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The Polar regions were watched with interest by the RGSSA from the early
1900s as expedition after expedition headed to either Pole, North or South.
In the North they sought safer shorter sea passages to bolster world trade,
South they at first didn't know what they would find, but assumed a similar
climate and geography as that of the North, which had the advantage of inter
locking land and water ways.
South was more challenging, isolated, windswept and barren, none but the
foolhardy would make any headway; it required leadership, tenacity, planning
and sheer fortitude, hallmarks of those who succeeded.
The RGSSA Council Minutes references (chronologically)
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In 1914 the President's address
Council will promote Uni Of Adel expedition [Mawson?]
Committee formed Vol I p16
Mawson's need for retrieval planning Vol I p253
Borchgrevink, Carsten E, (explorer) Vol I p290, 299, 301, 304‐5, p349; South
Magnetic Pole p55
British Antarctic Expedition Vol I p329, 333, 334, 336, 390‐1
Capt Wilkins and Antarctica, funding References to moneys received; some not
located so a need for legal documentation. Vol II P 251 At meeting of 21st May 1924
Capt Wilkins outlined his proposals to create a 'Geography' for use in USA and
Canada. Further references occur Vol II (P 246‐9.) Letter outlining his objectives with
aerial surveying in Antarctica. P247/8/9, P234. Council noted with regret that the
appeal to assist Cpt Wilkins explore Antarctica had failed to achieve the desired
results. P 263
Capt Wilkins and Antarctica, funding References to moneys received; some not
located so a need for legal documentation. Vol II P234, 251, P 246, P246 Unsuccessful P 263
Sir Thomas Elder Vol I 1, 29; Antarctic Expedition
German Antarctic Expedition Vol I p355
France and Antarctic possessions. Vol II P243 Mawson suggests topics
A E McDonald secretary, Victorian Branch 1; Antarctic Expedition Vol I 79, 83, 116,
118, 394
Norwegian Antarctic Expedition Vol I p355, 394
Royal Geographical Society (London) Vol I Antarctic Expedition p329, 355;
Minutes August 1955 -Edmund Hilary would be unable to visit Adelaide for several
years to receive the John Lewis Gold MEDAL for 1954. The Secretary to send a
further letter asking Sir Edmund if he could come to Adelaide after his return from
the Antarctic.
Minutes June 1962 - Recommended that Mr. Phillip Law be awarded the John Lewis
Gold Medal for his contribution to Antarctic Exploration,
Minutes January 1963 - Sir Grenfell Price presented the Society with a copy of "The
Winning of Australian Antarctica" by A. Grenfell Price, The President thanked the
donor of this excellent publication of the l a t e Sir Douglas Mawson's B..A.N.Z.A.R.E,
Voyages.
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o Minutes February 1966 - Antarctic Division of the External Affairs Department,
Moved Mr . Peake-Jones, seconded Mrs. Duncan - That the Society exchange
publications with the Antarctic Division.,
o Minutes October 1982 Flight to Antarctica. Qantas will fly us anywhere but
Antarctica.
o Minutes July 1986 - Letter from Antarctic Science Advisory Committee. Discussion re
Society acting as State Convenor of forum prior to November forum in Canberra, to
review future of Australian Antarctic programme.
o Minutes March 1989 - Sub-Antarctic Cruise Programme Committee will meet
tomorrow and will then consider the viability of this venture. Mr Macdonald
reported that 6 people have paid deposits. Balance of tour is filling fast in New
Zealand, so if anyone wishes to go they should act quickly. A newsletter has been
sent to Society's participants. Minutes November 1989 Only two vacancies left at
present, with seven from the Society going.
ANTARCTICA1 One of our closest continents)
 The Antarctic is a continent surrounded by ocean, geologically akin to
Alaska.
 From the Greek word Antarktikos, meaning opposite to the Artic.
 To many, Antarctica is the South Pole, but the South Pole is only one
very small geographic point on a massive continent.
 5th largest continent.
1
Information copied from –http://polardiscovery.whoi.edu/antarctica; 2006 Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution
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 Nearly twice the size of Australia.
 Exerts a major influence on global climate.
 The coldest place on earth, temperatures dropping to minus 90degrees
in winter.
 Winds (katabatic) up to 320 km/hr.
 Ice cap is a permanent blanket covers 98% of continent to depths
of up to 4 kilometres.
 Despite all of its ice, Antarctica is the driest continent on earth with
some places not having received rain in more than two million years.
 The 2% of land which is free of ice is much sought after as breeding
grounds for seals and penguins.
 No indigenous inhabitants.
 Animal life consists of penguins and several species of small insects
 Vegetation is mainly mosses and lichen.
 Plants and animals have had to develop physiological and behavioural
adaptations to help them survive the most hostile conditions found on
earth.
 Home to (when breeding) half of the world’s seals, 360 million sea birds
(migrate) and is the primary feeding ground for Southern whales.
 Emperor penguins- largest living penguins, breed in more than thirty
colonies around the edge of the continent- only species to breed at the
height of Antarctic winter.
 Antarctic penguins- eight species breed within the region, colonies of a
few hundred to 80,000- spend most of the time in the ocean, venture
onto land to breed and moult.
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 Included in the region are small islands such as Macquarie and Heard
Islands which are important breeding grounds for marine animals and
birds.
Timeline – ARCTIC EXPLORATION
The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Alaska (United States),
Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
THE ARCTIC 2
 The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents.
 The Artic is named for the north polar constellation Arktos- Greek for
bear.
 It is 14.5 million square km- almost the same size as Antarctica.
 Inhabited by humans for close to 20,000 years.
2
2006 Woods Hole Oceanographic institution- Polar Discovery; Arctic Location and Geography
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 It consists of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean and surrounding land,
including all of Greenland and Spitsbergen, and the northern parts of
Alaska, Canada, Norway and Russia.
 Its boundary is defined by either the northern limit of stands of trees on
land (the treeline), the line of average July temperatures of 10°C, or the
Arctic Circle, an imaginary line of latitude located at 66 degrees 33
minutes North. North of this line the sun never sets on the summer
solstice (June 21st).
 Some of the land parts of the Arctic, like Greenland, are covered with ice
sheets; others, like Alaska, have lush tundra. These areas have large
mammals, such as caribou, bears, wolves and foxes, and a variety of
plants.
 In summer, migratory birds and other wildlife come to the Arctic to raise
their young.
 The size and shape of the Arctic Ocean Basins are roughly similar to
those of the Antarctic continent, and is 1.5 times the size of the
continental US.
 It is also very deep, reaching more than 4,000 metres in some areas. It is
mostly covered by pack ice (frozen seawater) averaging 2-3 metres thick.
 The ice drifts around the polar basin under the influence of winds and
currents. When the floes collide, the ice forms a jagged line of ice chunks
known as a pressure ridge.
