27/03/2009
After turning back on Davis and Antarctica it was ten days on the ship before we reached our next stop. Ship life resumed with the adoption of routine as the best means of survival. The seas were once again welcoming as the swell was relatively calm. The days passed quickly with the occasional hour forgotten as we crossed over several time zones, making our way east and north.
I awoke one morning to the sight of the green mass of rock that is Macquarie Island filling up the previously clear horizon. We motored up the West coast of the island and made our way to the island station located on an isthmus (like a peninsula) on the northern end of the island. After half a day of sitting around waiting for heli-ops to commence we were flown from the ship to the station and launched straight into the work.
Macca is notorious for having poor weather (windy and wet). Fortunately we were gifted with two near clear days which allowed us to complete all our outdoor work around station and even do a few extra survey tasks as favours for others. We worked flat out on the island as the station resupply was busily taking place. Our work took us all over the station, from our GPS site located on a rock outcrop in an elephant seal wallow of tussock grass to the tide gauges in Garden Bay where fur seals and gentoo penguins are in abundance. It was fun to be amongst the new wildlife and greenery. It was also good to be around new faces, a gentle preparation for re-entering the greater population in Australia.
The Macquarie Island station has a different feel to the Antarctic stations. The buildings are much more basic, with lots of small buildings and cabins, built of timber and corrugated iron, serving specific purposes. The station had the feel of an outdoor education camp or farm. The main living quarters are much more homely, with the kitchen extending into the mess extending into the lounge extending into the bar. There were a few too many people on station during resupply. I was put up in the multi purpose building in a room sleeping twelve, which brought on a few too many flashbacks of staying in European backpackers. I’m sure Macca would be an enjoyable spot to experience a season with a group of 15 to 20.
As we narrowed in on completing our work we made the short climb up to the tee on Wireless hill to watch the sunset one evening. Wireless hill is where Douglas Mawson setup a repeater for his journeys south. On our last morning on the island we walked south along the beach to watch the sunrise with a small colony of king penguins. We finished our work as the first drops of rain fell and jumped on the first chopper back to the ship. They finished up the Macca resupply, said all the best to the wintering crew and we set off for Hobart. Time to go home.
