The summer season has begun

"This little island is one of the wonder spots of the world. It is the great focus of the seal and bird life in the Australasian sub-Antarcti regions, and is consequently of far greater significance and importance in the economy of that great area then its small dimensions suggest."

Sir Douglas Mawson 1919

Hi.
Its been quite a while since my last post. We have been very busy here, with many ships visiting our shores and the arrival of a number of summer expeditioners to carry out important research on this wonderful bio-diverse island.

First of all I would Love to wish everyone a fantastic Christmas and festive season.

Have a Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year

Seven Days on an Island - Part 3

This is the third and final part of my amazing trip down island to the southern most hut at Hurd Point and then returning north back to station.

In the last post Seven Days on an Island - Part 2 Tony and I had arrived at Green Gorge after our walk from Waterfall Bay.

Arriving back at Green Gorge hut

It was still quite early, so after changing out of our wet gear, we had a relaxing time in the hut, enjoying the warmth of the small efficient heater and the comfort of dry clothes.

Seven Days on an Island - Part 2

In my last post - Seven Days on an Island Part 1 - we had journeyed the whole length of Macquarie Island, arriving at the comfortable and roomy Hurd Point hut.

Day 3 of our trip was a rest day at Hurd Point. After a hearty breakfast of toast (Tony baked a loaf of bread) we set off to explore our surroundings. Firstly I wandered around the beach just to the west of the hut. I couldn't believe the abundance and variety of wildlife.

Next door (just to the west) of the hut is a small royal penguin colony which provided a little noise overnight.

Small royal penguin colony right next door to the Hurd Point hut

Seven Days on an Island - Part 1

Spring is here the island is coming alive with wildlife. Next week we also see the arrival of the first ship of the summer season. The L'Astrolabe is due here next Friday, bringing 15 extra people to the island. Some of the new arrivals are scientists who will be working down island during the summer.

This has meant that current expeditioners have been trying to find time to make it down island themselves, as it will be more difficult once the summer program starts.

I took the opportunity to walk down island. I organised a seven day break, the field trip plan had been submitted and approved, my position on the fire and ERT ( Emergency Response Team) had been covered.  Comms tech Tony had also been given approval, so we were set to go.

The following is a mostly photographic journal of the trip.

After filling out the details of our intentions on the fire board (in the mess) and the comms board, we set off just after 11am on the first leg of our journey. We had only got 300 metres down the track when I realised had dropped my lens cap, so I re-traced my steps, but couldn't find it. In my room I found a plastic bag and rubber band which would offer interim protection for my lens.

I returned to the track and then Tony and I were on our way again. First task - climb up Gadgets Gully.

Heading up Gadgets Gully - king penguins are coming in droves to moult and breed

A Perfect Day for Boating

From the middle of September, the weather forecasts had been scrutinised everyday to find good conditions for boating. A number of important items had to be delivered or picked up from the huts down island. Then all the weather systems lined up to produce a day that was perfect for boating.

The evening of the 19th saw a very bright full moon. This was accompanied by light wind conditions and a mostly clear sky.

Photo experiment on a full moon night, after 10pm. This 25 second time exposure shows a clear night with the landscape lit up by moonlight and hundreds of stars visible

The beautiful, calm clear night was a prelude of the conditions for the next day.

Marine debris cleanup #2

On this small island in the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean, it never ceases to amaze me that so much rubbish is washed up on these beautiful coastline and beaches. Every expeditioner on Macca has a duty to pick up any bit of marine debris that they see.

In my last two posts A Walk in the Park Part 1 and Part 2 I took you on a journey down the west coast to be part of the Bauer Bay cleanup. In late August I teamed up with Clive and Chris to once again take part in the monthly Bauer Bay cleanup. As you will see we did this task and very much more.

The first picture is a the results in part of our combined efforts.

Clive and I at Bauer Bay hut with some of the marine debris that we picked up from the west coast

A Walk in the Park - Part 2

From the previous post A Walk in the Park - Part 1 Clive and I had arrived at Bauer Bay hut after an idyllic walk from station along the west coast in near perfect conditions.
After a great nights sleep in the hut. Chris baked the beautiful multi grain/seed loaf which we eagerly consumed for breakfast and morning tea.