 The Arctic Ocean seafloor is subdivided by three great parallel mountain
ranges, or ridges, between Greenland and Siberia. The Nansen-Gakkel
Ridge (Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge), an active seafloor spreading centre,
stretches across the basin north of western Russia. The Pole Abyssal
Plain, an elongated trough of flat seafloor, lies between the Arctic Ridge
and the Lomonosov Ridge, an underwater mountain chain that averages
3,048 metres high above abyssal plain and in places comes to within 914
metres of the surface. On the Canadian side of this ridge the Fletcher
and Wrangel Abyssal plains form a deep, irregular basin between the
Lomonosov and the Alpha Ridges. Between Canada and the Alpha Ridge
lies the largest of the Arctic sub-basins, the Canada Abyssal Plain, a
sweeping, broad area with an average depth of 3,658 metres that
includes much of the Arctic Ocean.
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Ancient Times (330 BC to 1000 AD)
330 BC
Pytheas of Massalia was a Greek merchant, geographer and explorer who
explored Britain and the waters north of Scotland. He described an island six
days sailing north of Britain called “Thule”. This may refer to Iceland, but could
also have been the coast of Norway, or the Shetland or Faroe Islands. Pytheas
was the first person to record a description of the midnight sun, the aurora,
and Polar ice.
870 AD
Floki Vilgerdarson, a Norwegian Viking, discovers Iceland. On his ship he
carried three ravens and whenever he thought he was near land he released
the ravens one by one so that they could show him the right way. The ravens
always came back to the ship but one day the third raven flew forwards. Floki
followed that raven and found the new land.
983 AD
Erik Thorvaldsson, known as
“Erik the Red” because of his
red hair and temperament,
discovers and settles in
Greenland. A Norwegian, he
grew up in Iceland. After a
fight in which he killed two
men, he was exiled from
Iceland, so he set off to explore to the west and discovered Greenland and
settled there for the rest of his life.
1594-1610
A driving force for the exploration of the Artic was the desire of European
monarchs to find an alternate trading route to China, either a Northwest
Passage along the coast of North America, or a Northeast Passage along the
coast of Siberia.
1594-1597
Willem Barents, after whom the Barents Sea is named, makes three voyages
trying to find a Northeast Passage. He discovered Spitsbergen and sailed on to
the Kara Sea. But on his last voyage in 1596, his ship became trapped by sea ice
and he and his crew were forced to winter ashore on Novaya Zemlya. They
built a cabin from the wrecked ship, and even though they had to battle
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hunger and scurvy, and the intense winter cold, they became the first West
Europeans to winter in the high Arctic and survive. In June 1597, they set out
for home in two open boats, but Barents soon died, although many of his men
survived.
1607-1610
Henry Hudson, an Englishman, makes three voyages in search of the
Northwest Passage to Asia through the Arctic Ocean. On his final expedition on
board a ship named Discovery, he entered Hudson Bay and he mapped and
explored the shoreline. When the ship became trapped by ice, they moved
ashore for the winter. When the ice cleared in spring, Hudson wanted to
continue exploring but his crew wanted to return home. They mutinied, and
set Hudson, his son, and some crewmen adrift in a small boat with no food or
water. They were never heard from again.
1776-1779
James Cook, English naval captain and explorer, sailed on the ships Discovery
and Resolution on his final voyage of exploration along the west American
coast and up to Bering Straits as far as 70° 41’N with the hope of finding the
Northwest Passage. There he ran into ice that stretched as far as he could see,
demonstrating the separation between the Asian and American continents. It
was on his way home from this voyage that he met his death in Hawaii after he
tried to recover one of the Discovery’s boats that had been stolen by natives.
1819-1831
The search for the Northwest Passage is resumed. William Edward Parry, a
British naval officer, takes his first voyage in search of the Northwest Passage.
This is the first expedition to enter the Arctic Archipelago. He reached 110° W
before ice prevented him going further, and the members of the expedition
had to winter on Melville Island.
1819-1822
(Sir) John Franklin, another English sea captain, sets out on an overland and
canoe expedition up the Coppermine River to explore the north coast of
America. He planned to meet up with Parry who was coming by sea.
Unfortunately, it ends disastrously with 11 of its 20 members of the expedition
losing their lives, most of them dying from starvation. [explored the coast of Australia
on HMS Investigator with his uncle, Captain Matthew Flinders 1801-03; was Lieutenant Governor of
Tasmania 1836-43]
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1821-1823
William Edward Parry leaves on his second voyage in search of the Northwest
Passage with his ships Hecla and Fury. He was to go through Hudson Strait and
explore the territory west of Baffin Island. Once again, he was forced to winter
over. A group of native Inuits told him of a strait that led to the sea in the west.
Once the ice cleared, Parry set sail to find the strait. He did so, but it was
covered with ice. After spending yet another winter in the region in the hope
the ice would clear, he had to end the expedition.
1824-1825
Parry sails on his third and final voyage to the Canadian Arctic. Encountering
shifting ice, the Fury was pushed on shore and sustained serious damage. Parry
abandoned it, taking all the crew on board Hecla, and decided to return to
England.
1827
Parry heads north again, this time attempting to reach the North Pole via
Spitsbergen. He reaches 82° 45’N and establishes a farthest north that stands
for 52 years.
1831
James Clark Ross, who had sailed with Parry on the previous expeditions and
later led an expedition to Antarctica, resumes the search for the Northwest
Passage. He is the first to reach the North Magnetic Pole. After being trapped
in the ice for several winters, Ross abandons his ship, and it is 4 years before
the expedition returned home.
1845-1873
Sir John Franklin’s expedition aboard the Erebus and Terror sails in search of
the Northwest Passage. 129 men set off with hopes of finding the passage- but
none would return.
Over the next several years, many land and sea expeditions search for Franklin.
In 1853, Dr John Rae, sent by the Hudson Bay Company to complete a coastal
survey discovers relics of the Franklin expedition in the possession of the
Eskimos. In 1859 an expedition led by Francis Leopold McClintock finds a cairn
left by the Franklin expedition that told of the death of Franklin and of 24
others, and of abandoning the ship.
Attempts to locate survivors of the Franklin expedition continued in the 1860’s
and 1870’s led by American Charles Hall, who died on an expedition under
mysterious circumstances in November 1871. [September 2014 Canadian Prime Minister
- I am delighted to announce that this year's Victoria Strait expedition has solved one of Canada's
greatest mysteries, with the discovery of one of the two ships belonging to the Franklin Expedition,"]
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1837 1840
[Jules] Dumont d’Urville in September 1837 had a plan approved by King Louis
Philippe of France to examine the Pacific and environs and to the South
magnetic Pole in L’Astrolabe and Le Zeelée. D’Urville visited the RGS London
and the British hydrographer in preparation and sailed for the Weddell Sea,
passing through the straits of Magellan to Chile, inspection the British Colonies
in Western Australia and looking for spots for new penal settlements for
France. They became ice bound in January 1837, south for 5 days, eventually
turning to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition landed at Hobart December 1839
where u’Urville heard news of his son’ death. He met Sir John Franklin and
heard that Charles Wilkes American Arctic Expedition was moored in Sydney.
