediately

recognising the lines and shapes that

materialised above, until a luminescent

green ‘J’ took over a third of the sky.

I was joined by expedition leader Don

McFadzien and fellow passengers to view the

famous Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

In a flowing ballet, swirls of green and white

speared across the sky toward the far side of

Harefjord. Surely the rumours of auroras being

created by fairy dust, and communications from

other universes are believable in the Arctic?

It is, after all, a deeply magical place. Take

the morning landing.

Under an almost cloudless sky, and with

calm conditions glazing the fjord, our Zodiacs

crunched through a slurry of ice. We landed

on a palette of tundra, where frosted birch

and willow leaves whispered secrets to

photographers, while musk oxen grazed the

sweeping plain. Fish skittered behind boulders

in a creek trickling from a shining lake, and

a snowcap sat like oozing white icing on a

300-million-year-old layered rock cake. A keen

group descended into a steep iced gully, while

staFF PRoFiLE:Dan BaLint, PaPua nEw GuinEa & KiMBERLEy natuRaList

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A tufi man shows off traditional costume in papua new guinea

We cannot not let

this special month

go by without a

final tribute to Sir

Douglas Mawson

and his 1911–14

Australasian Antarctic

Expedition. Indeed,

as this newsletter

goes to print, our own

Akademik Shokalskiy has departed Hobart,

Tasmania on the very same day as Steam

Yacht Aurora, a century before.

Scheme. His motivational speech paralleled the

leadership qualities and expeditionary skills of

polar explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, with those

of our expedition staff at Aurora Expeditions.

Peter likened the individual and team skills

required to conduct a remote, adventure-style

voyage, to the core qualities that boys and

girls strive to attain in the Duke of Edinburgh

Award Scheme. Peter presented D of E awards

to gold, silver and bronze winners.

Peter joins the Aurora Expeditions’ team

on Mawson’s Centenary Celebration voyage,

departing 2 December 2011.

to the AntArctic AnD success

our fALLen heroes

striVe, eMBArK, DiscoVer, AchieVe

As celebrations abound to mark this important

centenary, we honour Sir Douglas Mawson,

Captain John King Davis and their men’s far-

reaching accomplishments: oceanographic

studies, charting miles of new coastline, scientific

research including relocating the South Magnetic

Pole, transmitting the first radio signal from

Antarctica to Hobart via a radio relay station

established at Macquarie Island, and, by 1931,

the discovery of more Antarctic territory than

all previous expeditions combined, ultimately

staking forty percent of the frozen continent as

Australian Antarctic Territory.

Tasmanian-born

Charles Harrisson

joined Sir Douglas

Mawson’s 1911–14

Australasian Antarctic Expedition as a

biologist and expedition artist. He was

a member of Frank Wild’s eight-man

Western Party whose hut was erected on

the Shackleton Ice Shelf in Queen Mary

Land. Harrisson was also a gifted writer

and the diary he kept during his fifteen

months in Antarctica has now been

transcribed and edited by accomplished

author Heather Rossiter.

Marking the 100-year anniversary of the

departure of the Australasian Antarctic

Expedition, Harrisson’s compelling

narrative is complemented by his beautiful

Antarctic sketches and watercolours, as

well as photographs of the Western Base

party. Aurora Expeditions’ founder, Greg

Mortimer, provides a fitting foreword to

a volume that honours the daring spirit

of a lesser-known but equally audacious

Antarctic explorer.

Mawson’s Forgotten Men is published by

Murdoch Books. ISBN 978-1-74266-150-6.

RRP $49.95

MAWson’s forgotten Men

SY Aurora leaves hobart’s princes Wharf,

2 December 1911

peter Mccabe, right, with D of e Award participants and leader

David sedgeman

the magic of greenland

expeDitioner DiArY – JeWeLs of An Arctic sKY

others examined the ancient Eskimo food

caches and stone tent rings near the beach.

In this biggest of big landscapes, snow buntings

and wheatears flitted around the rocks

like fairies.

Once back on board, the day was so glorious

and sunny that the elves prepared a picnic on

the bow while Polar Pioneer powered through

the brash ice of Rödefjord, bergs of fantastical

shapes and sizes around us.

For more of Ken’s stories about the Jewels

of the Arctic Expedition, taking in Iceland,

Greenland and Spitsbergen, pick up the January

2012 edition of Australian Geographic, or log

onto www.australiangeographic.com.au

Aurora Expeditions is one of only two tour

operators who visit East Greenland. To learn

about our 2012 selection of voyages, download

a brochure at www.auroraexpeditions.com.

au/expeditions/category/arctic-cruises

Join our expedition experts from 6pm to 7.30pm at

Aurora Expeditions’ Office, Moran House, Level 3,

13–15 Bridge Street, Sydney. For the Russian Coast

information sessions, Aurora Expeditions has

partnered up with Australian Geographic Magazine.

These sessions will be held at different venues

and times. To reserve a place, please email

[email protected]

or call us on +61 2 9252 1033.

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Arctic hareZodiac cruising at its finest

gary M

iller

blue, blue sky, the towering pink and purple

cumulous storm clouds in the build-up to

the wet, thundering crystal clear waterfalls,

billions of bright clear stars, King Leopold

sandstone escarpments ablaze with orange

dawn light, ancient rock paintings depicting

stories from long ago, and abundant wildlife.