After a relaxing morning we set upon the task at hand - the Bauer Bay cleanup of marine debris.

Gentoo penguins at Bauer Bay

A Walk in the Park - Part 1

Macquarie Island achieved World Heritage listing in 1997. It has been a privilege to be here and experience the wonderful nature, geology, wildlife and beauty of this place.

I have been lucky enough to venture down island on several occasions. The most recent time was 2 weeks ago when Clive the doctor and myself ventured down the west coast 'featherbed' to Bauer Bay to assist Chris the ranger in the monthly marine debris clean up.

Leaving station - the view down the east coast from the isthmus

The Deep Freeze

This post continues on from the previous two.
As mentioned in the last post The Fabulous Furious Fifties the weather systems zoom across Macquarie Island at a fast pace.

In the last week of July we experienced a sustained, very cold blast.
We are in the zone for extreme conditions. In saying this the temperatures on Macquarie island don't vary that much, because of the moderating effect of the surrounding ocean. On many days the 24 hour temperature variation is only in the order of 1°C to 2°C.

Looking south across Buckles Bay at the frozen landscape - a snow shower is moving in from the southwest 

The Fabulous Furious Fifties

My workplace on Macquarie is a 250 metre walk from Hasselborough House (accommodation). Before I leave, I look out my window to see what the weather is like. This, and a quick read of the days forecast, helps me decide what extra clothes or gear I should take for the walk to work.

My basic everyday attire is thermal underwear, thick long socks, Work pants (Hard Yakka), a T-shirt, beanie and full length gum boots. I also bring or wear my wind and rain proof gortex jacket.
Some days I need thick gloves, an extra layer or two of clothes and a torch.

The weather changes so quickly, so one should be prepared for every situation.

Last Friday, when I looked out the window I could see it was very windy - this made the short 250 metre walk very interesting. With my jacket fully zipped, so that only my eyes were exposed. The wind was that fierce - I was buffeted around and had work hard to keep on my feet. Also the sand blasted into the small exposed gaps in my 'armour' stinging my face.

Workmate Aaron, trying to measure the wind alongside Razorback Ridge

Winter has arrived

Last Saturday, we at Macquarie Island celebrated Mid-Winters day. This is one of the most important days on the Antarctic calendar. It is almost universally celebrated at all nations Antarctic communities.
It celebrates the winter solstice, which this year occurred at precisely 05:04 UTC on the 21st of June.

This post celebrates winter and the images reflect this theme.

Dreaming of the summer

Auroras and other photometeors...

The days are getting shorter. The sun is rising at around 0845 and setting just after 1600. It is fast approaching mid-winter's day. We at Macca will celebrate this important event in the Antarctic calendar on the 22nd of June. For those on my email list - I have sent out a invitation to join us.

A beautiful recent sunset

Boating Induction - Part 2 - Northward back to VJM

From the last post (Boating Induction - Part 1) we had just dropped off Chris, Josh and Dave at the beach just north of Brothers Point hut. As the weather and conditions were still ideal for boating, the plan was to travel northward back towards VJM.

Instead of taking the most direct route, it was decided to explore and practice manoeuvres inshore. We made our way slowly through the inshore kelp beds and rock stacks. It was an interesting perspective of the coast we walked along on day 3 of our field training.

Drifting in and out of the kelp covered rocky outcrops just north of Brothers Point

Boating Induction Part I

When we were still in Hobart we took part in a 4 day Boating Training which took place out at the AAD's boating facility at Kettering. This was covered in a previous post on this blog Antarctic Training Part 4 - Boating

It was time to put all that we learnt into place on Macquarie Island. This took place over 2 days.

View to the southwest from West Beach near the station

Field Training - Macca style

A Note before I proceed - This post (and some future posts) will feature more photographs then previous posts. Up until this afternoon I have taken just over 4000 pictures on my new camera, so it is hard to choose just a handful of photos for each post - I Hope You don't mind??