Met in Hobart Harbour James Ross’ two ships. Sailed again in February 1840,
sighted land, landed men on Dumoulin Islands and hoisted the French
tricolour. They sighted the Porpoise commanded by Charles Wilkes who
evaded them in the fog. Arrived in France in November 1840.
1878
Baron Nordenskiöld completes the first successful navigation of the Northeast
Passage. This he accomplishes sailing on board the Vega, navigating the
northern coasts of Europe and Asia for the first time.
1879-1882
US Naval Officer Lt. George Washington DeLong commands an ill-fated
expedition attempting to reach the North Pole via the Bering Strait. Departing
in 1879, the small steamboat Jeannette was trapped in ice for two winters. And
eventually crushed and sank. Some of the crew survived a harrowing ordeal
that included hauling tons of supplies and three boats over hundreds of miles
of ice, a blizzard swept voyage, and an arduous trek across the Siberian tundra.
1882-1884
Adolphus Greely leads an American expedition to Ellesmere Island as part of
the First International Polar Year (1882-1883) to set up a new observation
station in the Arctic. His junior officer Lt. Lockwood establishes a farthest
north, breaking the record that had held for three centuries. Only 6 of the 24
expedition members survive.
1886-1909
The Peary Arctic Club, led by US Navy engineer Robert Peary, organizes 8
expeditions to the Arctic. In the early years, he crosses the Greenland ice cap,
and in 1898-1902 makes his first unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Pole,
losing a few toes to frostbite. Finally, in 1908-1909, Peary reports that he has
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reached the North Pole with his friend, Matthew Henson and four native
people. However, there are still questions as to whether Peary did indeed
reach the North Pole, or whether he exaggerated the distances he travelled.
1893-1895
Wreckage from the Jeannette expedition (1879-1882) is found by Inuits on the
southwest coast of Greenland-more than 2900 miles from where it sank. This
leads Norwegian scientist and explorer, Fridtjof Nansen to believe that there
must be an ocean current that moves the ice across the Arctic from Siberia. To
prove it, he builds a special ship, called Fram, for the expedition- one designed
with a rounded bottom so that it can rise up out of the ice as the floes press
against her hull.
The Fram departs from Bergen, Norway in 1893. Three months later, at a point
closer to Alaska than Norway, she is frozen into the ice at a latitude of 78° N.
for three years, the ship is carried by the ice across the Arctic, but never gets
further north than 86°N. Nansen and Frederick Johansendecide to set out to
the North Pole on skis, with kayaks, sleds and provisions. Ridges of ice, block
their progress and they are forced to turn back and head for Franz Josef Land,
about 400 miles to the south. They build a stone hut to live in for the winter
and survive by killing bears and walrus for food, clothing, and burning blubber
for fuel. The following June, Nansen and Johansen reach Cape Flora, an English
base where they are returned to civilization. The Fram, which was left in the
charge of Otto Sverdrup, arrives in Tromso, Norway in August 1896, and
Nansen and Johansen are reunited with the crew.
1903-1905
Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, completes the first successful
navigation of the Northwest Passage. It would be another 34 years before the
journey is accomplished again.
1910-1915
The Russian Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition represented an effort by the
Imperial Russian Navy to explore, survey, and chart the Northern Sea Route
with a view to developing it as a commercial route. The expedition used two
specially built icebreaking research vessels, Tamyr and Vaygach. They spent
three years working west along the Arctic coast of Siberia, sounding, surveying,
and pursuing scientific work as they went, and produced an impressive volume
of scientific data.
1918-1925
Having conquered the Northwest Passage and the South Pole, Norwegian
explorer Roald Amundsen sets his sights on the North Pole. He chooses to
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follow Fridtjof Nansen’s idea of freezing a ship into the ice and floating to the
Pole. However the Fram is no longer seaworthy, so he builds a new wooden
vessel, the Maud, similar to the Fram and with an egg-shaped bottom to lift
under ice pressure and avoid being crushed.
The Maud departs from Oslo, Norway in 1918, and sets off through the
Northeast Passage with the intention of being frozen into the pack ice north of
the Bering Strait. However, the pack ice forms much earlier that year, and by
September, the Maud and her ten passengers are frozen in for the winter. .
During the winter, Amundsen breaks his arm and is mauled by a bear. Finally,
in August, the ice releases its grip on the Maud and the expedition continues
eastward. One month later, the Maud is stopped by ice again, and frozen in for
a second winter 500 miles short of Bering Strait. After another winter in the
ice, they get through the Northeast Passage in 1920.
1930
Sir Hubert Wilkins acquires a submarine from the US Navy and prepares her for
an undersea expedition to the North Pole, renaming her Nautilus. The leader
of the scientific staff was Harald Sverdrup, who was to make measurements
from a specially rigged diving compartment. The submarine heads into the
pack ice north of Spitsbergen in August 1931, but the diving plane becomes
damaged. The submarine can no longer cruise very far under the ice, and so
can make oceanographic observations only outside of the ice pack. However,
the Nautilus does make several short runs under ice, demonstrating that
submarines can operate in and under the ice pack.
1958
A US nuclear-powered submarine, also called Nautilus, passes under the North
Pole, but does not surface on its third attempt. The same year, the nuclearpowered submarine, Skate, became the first vessel to surface at the North
Pole.
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POLAR EXPEDITIONS- ANTARCTICA
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, containing the geographic South
Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost
entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern
Ocean. At 14.0 million square kilometres (5.4 million square miles), it is the
fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South
America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia.
British Antarctic Expedition ( BAE) 1907-1909




Primary aim was to reach the South Geographic Pole.
Led by Ernest Shackleton.
Ship-Nimrod.
Douglas Mawson was in the Australian party which was the first to
climb Mount Erebus (4753 metres), the only active volcano on
Antarctica.
 The Erebus journey was one of Mawson’s few opportunities for
practical geological work during his Antarctic expeditions.
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 Mawson along with Edgeworth David and Mackay were part of
the longest unsupported man-hauling sledging journey which
determined the position of the south magnetic pole.
 Mawson was responsible for much of the mapping, observations
and collection of specimens on this trip. He was also the Physicist.
 Shackleton was unsuccessful in reaching South Geographical Pole.
 A second British expedition (1910-13) under Captain Scott and a
Norwegian expedition under Roald Amundsen ( 1910-12) sought
to reach the South Geographical Pole.
 The Norwegian, Amundsen was successful in reaching the South
Geographical Pole first.
