Here we go again.....

As some of you may know, I have been selected to go south again. I have already had two awesome adventures to the Antarctic.

The first time I spent the summer (Oct 2005 to Mar 2006) at Davis. This included a brief stop at Casey.

Quad bike ride on the ice near Davis during a December evening

Adélie penguins on iceberg off Davis

Sea ice starting to reform off Casey

My second trip was down to Casey for the 2007/08 summer. After leaving Casey in 2008 the Aurora Australis stopped at Davis for a minor re-supply and to pick up summer expeditioners. The voyage  then continued onto Mawson for their major re-supply.

Inaugural flight of an A319 Airbus to Wilkins Runway (80km from Casey) - Jan '08

Adélie penguin

Weather balloon filling shed at abandoned Wilkes base

Both of these trips south weren't without some drama. I will endeavour to write about these amazing adventures in a future blog.

In early March 2013 (or late February) I will once again embark on the Aurora Australis for Macquarie Island This time I will be away for 12 months. My previous trips south have been as the Senior Meteorologist - providing a forecast service for the Antarctic program (especially aviation, shipping and for deep field research projects).

This time I will be going as the Senior Weather Observer. There are no opportunities for Meteorologists to winter at Macca (or any of the other Australian bases).

The Weather Observer role involves the gathering of weather data (surface and upper air) and the maintenance and monitoring of weather instruments. This includes the release of weather balloons with a radiosonde attached (transmits wind, temperature, humidity and pressure data as it ascends through the atmosphere). These are released twice a day.

There are many things that need to happen before departure....
I applied for the position in January this year. After being shortlisted the selection process begins with a 'Selection Centre'. This is where all prospective expeditioners are put together in a hotel for around 36 hours. During this time the facilitators take everyone through various scenarios as individuals, groups or the complete group. Through this process each person is rated on how they are likely to cope and perform (sometimes under pressure) in a isolated, close knit community, such as an Antarctic base. For many who attend these Selection Centres their attempt to go south ends here.

The next step is passing an extensive medical and psychological assessment. Also as I was over 55, I had to participate in a stress test to see if my heart was up to the riggers of being an expeditioner. This involved being attached to various heart monitors and performing vigorous exercise on a tread mill. These assessments also put an end the journey for some prospective applicants.


The 2012/13 Antarctic summer program began in September with a Marine Science Voyage - Sea-Ice Physics & Ecosystem Experiment (SIPEX). A blog for this voyage can be found at - 'Spotlight on the Sea Ice'. Needless to say Antarctic programs don't always go according to plan. The Aurora Australis was stuck in the ice for almost two weeks - see ABC item. There was an upside - the scientists were able to extend their research and experiments.

This also meant that the first re-supply voyage (V1) was delayed by 8 days. It finally departed on November 19th.

V1 (2012) sailing under the Tasman Bridge on its way to Davis

All voyages can be followed on line a number of ways -

1. A daily log of the voyage through Sitreps 

2. Voyage track - can be opened from the Sitreps link then 'Voyage Tracks' in the left column.

3. Aurora Australis webcam

Stay tuned for my next post 'More Preparation'