Three Macquarie shags flying south - a few days before we set off in the same direction on our field training

ANZAC Day...a time for reflection

ANZAC day is a special day on the Antarctic bases and this year was no exception. It was a special day here on Macquarie Island as 7 of the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project (MIPEP) are from New Zealand.

Each Station has its own way of honouring the spirit and reverence of ANZAC day.

Our day started at with a 0615 gathering in the mess. At 0625 we made our way in the misty drizzly dawn to the flag poles.

The day before, Tony the Communications technician had set up some weather proof speakers to the 2 outer flag poles, while before the ceremony a portable flood light had been set up to light up the flags.

We all gathered at the eastern side of the flag poles and silently watched as the Australian, New Zealand and Aboriginal flags were raised.

The flags being attached to the poles by the flag bearers - Josh Lionel and Patty

Typical Days at Macca....

 The days are becoming shorter as the sun makes it way northward.

 Everyone is settling in to Macca life, with most of us kept very busy at our jobs and various projects.

Beautiful sunset over Hasselborough Bay

One of the major projects on the island is the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project (MIPEP).This seven year project began in 2007. The aim of the project is to restore the islands biodiversity to a natural balance - to free itself of the impacts of introduced species. It is the worlds largest eradication project for three species at the one time.

A Rugged, Extreme & Beautiful Place...

Every day at Macquarie Island brings more wonderful things to see and do. This place is an amazing jewel in the Southern Ocean.

Over the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to explore further afield (beyond Station Limits) and some of the sights have been stunning and breathtaking. I feel privileged to have already seen some incredible flora, fauna and scenery.

Sunset from West Beach near station

Beyond Station Limits and more

We are now well and truly into the routine of station life and we are now also have our work programs in order. In future blogs I will go into more detail of what each of the expeditioners have programmed for the year.

An advantage of being at Macca is that we are in the zone of maximum aurora activity. The frequent cloud is somewhat of a spoiler. Despite this there have been 6 nights in March that we were able to witness this fabulous event.

My first attempt at taking a long exposure photo of an Aurora Australis - from the deck of the Ham shack

Settling in to Life on Macca

...The Aurora Australis left Macquarie Island just over two weeks ago. So that left only 24 of us left on the island. The first few days after the AA's departure most had some R & R, after the busy and hectic time of re-supply.

Then it was time to familiarise ourselves with our various jobs and how to organise the running of the station and living in a small community, through briefings and inductions.

In the first week I explored the station and area around the station that is considered station limits.
Station limits is a region on the isthmus that we are free to wander around and its limit is essentially where we should be able to hear the station fire alarm. It extends roughly southward to the base of the rise to the plateau.

A couple of young elephant seals practicing their fighting

Re-supply continues, then farewell to BOB

....After missing a few days due to weather, the re-supply continued, and the time-line to complete round trip programs was coming to an end. The weather delayed the helicopters going down island to pick up all the persons out in the field.

Meanwhile back at station helicopter flying was done at opportunistic times.

Ship to shore cargo sling loads continued when the weather was right

The local wildlife seemed almost oblivious to the commotion -  Gentoo penguins not far from station

Arrival at Macquarie Island & first few days of re-supply

...After many months of training and preparation we have finally arrived at Macquarie Island.
We arrived at Macca on the evening of the 3rd of March. We arrived to late to disembark, so had to wait until the following morning.

Very early the next day I went up on the helideck where I spent a while taking in the beautiful panorama of Macquarie Island. The sun was out and it was looking like a great day to go ashore.

4th March - A beautiful morning - north end of Macca with part of the station on the Isthmus

Voyage to Macquarie island on the Aurora Australis

..... We have been through months of training and pre-departure preparation. We are as ready as we can be. Now its time to depart on the Aurora Australis on the voyage (V4) to Macquarie Island.

The day started early. We had to arrive at the gate at Macquarie 4 wharf at 11:25 with our personal baggage - a strict 30kg weight limit. Also many of us had our (red) survival bag and our (green) bag of of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). After saying goodbye to family and friends at the gate, at 11:30 a bus arrived to transport Us and our gear 300m from the gate to the AAD Mac4 warehouse. At the wharf was our transport south.