 Scott reached the South Pole to find he had been beaten by
Amundsen.
 Scott and his companions perished on the return trip.
 Mawson had been invited to be part of Scott’s expedition but he
had declined, preferring to lead his own expedition (1911-1914
AAE).
Australian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) 1911-1914
 Ship-Aurora (previously used as a Newfoundland sealer)- needed a ship
with strong hull and sails in addition to engines.
 Capt Davis- Master of Aurora and second in charge of expedition.
 To investigate Antarctic coast extending 2,500 miles in an east and west
direction.
 Multi based scientific investigation and discovery.
 Mawson – commander of expedition.
 Mawson proposed – detailed magnetic charting ( value to navigation).
Study of Geology (links between Australia and Antarctica).
Biological research- marine and terrestrial – deep sea trawling/ ocean floor.
Improved weather forecasting for shipping Southern coast of Australia.
Record data on climate and other natural phenomena such as Auroras.




Bage- astronomer, assistant magnetician and recorder of tides.
Madigan- meteorologist.
Ninnis- ( lieutenant of Royal Fusiliers) –in charge of dogs.
Mertz- (expert swiss ski-runner and mountaineer) jointly in charge of
dogs.
 Hurley- official photographer- AAE as equipped with more than 10 still
cameras and 1 cine camera- 2,500 images and hundreds of metres of
cine film were recorded.
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 Webb- chief magnetician.
 Also- medical officer, mechanic, physicist, taxidermist, geologist,
wireless operator, biologist and a cartographer.
 First use of wireless.
 Each expedition wintering over had to be totally self contained- once
winter set in and sea ice surrounded the continent- no opportunity for
relief voyages for at least seven months.
 Both Ninnis and Mertz died during the far eastern sledging journeymapping more distant sections of the coast line – 3 sledges and 19
huskies (Greenland Eskimo sledging dogs ).
 Ninnis died from falling down a crevasse and Mertz from vitamin A
poisoning from eating dog livers.
 Mawson was faced with making the epic solo journey 100 miles back to
the hut .Mawson cut his sledge in two, made a crude rope-ladder to
climb out of crevasses and improvised crampons to give him more grip
on ice. Mawson battled on for a month, facing gale force winds. During
his lone struggle he lost half his body weight. He eventually staggered
into the main base on Feb 9th 1913, to find he had missed the ship
returning home by half a day. He was nursed back to health by a team of
men who had volunteered to stay behind to search for him.
 Mawson had planned 3 continental bases initially and 1 on sub Antarctic
Macquarie Island- due to dense sea ice this was prevented.
 Main base at Commonwealth Bay at Cape Denison, Second base –
Western base on Shackleton ice shelf and third base on Macquarie
Island- half way between Australia and Antarctica.
 The Macquarie Island base was ideally positioned to serve as a weather
station, to advise Australia and New Zealand on shipping conditions.
 A complete survey was made of the island- geologically and to collect
bird, and mammal and marine life.
 Island had a wireless relay station- messages and meteorological data
sent from Cape Denison to Australia.
British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition(BANZARE) 1929-1931
 To claim formally, the areas which had been covered by the AAE,
together with any additional lands possible.
 Politically, the British government was very keen for their flag to be
hoisted.
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 Ship- Discovery- Loaned by the British government. Designed with
marine surveys in mind. Fitted with winches for deep water soundings
and trawls- interest in Antarctic as source of commercial fisheries- to
determine fish types and abundance.
 Led by Mawson.
 Territorial and political -Resulted in 42% Antarctica claimed for Australia.
 Maritime based- extensive marine surveys.
 Economic-possibility of whaling being carried out commercially.
 Scientific- survey work, charting of coastlines/islands, geographical
mapping, meteorological work.
DOUGLAS MAWSON (1882-1958) - BANZARE
 Geologist, scientist, explorer- used Antarctica to carry out his work and
interests.
 Born 1882 in Yorkshire England.
 Came to NSW in 1884- degrees in Engineering and Geology ( Sydney).
 In 1905 – lecturer in mineralogy –University of Adelaide.
 1907-1956 Honorary curator of minerals, SA museum.
 Member: British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09, joined Sir Ernest
Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition and found and marked South
Magnetic Pole.
 1911-1914 leader: Australian Antarctic expedition.
 1914- knighted.
 1921 professor geology and mineralogy Adelaide uni.
 1926 advocated international controls on whaling, sealing and penguin
slaughters.
 1929-31, Leader: British, Australian and New Zealand research
expedition.
 1958 died in Adelaide.
ERNEST SHACKLETON (1874-1922)
Member: BAE 1901-04
Leader: BAE 1907-09
Leader: Imperial Trans- Antarctic Expedition 1914
Leader: Shackleton Rowett Expedition 1921-22
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“Shackleton’s epic journey to cross the Antarctic overland- ( Imperial TransAntarctic Expedition) The mission failed but the resulting adventure became
one of the most celebrated accounts of man’s survival against unbelievable
odds.
In August 1914 the Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October 1915,
still half a continent away from their objective, the ship was trapped, then
crushed in the ice. Twelve hundred miles away from land, drifting on ice packs,
Shackleton and his men survived the next five months on a diet of dogs,
penguins and seals. When the ship eventually sank they were forced to escape
by lifeboat. Shackleton then travelled another 850 miles in an open boat across
the stormiest ocean in the world to reach help. Every single man got home
safely.” - Alfred Lansing, Endurance- The Greatest Adventure Story Ever Told,
1959
ROALD AMUNDSEN (1872- 1928)
Arctic and Antarctic explorer
Entered the Norwegian Navy in 1894 and spent the following nine years
studying science.
From 1903 to 1906 he led his first important expedition in the sloop Gjöa.
During this voyage he sailed successfully through the Northwest Passage from
the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and determined the position of the North
Magnetic Pole. Amundsen learnt a lot on this trip, like how to drive dog teams,
and what food and clothes were used by the Eskimos.
His next expedition (1910-1912) he sailed in a larger ship, the Fram, and gained
fame as one of the most successful undertakings in the history of Antarctic
exploration. With his fellow explorers, he lived in Antarctica for more than a
year, conducting explorations and scientific investigations.
On December 14th 1911, he reached the South Pole, becoming the first person
known to have accomplished this feat. He had favourable weather conditions
during the voyages, but his success was due primarily to his knowledge of polar
conditions, his attention to minute details, and his ability to endure great
physical stress.
Amundsen’s plans for an expedition into the north polar regions were
interrupted by the outbreak of World War 1. In 1918 however, he sailed from
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Norway in an attempt to drift eastward across the North Pole with the ice
currents of the Arctic Ocean. The currents proved too variable to permit a
crossing of the pole, and he was forced to follow a more southerly route
through the Northwest Passage along the northern coast of Europe and Asia.
