There and back again

28/04/2007

After the long voyage back from Antarctica, two weeks were spent readjusting in Melbourne before making the move back up the Hume highway to Canberra. One week passed in the office, in which the mass of emails which had accumulated after 5 months were deleted. The effort of settling back into Canberra was made easier by the beautiful autumn colours in the trees of the park that is the ACT. There wasn't much of a chance to get comfortable in Canberra as the people in the office re-enforced my belief that they can't stand the sight of me by sending me straight back into the field, which brings us to the main feature of this entry.

Ceduna, in the almost forgotten state of South Australia, is a charming little seaside country town, tucked away on the Eastern edge of the Great Australian Bite and serves as the last town before the drive West across the Nullaboor. Getting to Ceduna involved a flight to Adelaide where one night was spent and a brief visit was made to the CBD of the city of churches. Although it was dark and I only managed a short walk through the mall and along the edge of the park, I got a good vibe from the town and can imagine it may be a nice place to visit again in the future, perhaps when the sun is out. A light aircraft was taken to Ceduna and it was straight to work, performing a small survey and repairing a GPS station sitting in a sheep paddock surrounded by malee scrub. Over three days all the work was successfully completed and time was made to visit the sights of Ceduna.

Ceduna is a classic country/fishing town. No points for guessing that the favourite pass time for the locals is fishing. They love it. They get out on the pier or in a tinny and go fishing or squidding. Ceduna prides itself on the quality and quantity of King George Whiting in their waters, and with good reason. I didn't drop a line but went out of my way to visit the fish and chip shop with whiting on my mind. The fish was pretty bloody good and made the trip to Ceduna all worthwhile. A point of note on fish and chip shops. A real fish and chip shop wraps the fish and chips in paper and that is it. There are no cardboard boxes in the equation. These fish and chip shops who serve the fish and chips in a cardboard box and paper bag are rubbish. I am severely disappointed if the fish and chips arrive in a cardboard box. Fish and chips should come in layers and layers of paper. It should be like playing pass the parcel when unwrapping the fish and chips. Sorry for the rant but it is one of few things I feel passionately about. I also believe the national authority on fish and chip shops should come to an agreement on how much minimum chips really is. Sometimes minimum chips is a bare handful while other times minimum chips is more than me and five friends can possibly eat.


The Ceduna Foreshore Hotel has your standard country town pub and bistro. The locals seem to lash out maybe once a week and drop by the bistro for tea with friends. Particularly, on $9 roast dinner nights. The bakery was sufficient but will not rate on my country town bakery rankings list which is slowly growing, with judging categories for pies, dounuts, slices and carrot cake. The locals we interacted with were friendly, helpful and keen to chat with the visitors from the East coast. We walked out to the end of the pier at Ceduna. We also walked to the end of the pier at Smoky Bay, 40km to the East, and at Glenelg back in Adelaide. I'm not sure what it is with walking to the end of piers. Maybe there is something about walking a long way out over the water. I guess it is a bit like when people are asked why they climb mountains and they reply 'because it was there'.


A short visit was made to Glenelg, a beachside suburb of Adelaide, on the return journey back to Adelaide and then Canberra. The Glenelg mall seemed to be a popular spot with plenty of bars, and eating spots, recent developments and also gave the impression of being another potentially attractive spot in the daylight.

Ceduna was a great place to visit after being away from Australia for four months. I particularly enjoyed running along the coast to the nearby town of Thevenard, working in the dusty paddocks, driving along the dirt tracks through the malee scrub and gazing out over the wide open landscape.

Aurora Australis

10/03/2007

The Aurora Australis has arrived. This statement can have two interpretations, or three or seven, but for now I'll go with two. Firstly, the ship the Aurora Australis has arrived and is now floating in Davis harbour. The ship is currently being unloaded and loaded with freight. In a day I will board the ship and try to make myself as comfortable as possible in my cabin which will serve as my nest for the next three to four weeks. It is a strange feeling to see the ship out there, waiting to take us home.

The second and more spectacular interpretation of the arrival of the Aurora Australis is that the Aurora lights have been lighting up the late night sky for the last few days. The Aurora are a glow in the night sky usually only seen in polar zones. Auroras are believed to be caused by the collision of charged particles (e.g. electrons) with atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere (at altitudes above 80km). As the charged particles collide with atoms of gases in the atmosphere, the atoms become energized. Shortly afterwards, the atoms emit their gained energy as light which causes the glow (tending to be green). Other colours are sometimes seen but so far I have only seen green curtains of light dancing in the sky. This is one of the Antarctic phenomenon I most wanted to witness. Now, I can go home.

A nice ending

03/03/2007

The last working week in Antarctica and it had a bit of everything. A day trip back to the Larsemann Hills, a few days of wild weather preventing activity outside, helicopter flights throughout the nearby Vestfold Hills and some spectacular sunsets.

One day was spent retrieving the GPS equipment left in the Larsemann Hills the week before. We flew along the edge of the plateau, flying low to admire the crevasse fields and different patterns in the ice. It was a pleasant day to be out and about. After the survey gear was packed away we went for another wander through the area. I don’t think I could ever get tired of exploring in those hills.