The Aurora Australis just before departing on V4

Antarctic Training 5 - Fire and Emergency Response

As You can imagine it has been a very busy and hectic time leading up to our departure. The departure date has been set for Thursday 28th February, so not many days left.

As was mentioned in the post about SAR training - The crew at Macca also become the Fire and Emergency Response team (see Fire Prevention). This training took place over seven day at the Tasmanian Fire Service headquarters at Cambridge.

It was an intensive week with many theory lectures followed by hands on practical sessions.

One of the buildings at the Tasmania Fire Service training complex at Cambridge -  a house fire can  (under the right conditions) double in size every 30 seconds

Antarctic Training part 4 - Boating

The next part of our training took part in the pristine waters out of Kettering, the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and the far southern parts of Storm Bay. We spent 4 day at and around the AAD's Watercraft facility at Kettering. This post will include plenty of images.

IRB's (Zodiacs) at AAD's Watercraft Facility at Kettering 

The first morning was induction and familiarisation of the the Inflatable Rubber Boats (IRB) which we will have with us at Macquarie Island.

Antarctic Training part 3 - More SAR

After returning from Bruny Island we spent the afternoon on more SAR training in the 'backyard at Kingston.

First we were shown four different tents/shelters and how to set them up. These are all available in the SAR backpacks at Macquarie Island.

Simple pyramid tent/shelter

Antarctic Training part 2 - Search and Rescue

The next part of training involved all expeditioners.

Macquarie Island lies approximately halfway between Australia and Antarctica - 1,496km south SSE of Tasmania and 1,294km north of the Antarctic Continent. It is at 54º 30' S, 158º 57' E.  This puts it right in the middle of the 'Furious Fifties', making it a very remote, windy and cold place. It is also the exposed portion of the Macquarie Ridge, which is where the Australian plate (Tectonic) meets the Pacific plate. It has steep rocky slopes near the coast.

Macquarie Island looking south showing rugged slopes and adverse weather

Antarctic Training part 1

In early January we started training at the Australian Antarctic Division in Kingston.

There are a number of things that we have to become familiar with in order to live and operate safely in a community that is confined to the remote Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean.

Map showing Macquarie Island in relation to Australia and the Antarctic continent

A Tumultuous few weeks...

Since my last post on New Years day, so much has happened.

Tasmania, in particular the south east, experienced its' worst fire day since the terrible Black Tuesday fires of 1967. On January 4th (Friday) the temperature in Hobart reached an incredible 41.8℃ (107.2℉). It was the highest temperature ever recorded in Hobart (around 130 years of records)

The day before was also hot and windy around Tasmania.  During Thursday a number of fires broke out and quickly became uncontrollable. On Friday a fire in the Forcett area moved rapidly to the southeast (towards the Tasman Peninsula) in the very hot and extremely windy conditions.  The out of control fire soon became a serious problem to the communities in its path. The following article best sums up the story of that day.

Forcett fire from top of Reserve Bank in Hobart

More Preparation.....

I joined the Bureau of Meteorology as an observer in 1982 and worked in that job until 1994, when I qualified to attend the Meteorologist (Post grad) course in 1996. Since then I have worked as a forecaster in mainly in Darwin and Hobart.

Because my Observer qualifications is somewhat dated I had to attend a intensive observer tarining course in Melbourne between late July and mid September. Participating on the course with me were Nick and Aaron, who have been contracted by the Bureau as Met Technicians at Davis and Macquarie Island. Their job is to maintain and service the Bureau's equipment at the bases as well as assist with the observation program.

Abrar, Me, Nick, Andrew (trainer) and Aaron in a training session on clouds

Also on the training course was Abrar,  from Fiji via New Zealand. He was to be my fellow observer on Macca, but due to a staff shortage he was assigned to go to Casey. He is the first Fiji born person to go to Antarctica and appeared in this Fiji Times article.