He travelled in the Arctic doing scientific research for some time, then began to
pursue a new goal: to be the first to fly over the North Pole. In May 1926 he
succeeded in crossing the North Pole during a flight of more than 70 hours
from Spitsbergen, Norway to Teller, Alaska; he was accompanied by the
American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth and the Italian explorer Umberto Nobile.
Amudsen would later die in 1928 trying to search for Nobile whose airship
Italia was wrecked during a polar flight.
ROBERT FALCON SCOTT (1868- 1912)
Leader BAE 1901-04 and 1910-13
Leader British Antarctic Expedition 1901-04 and 1910-13
He became a naval cadet at the age of 13 and served on a number of naval
ships in the 1880s and 1890s. He attracted the attention of the Royal
Geographical Society, which appointed him to command the National Antarctic
Expedition of 1901-1904. The expedition which included Ernest Shackleton,
reached further south than anyone before them and Scott returned to Britain a
national hero. He began to plan an expedition to be the first to reach the South
Pole. He spent years raising funds for the trip.
The whaling ship Terra Nova left Wales in October 1910 with mechanical
sledges, ponies and dogs. The sledges and ponies could not cope with the
conditions and the expedition carried on without them, through appalling
weather and increasingly tough terrain. In mid December, the dog teams
turned back, leaving the rest to face the ascent of the Beardmore Glacier and
the polar plateau. By January 1912, only five remained: Scott, Wilson, Oates,
Bowers and Evans.
On 17th January, they reached the pole, only to find that a Norwegian party led
by Roald Amundsen, had beaten them there. They started the 1,500 km
journey back. Evans died in mid-February. By March, Oates was suffering from
severe frostbite and knowing he was holding back his companions, walked out
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into the freezing conditions never to be seen again. The remaining three men
died of starvation and exposure in their tent on 29th March 1912. They were
only 20 km from a pre- arranged supply depot.
Eight months later, a search party found the tent, the bodies and Scott’s diary.
JAMES CLARK ROSS (1800- 1862)
Arctic and Antarctic explorer
Challenger expedition –furthest south in 1843 [Ross Sea in Antarctica named after him
1841]
British naval officer who carried out important magnetic surveys in the Arctic
and Antarctic and discovered the Ross Sea and the Victoria Land region of
Antarctica.
Between 1819 and 1827 Ross accompanied Sir William E.Parry on Arctic
voyages.
Had already made six Arctic expeditions and had located the North Magnetic
Pole in 1831 (on his uncle's, ( Sir John Ross' Arctic expedition) when he sailed
south in 1839 to find its southern equivalent. His was the first British Naval
voyage to Antarctica.
He had joined the Royal Navy before his twelfth birthday.
His ships were the Erebus and the Terror.
In 1841 he crossed the Antarctic Circle and pushed south through heavy ice to
discover the Ross Sea, the best ocean access to the South Geographic Pole.
Knighted in 1843
JOHN FRANKLIN (1786-1847) (Matthew Flinders' cousin)
Rear Admiral, Arctic explorer and Lieutenant-Governor, Franklin was born in
Lincolnshire, England. He entered the navy at 14. He served as a midshipman
under Matthew Flinders, his uncle by marriage, in the Investigator, during his
voyage of discovery in New Holland in 1801-04.
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In 1818 when, as lieutenant, he sailed as second-in-command of an Admiralty
expedition sent in search of the North-West Passage. It had to return because
its advance was blocked by ice, but this voyage channelled Franklin’s interest in
exploration of the Arctic.
He led an expedition across Canada to Arctic America in 1819-22, traversing
over 8047 km and enduring appalling hardships. He commanded a second
expedition to Arctic America in 1824-28.
Franklin returned to naval duty in 1830-33 and commanded the Rainbow off
the coast of Greece during its war of independence.
Following this, as England was at peace and no naval employment suitable for
him was available, he accepted the Lieutenant- Governorship of Van Diemen’s
Land in 1837. His sentiments were liberal and he hoped that the convict colony
would soon become free and self-governing. Franklin’s period of office
spanned difficult years. When transportation to New South Wales was
abolished in 1840 it was increased to Van Diemen’s Land, and hopes of selfgovernment faded as the proportion of convicts in the population rose.
The misery of the convicts and the hopeless plight of the Aboriginal people
weighed heavily on Franklin’s spirit.
Franklin was recalled to London in 1843. In 1845, two years after James Clark
Ross returned from Antarctica with Terror and Erebus, John Franklin headed
north with the two ships on another voyage to try to find the Northwest
Passage. His whole party perished. Franklin’s wife, Lady Jane, used all her
influence to promote a search for her husband (some 30 venturers looked for
him).But it took 10 years for Inuit reports to confirm his fate.
JULES DUMONT d’URVILLE (1790-1842)
Was one of the nineteenth century’s greatest explorers. He was a French
explorer, naval officer and Rear Admiral an entomologist, botanist, a brilliant
linguist and respected leader. He explored the south and western Pacific,
Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. As a botanist and cartographer he left
his mark, giving his name to several seaweeds, plants and shrubs, and places
such as D’Urville Island.
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Born in Normandy to an aristocratic but poor family, he was admitted to the
French Naval Academy in 1807.
Following Pacific voyages in 1822 and 1826, he proposed another Pacific
voyage; In1835 the proposal was approved, he was ordered to go via the
Southern Ocean with instructions to extend his explorations “towards the Pole
as far as the polar ice will permit”. He set sail in 1837 but was delayed by
repairs. He took two ships, Astrolabe and Zélée, these ships were naval
corvettes and not suited to pushing through heavy pack ice.
In February 1838 both vessels were beset by ice, it took five days to break free
into open water. On 19th January his expedition finally crossed the Antarctic
Circle. He called Adélie land after his wife and the Adélie penguin is named for
the land e discovered.
Dumont d’Urville’s voyage to the South Pole was his third major expedition for
the French Navy. It was on this voyage that he made his most famous Antarctic
discoveries. His efforts led to the French claim to a slice of Antarctica.
In 1842 he, his wife and son died tragically in a train accident. The train was
travelling from Versailles to Paris when it derailed and caught fire.
JAMES CLARK ROSS (1800- 1862)
Arctic and Antarctic explorer
A British naval officer who carried out important magnetic surveys in the Arctic
and Antarctic and discovered the Ross Sea and the Victoria Land region of
Antarctica.
Between 1819 and 1827 Ross accompanied Sir William E.Parry on Arctic
voyages.
Had already made six Arctic expeditions and had located the North Magnetic
Pole in 1831 (on his uncle, Sir John Ross Arctic expedition) when he sailed
south in 1839 to find its southern equivalent. His was the first British Naval
voyage to Antarctica.
He had joined the Royal Navy before his twelfth birthday.
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His ships were the Erebus and the Terror. These were bomb ships, built to
withstand the recoil of mortars. Ross ensured the ships were waterproof,
warm and well provisioned.