We had flown to the Larsemanns by helicopter. On arrival, the Russians, who have a base nearby, came up to greet us in their tank. The tank was an ex-military medical vehicle which had been modified to suit the more friendly Antarctic atmosphere. There is little use for gun mounts and cannons in Antarctica as the wildlife is protected and wouldn’t put up much resistance anyway.

After our little trip the weather turned grim and just about everybody was stranded on station for a few days, until the strong winds died down. The wind was consistently over 40 knots, gusting to over 60 knots. This was a good reminder that you really are at the mercy of the environment down here. When the wind picks up and the temperature drops the only thing to do is get comfortable and wait for it to blow over. I spent those few days reading, finalising reports, watching movies and exercising in the gym. It was great to compare the grey sky and sea to the sight we had seen in the same harbour only days earlier when the sunset created the effect of a solar pillar and lit up the sky and icebergs in the most amazing colours.

Once the wind settled we spent the next couple of days flying in amongst the Vestfold hills from lake to lake, surveying the water levels of the lakes. Some of the lakes are well below sea level and are as much as ten times more saline than sea water. A taste test proved this. It was a nice final project to finish off our work in Antarctica. Hopping from lake to lake, performing short surveys, appreciating the views and simply enjoying being outside and soaking up the last of our time on the continent.

The summer season is finally coming to a close and the ship will arrive in a few days to collect about 50 people from station and leave 20 others to manage the station throughout the winter. There is an extremely positive and friendly atmosphere around station as we approach the end. It is funny how people seem to get on really well when they are just about to part. I have noticed this quite a bit as I have been continually on the move for the last few years. For some reason people seem more relaxed and perhaps let their guard down a bit more when they know they won’t see each other for a long time. It has been impressive to watch a group of people who were once strangers band together during the season and create a strong community. I have had a wonderful time in Antarctica and enjoyed every moment down here. I have seen some spectacular places and had some extraordinary experiences which I am sure will only cause me to smile when I reflect upon them in the future. I am going to lay my pen down now and set aside the book which has covered my adventure On Antarctica.

Vacation

24/02/2007

The Larsemann Hills is a nice spot to visit if you ever get the chance. A splatter of mountains wedged between the coast and the ice plateau, about 100km from Davis Station. Helicopter is the best form of transport, flying over icebergs and huge crevasse fields, where the plateau runs into the ocean. Conveniently, Australia has a small field base setup in the hills. Law Base. This consists of two apple and three melon huts (named according to shape) and Reid hut. After spending some time in polar pyramids in the snow, huts are welcomed as luxury stye accommodation. Mattress beds, couches, dining table, gas stove, heater and electricity powered by generator. It all sounds pretty basic, which it is, but you don’t go on holidays to spend all your time in the hotel. You go on holidays for the adventure, to see something different, to see something amazing.

Your humble narrator visited Law Base under the guise of work. Two GPS units were set up over two survey marks in the hills and left to collect data for the week. I like to think that when the GPS are collecting data I am also working. We spent two full days in the Larsemann Hills even though it took a grand total of about two hours to install the GPS units. The rest of the time was spent exploring and having fun.

The Larsemann Hills could be considered a naturally formed amusement park. You can wander along beaches covered in ice, gaze at giant icebergs in the bay and listen to the penguins squawking out on the ice flows. You can walk over frozen lakes and smash ice shards watching them scatter in all different directions across the ice. You can sit by the edge of lakes and catch snow falling into your hands. You can edge your way through ice caves and admire the streams of water running from the ice melt. You can watch the sun set into the plateau and see the sky come alive with colour. You can scramble up rock faces and climb mountains. At the peak of each rise you can see even more beautiful sights and interesting areas to explore. You couldn’t help but feel completely free wandering around this place, going wherever you liked, walking towards whatever caught your eye. No restrictions, no time constraints, no worries.

An extra day was given to us in the hills due to the snow and poor visibility, preventing a helicopter from collecting us. We were well prepared for this scenario and had brought an abundance of alcohol. Although I do not drink often I do enjoy undertaking stupid behaviour in exotic locations. I had a long fight with the bottle and although the bottle was empty in the morning, based on the bruises and my aching head, I’d say the bottle won. The last time I woke up in such a condition I was in Germany. That day I travelled halfway across the country from Dresden to Munich with my head slumped against the cool train window watching the countryside blur by. This time I flew 100km along the coast of Antarctica over icebergs and crevasse fields with my head slumped against the cool helicopter window.

A week in pictures

17/02/2007

Every week I write another On Antarctica entry. I set aside the time on a Saturday and construct stories about my adventures for the week, including work related comments, jokes, movie and literature references and personal thoughts. Well, not this week. I'm sick of it. This week I'm simply going to give the fans what they want to see. Pictures. Look at the photos and make up your own stories. I'm having a week off. Enjoy.

Magnetic Island Penguin Colony

Minky Whale