How did you become so involved in the indigenous community?

I arrived in Broome as a teenager and

back then it was very much more

multicultural than it is today. I quickly

made many Aboriginal friends and later,

when I owned my own tour company,

pioneered partnerships between Indigenous

communities and tour operators.

I had an experience that resulted in the rare

honour of being given the ‘skin’ name Jalanga

and being adopted into an Aboriginal family.

I was caught in a bushfire whilst camping but

luckily escaped the flames by driving through

thick scrub breaking through to the coast.

Suddenly, an Aboriginal man appeared who

had heard my vehicle. He asked for help. We

ran together to his property, back-burning

along the way, and saved the majority of the

community buildings. We became friends and

over the years I helped by bringing in supplies

before the wet when roads into town could

be cut for months. Many years later the

community ‘adopted’ me in the traditional

Aboriginal way and I now have a large

extended Aboriginal family who treat me

as a brother, cousin and son.

you say that Papua new Guinea is a “must see”. why?

It was only 80 years ago that the outside

world discovered over one million people living

in the fertile Papua New Guinea highland

valleys, with farming techniques that may

have originated before Europeans began

cultivating crops. Papua New Guinea is an

island of mysteries and a last chance to see

an ancient world still relatively untouched by

modern man.

This is a country with incredibly diverse

cultures, pristine fringing coral reefs and atolls,

world famous bird species and tropical old-

growth forests where mammal species still

thrive that only exist as fossils in Australia.

Visit www.auroraexpeditions.com.au

or call us on +612 9252 1033 to enquire about

our Kimberley and Papua New Guinea cruises.

why did you become a naturalist?I feel very lucky to have spent long periods

of time in pristine wilderness areas such as

the Kimberley and Papua New Guinea. I get a

deep satisfaction from viewing and surveying

wildlife, researching the food or medicinal

value of plants, interpreting rock art sites or

being involved with historical expeditions.

tell us what you find special about the Kimberley region.

The red pindan soil of the Kimberley

just gets into your blood and you become

hooked on the wide open expanses of Boab trees are emblematic of the Kimberley

Thanks to the support of Papua New

Guinea’s Government matching the

Australian Government’s $100,000 donation

to the Rabaul & Montevideo Maru Society,

a memorial can now go ahead to honour

the soldiers and civilians who lost their lives

in the sinking of Montevideo Maru. Aurora

Expeditions is proud to support this great

cause by donating a percentage of profits to

the Society from our forthcoming 2012 Lost

in Paradise Papua New Guinea voyage. This

thirteen-day voyage will feature the historic

sites of WWII and close with a special ANZAC

Day service in Rabaul, marking the 70th

anniversary of the Battle of Rabaul and the

sinking of Montevideo Maru. To donate to

the Society visit www.memorial.org.au

Our Mawson

Centenary voyage

replicates the

legendary route

taken by Sir Douglas

Mawson to Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica, via

Macquarie Island. We may be travelling in the

comfort of a modern ice-strengthened vessel

equipped with GPS, radar and navigational

charts, but as our ship forges south across the

Southern Ocean, you can be certain that our

hardy passengers, expedition staff and Russian

crew carry the same adventuring spirit.

Akademik Shokalskiy departs hobart, 2 December 2011

Am

an

da till

Douglas Mawson

Field Leader and Heritage Carpenter Peter

McCabe is all too familiar with the physical

and mental challenges of working in

Antarctica, especially at a site recorded as

the windiest place on earth at sea level.

Peter was a team member of the successful

2010–2011 Mawson’s Huts Foundation

Expedition, where he carried out conservation

work on Mawson’s Huts at Cape Denison,

Commonwealth Bay.

Recently, Peter spoke to teenage boys

at Knox Grammar School, Sydney who

participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award

1 February 2012 PAPUA NEW GUINEA 2 February 2012 EUROPEAN ARCTIC7 February 2012 RUSSIAN COAST (SYDNEY)

8 February 2012 RUSSIAN COAST (BRISBANE)9 February 2012 RUSSIAN COAST (MELBOURNE) 15 February 2012 KIMBERLEY COAST

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We cannot not let

this special month

go by without a


Douglas Mawson

and his 1911–14


Expedition. Indeed,

as this newsletter



















our fALLen heroes















Tasmanian-born

Charles Harrisson

joined Sir Douglas






















Antarctic explorer.



RRP $49.95



2 December 1911


David sedgeman







like fairies.























[email protected]

or call us on +61 2 9252 1033.

Ala

n B

urg

er

An

drew

halsa

ll

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28

A fter the great success of the first voyage a second was planned to continue the search for the Southern Continent and build








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proved the world

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56

57

29

I N D I A N

O C E A N

A T L A N T I C

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P A C I F I C

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Equator

Cape Horn


Plymouth

Plymouth

CapeTown

London

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EUROPEA S I A



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28

After the great success of the first voyage a second was planned to continue the search for the Southern Continent and build








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The Expeditioner December 2011

Documents

Transcript of The Expeditioner December 2011