In 1841 he crossed the Antarctic Circle and pushed south through heavy ice to
discover the Ross Sea, the best ocean access to the South Geographic Pole.
Ross and his crew had taken the first Antarctic sea soundings, found the Ross
Sea and by rigorous measurements, established that the South Magnetic Pole
was much further south than predicted.
DOUGLAS MAWSON (1882-1958)
Mawson was a Geologist, scientist and explorer, who used Antarctica to carry
out his work and interests.
Born 1882 in Yorkshire England, Mawson came to NSW in 1884.
In 1899 at the age of 17 he enrolled at the University of Sydney where he
earned a degree studying mining engineering.
Professor Edgeworth David encouraged him to study geology and he earned
his second degree in science.
The University of Adelaide appointed him as a lecturer in mineralogy and
petrology in 1905. He was also Honorary Curator of minerals, SA Museum in
1907.
As a geologist he became particularly interested in the effects of glaciers. This
interest led to his first expedition to Antarctica.
With the support of Professor David, Mawson approached Ernest Shackleton,
whose, British Antarctic Expedition (1907-09) would attempt to reach the
South Pole. Mawson was appointed expedition physicist. Mawson became
aware of the potential for scientific research.
Mawson was amongst a group of expeditioners who made the first ascent of
Mount Erebus-the only active volcano in Antarctica.
Mawson was assigned to the Northern sledging party which set out to locate
the region of the South Magnetic Pole and make a geological survey. Prof
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David, Dr Mackay and Mawson set a record for endurance-122 days of
unsupported, man-hauling sledging, covering about 2,000km.
He organised two Antarctic Expeditions under his leadership, The Australian
Antarctic Expedition (AAE) 1911-1914 and the British, Australian and New
Zealand Research expedition (BANZARE) 1929-31 During the AAE Mawson led
the ambitious and fateful far eastern sledge party (as previously detailed in
AAE notes).
He achieved the first radio communication to and from Antarctica using a radio
relay station on Macquarie Island.
During the BANZARE Mawson used a modified De Havilland DH 60 Gipsy Moth
Biplane for exploration from the ship Discovery. Mawson claimed territory by
dropping flags from the plane.
Although Mawson’s initial interest was in the geology of Antarctica, his
expeditions also made significant contributions to biology, meteorology,
oceanography and other studies of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
In 1926 advocated international controls on whaling, sealing and penguin
slaughters.
Mawson was awarded the Society's John Lewis Gold Medal in 1951.
He died in Adelaide in 1958.
ROBERT EDWIN PEARY (1856-1820)
An American explorer who claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole
with his expedition on April 6, 1909.
Peary made his first expedition to the Arctic in 1886, intending to cross
Greenland by dog sled, taking the first of his own suggested paths. He was
given six months' leave from the Navy, and he received $500 from his mother
to book passage north and buy supplies. He sailed on a whaler to Greenland,
arriving in Godhavn on June 6, 1886.[5] Peary wanted to make a solo trek but a
young Danish official named Christian Maigaard convinced him he would die if
he went out alone. Maigaard and Peary set off together and traveled nearly
100 miles (160 km) due east before turning back because they were short on
food.
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In 1891 Peary returned to Greenland, taking the second, more difficult route
that he had laid out in 1886: traveling farther north to find out whether
Greenland was a much larger landmass extending to the North Pole. He was
financed by several groups, including the American Geographic Society, the
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Brooklyn Institute of Arts
and Sciences.
As a result of Peary's 1898–1902 expedition, he claimed an 1899 visual
discovery of "Jesup Land" west of Ellesmere. He claimed that his sighting of
Axel Heiberg land was prior to its discovery by Norwegian explorer Otto
Sverdrup's expedition. This contention has been universally rejected by
exploration societies and historians. However, the American Geographical
Society and Royal Geographical Society of London honored Peary for tenacity,
mapping of previously uncharted areas, and his discovery in 1900 of Cape
Jesup at the north tip of Greenland.
Peary's next expedition was supported by a $50,000 gift by George Crocker,[12]
who was the youngest son of the banker Charles Crocker. Peary used the
money for a new ship. The SS Roosevelt battled its way through the ice
between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, establishing an American
hemisphere "farthest north by ship." The 1906 "Peary System" dogsled drive
for the pole across the rough sea ice of the Arctic Ocean started from the north
tip of Ellesmere at 83° north latitude. The parties made well under 10 miles
(16 km) a day until they became separated by a storm.
Peary was inadvertently without a companion sufficiently trained in navigation
to verify his account from that point northward. With insufficient food, and
with uncertainty about whether he could negotiate the ice between him and
land, he made the best possible dash and barely escaped with his life off the
melting ice. On April 20, he was no further north than 86°30' latitude.[13] He
claimed the next day to have achieved a Farthest North world record at 87°06'
and returned to 86°30' without camping, an implied trip of at least 72 nautical
miles (133 km) between sleeping, even assuming direct travel with no detours.
After returning to the Roosevelt in May, Peary in June began weeks of difficult
travel by heading west along the shore of Ellesmere. He discovered Cape
Colgate, from the summit of which he claimed in his 1907 book[14] that he had
seen a previously undiscovered far-north "Crocker Land" to the northwest on
June 24, 1906. A later review of his diary for this time and place found that he
wrote, "No land visible."[15] On December 15, 1906, the National Geographic
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Society of the United States, which was primarily known for publishing a
popular magazine, certified Peary's 1905-6 expedition and "Farthest" with its
highest honor, the Hubbard Gold Medal.
For his final assault on the Pole, Peary and 23 men, including Ross Gilmore
Marvin, set off from New York City on July 6, 1908 aboard the S.S. Roosevelt
under the command of Captain Robert Bartlett. They wintered near Cape
Sheridan on Ellesmere Island, and from Ellesmere departed for the pole on
February 28 – March 1, 1909. The last support party was turned back from
"Bartlett Camp" on April 1, 1909, in latitude no greater than 87°45' north. (The
figure commonly given, 87°47', is based upon Bartlett's slight miscomputation
of the distance of a single Sumner line from the pole.) On the final stage of the
journey toward the North Pole, Peary told Bartlett to stay behind. He
continued with five assistants, none capable of making navigation
observations: Henson, Ootah, Egigingwah, Seegloo and Ooqueah. On April 6,
1909, he established "Camp Jesup" allegedly within 5 miles (8.0 km) of the
pole.
Peary was unable to fully enjoy the fruits of his labors. Upon returning to
civilization, he learned that Dr. Frederick A. Cook, who had been a surgeon on
the 1891–1892 Peary expedition, claimed to have reached the pole in 1908.[7
CONSTANTINE JOHN PHIPPS3 (1744-1792)
2nd Baron Mulgrave.
In 1763 he was in command of the 12-gun sloop Diligence and in 1765 moved
to the Terpsichore. In 1766 he sailed to Newfoundland on Niger and his friend
Sir Joseph Banks accompanied him as ship’s naturalist.
In 1773 Constantine set off on a voyage of exploration towards the North Pole,
with two ships, the Racehorse and the Carcass. The Carcass was commanded
by Skeffington Lutwidge and one of her midshipmen was a young Horatio
Nelson. The following year Constantine published his book about his journey.
3
The Society has the original; Joseph Banks mss on Newfoundland dated 1766.
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JAMES FRANCIS (Frank) HURLEY (1885-1962)
Adventurer, photographer and film maker.
Born at Glebe, Sydney. At 13 he ran away from school and worked in the steel
mill at Lithgow, returning home two years later. He became interested in
photography, buying his own Kodak box camera. He worked in a postcard
business in Sydney and began to earn a reputation for the high technical
quality of his work.
In 1911 Douglas Mawson invited Hurley to be official photographer on the
Australian Antarctic Expedition from December 1911 to March 1913. He
worked enthusiastically under arduous conditions, taking both still
photographs and movie film. Hurley later joined another expedition to
Antarctica to reunite with the stranded Douglas Mawson.
In October 1914 he joined Ernest Shackleton in another Antarctic expedition
and produced his most famous still photographs- a series showing the ship
Endurance, being gradually destroyed by pack-ice, and the heroic struggle for
survival of Shackleton’s men.
He joined the Australian Imperial Force in August 1917 as official photographer
with the rank of Honorary Captain.
In 1929 he joined the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research
Expedition, again under Mawson’s command. Two films- ‘Southward ho with
Mawson’ and ‘Siege of the South’- were both shown widely in Australia with
accompanying lectures from Hurley.
In World War II, Hurley again served as official photographer with the A.I.F.
GEORGE HUBERT WILKINS (1888-1958)
Born at Mount Bryan East, South Australia.
Wilkins was an Australian war correspondent and photographer, polar
explorer, naturalist, geographer, climatologist and aviator.
He was the first person to fly an airplane in Antarctica,he was also the first to
successfully fly across the Arctic Ocean.
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As a child, George experienced the devastation caused by drought and
developed an interest in climatic phenomena.
From 1913 to 1916 he was second in command on Stefansson’s Canadian
Arctic expedition. In World War 1 he won the M.C. and Bar when he was
official photographer of the A.I.F. Following his distinguished flying career in
the army he regarded the airplane as the natural means of exploring the polar
regions.
He first went to the Antarctic with Cope in 1920-21 and next as naturalist with
Shackleton’s Quest expedition of 1921-22. His work so impressed the British
Museum of Natural History that he was asked to lead an expedition to the
Torres Strait Islands.
He initiated a programme of Arctic exploration by air and in April 1928, with
Carl Ben Eielson as pilot, and accomplished the feat of flying from Point
Barrow, Alaska, to Svalbard ( Spitsbergen), for which he was knighted.
He secured the backing of American newspaper magnate William Randolf
Hearst for an Antarctic expedition in 1928, in return for the news and radio
rights. This followed the Australian Government declining to finance Wilkin’s
dream of exploring and photographing the south polar region and perhaps
reaching the South Pole.
He carried out the first aerial exploration of the ANTARCTIC in 1928-1929.He
visited Antarctica again in 1930.
In November 1928, Wilkin’s small expedition of just five men with Eilson as
chief pilot, reached its proposed base in the relative shelter of Deception
Island. They travelled in the Norwegian whaling ship Hektoria which carried
two single-engine Lockheed Vega high-winged monoplanes, one of which
Wilkins and Eilson had used to good effect in the Arctic.
The first flight over Antarctica lasted a mere 20 minutes because of
deteriorating weather. On 20th December, Eilson and Wilkins were able to
make the historic flight of over 2,100 km that was to prove the feasibility of
exploring the south polar region by air. They flew for 11 hours from Deception
Island and back across to the mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula and then
south to the Antarctic Circle and beyond.
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In 1931he attempted to reach the North Pole by taking a surplus United States
Navy submarine, renamed Nautilus, under the pack-ice. Mishaps and
mechanical failures caused the venture to be abandoned.
In collaboration with Lincoln Ellsworth, he made four further expeditions
between 1933 and 1939.
From 1942 he was a consultant and geographer with the U.S. Army
Quartermaster Corps which sought his advice on rations and equipment
suitable for use in conditions of extreme cold. He held other defence-related
scientific posts and served in the U.S. Weather Bureau with the Arctic Institute
of North America.
Wilkins lived to learn in August 1958 of the under-ice transits of the Arctic Sea
by the submarines U.S.S. Skate and U.S.S. Nautilus.
JAMES COOK (1728-1779)
First to circumnavigate Antarctica in 1775 and first to cross the Antarctic Circle
First to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773 and circumnavigate Antarctica
Cook’s second voyage began on July 13, 1772 from Plymouth, England. He took
two Whitby colliers (refitted coal ships), the Resolution and the Adventure. The
ships headed south around the Cape of Good Hope and towards Antarctica.
They crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time in January, 1773. Too much
ice blocked Cook’s way to find the continent of Antarctica and eventually his
ships headed for warmer waters to the east.
After reaching the Antarctic Circle4 in January, 1774, Cook had sailed farther
south than any other explorer. But he never sighted the continent of
Antarctica.
- more next session.
4
There was no way to determine the exact time of day, the ship’s position, and the exact time at a fixed point
on shore. After 1735, a device invented by Englishman John Harrison made this possible. He invented a sea
clock called a chronometer, which kept perfect time under rough sea conditions.
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CARSTEN BORCHGREVINK (1864- 1934)
The Borchgrevink expedition landed men at Cape Adare in 1899 and became
the first group to spend the winter on the Antarctic mainland. They were left at
Cape Adare by the Southern Cross, a powerful converted Norwegian whaler.
From their camp, the distinguished crew of scientists mapped the coast of
Victoria Land and the Ross Sea.
NOBU SHIRASE (1861- 1946 )
The first Japanese Antarctic venture originated with the ambition and
determination of an unknown lieutenant in the Japanese Army.
Shirase sailed from Tokyo in December 1910 in an antiquated whaling vessel
Kainan Maru meaning Southern Pioneer, the vessel was a three-masted
wooden fishing boat.
Rough seas and thick ice slowed the expedition’s progress south to the Ross
Sea, and although they sighted the coast of Victoria Land they could not land.
Shirase’s first objective had been the South Pole, but it was now clear that
both Amundsen and Scott would be way ahead of him, so he decided to
concentrate on the exploration of Edward VII Land.
He reached the Ross Ice Shelf in January 1912 and was startled to see another
ship ahead- it was Fram, waiting for Amundsen’s party to return from the Pole.
Eventually they reached the ice shelf by climbing a cliff 100 metres high, taking
60 hours on the nearly perpendicular slope. Shirase and four companions set
off on a “Dash Patrol” to the south with dog sledges. They covered nearly 300
km before raising their flag at 80⁰ 05’ S.
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Antarctica’s Exploration Timeline5
1772-1775
The first well-documented evidence for the existence of a frozen
southern continent came from the second expedition of Captain James
Cook beginning in 1772. He did not actually see the continent but he did
cross the Antarctic Circle (67° South Latitude) and saw the icebergs and
frigid waters of the far southern ocean.
1819-1820
The next expeditions by William Smith, and James Bransfield a year later,
in 1820, discovered the South Shetland Islands and the shore of the
Antarctic Peninsula.
1821
Captain John Davis, part of an American group of explorers, landed on
the continent at Hughes Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula. Much of the
early exploration was directed at finding good hunting grounds for seals.
1820-1890s
Beginning in 1820 there were several expeditions by British, French,
American, and Russian explorers, but from 1840 there was little work
done in the Antarctic for more than 50 years. That changed in the 1890s
when Norwegian and Scottish expeditions explored the area for whaling.
Early 1900s
During this period, many countries sent exploring expeditions to the
Antarctic. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to
reach the South Pole on Dec 14th 1911.
*(refer to notes regarding Douglas Mawson’s expeditions at this time)
5
Information copied from http://polardiscovery.whoi.edu/arctic; 2006 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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1912-1915
Perhaps the most famous Antarctic expedition was led by Ernest H
Shackleton. He and his crew survived being shipwrecked in the sea ice
around Antarctica and finally were rescued after a harrowing voyage in a
small open oat across 1,300 kilometres of some of the most treacherous
ocean on the planet.
*(refer to notes regarding Mawson’s heroic far eastern sledging journey
see P 15.)
Mid 1900s
Explorers from many countries visited Antarctica in the early to mid 20th
century. Perhaps the most important event was the focus on Antarctic
exploration and scientific studies accomplished during the International
Geophysical Year in 1957.
1961- Those scientific efforts led to the establishment of the Antarctic
Treaty, which was signed by 44 countries. This treaty, passed into law in
1961, calls for Antarctica to be used for peaceful purposes only. It also
promotes international scientific cooperation in Antarctica.
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BOOKS on Polar Exploration to be discussed at RBDG
Voyage de la corvette l'Astrolabe : exécuté
par ordre du roi, pendant les années 1826,
1827, 1828, 1829, sous le commandement de
M. J. Dumont D'Urville, capitaine de
vaisseau
Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe
Author:
Dumont d'Urville, Jules-Sébastien-César, 1790-1842
Sainson, Louis Auguste de, 1801-1887.
Lesson, A. (Adolphe), b. 1805.
Quoy, Jean René Constant, 1790-1869.
Gaimard, Paul, 1793-1858.
Boisduval, Jean Baptiste Alphonse Chauffour de, 1799-1879.
Richard, A. (Achille), 1794-1852.
Place:
Paris
Publisher:
J. Tastu
Date Published:
1830-1835
Description:
13 v. : ill. ; 25-30 cm. + 4 atlases (53 cm.)
Provenance:
York Gate Library
Call Number:
rgsp 910.4 D893 (Vol. 1-5) rgsp 910.4 D893 d (Atlas Vol.1-2)
The Australasian Antarctic expedition
Author:
Mawson, Douglas, Sir, 1882-1958.
Responsibility:
by Douglas Mawson
Place:
[London
Publisher:
Royal Geographical Society
Date Published:
1911] (London : William Clowes)
Description:
12 p. : map (folded) ; 23 cm.
Call Number:
rgpam 919.8904 M462
Subject:
Australasian Antarctic Expedition, (1911-1914)
Notes:
"From the Geographical Journal for June, 1911.
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The home of the blizzard : being the story
of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition,
1911-1914
Author:
Mawson, Douglas, Sir, 1882-1958.
Responsibility:
by Sir Douglas Mawson
Place:
London
Publisher:
Heinemann
Date Published:
1915
Description:
facsims., diagrs. ; 26 cm.
2 v. : fronts., ill., plates (part col., part fold.) ports., maps (part fold.)
Call Number:
rgsp 919.89 M462
Subject:
Mawson, Douglas, Sir, 1882-1958
Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914
Antarctica--Discovery and exploration--Australian
Australiana:
Australiana
Notes:
Folded maps in pocket at end of vol. II.
First on the Antarctic continent : being an
account of the British Antarctic expedition,
1898-1900
Author:
Borchgrevink, C. E. (Carsten Egeberg), 1864-1934
Responsibility: by C.E. Borchgrevink
Place:
London
Publisher:
George Newnes
Date Published:
1901
Description:
[xvi], 333 p., [19] leaves of plates (3 folded) : ill. ; 23 cm.
Call Number:
rg 999 T a
Subject:
Borchgrevink, C. E. (Carsten Egeberg), 1864-1934--Travel--Antarctica
Antarctica--Discovery and exploration--British
British Antarctic Expedition (1898-1900)
Explorers--Antarctica--Biography
Explorers, British--Biography
Explorers, Norwegian--Biography
Travellers' writings, Norwegian
Australiana:
Australiana
Polar Expeditions
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Rare Book Discussion Group -October 2015
Page 34
Biography:
Borchgrevink, C. E. (Carsten Egeberg), 1864-1934. "From the late 19th until the early
20th century, numerous expeditions visited Antarctica. With the encouragement of the International
Geographical Congress, expeditions were sent out by several different nations, including Belgium,
commanded by Adrien de Gerlache; Britain, commanded by Robert Scott and Carsten Borchgrevink;
and Germany, commanded by Erich von Drygalski. ... The Borchgrevink expedition landed men at
Cape Adare in 1899 and became the first group to spend the winter on land."(1) "In 1899 Carstens
Borchgrevink led the first expedition (financed by Sir George Newnes, the English newspaper and
magazine publisher) to winter on the Antarctic mainland. They were left at Cape Adare by the
Southern Cross, a powerful converted Norwegian whaler. From their camp, the distinguished crew of
scientists mapped the coast of Victoria Land and the Ross Sea. When the Southern Cross returned in
1900, Borchgrevink and William Colbeck, a Briti
Notes:
Includes index.
Photographic record of the War :
reproductions of pictures taken by the
Australian official photographers (Captains
G.H. Wilkins, M.C., and J.F. Hurley,
Lieutenants H.F. Baldwin and J.P.
Campbell) and others
Official history of Australia in the War of
1914-18. Vol. XII, Photographic record of
the War
This volume is to show the exacting work Hurley and Wilkins did in between their Polar
adventures.(.. required leadership, tenacity, planning and sheer fortitude..)
Author:
Wilkins, George H. (George Hubert), Sir, 1888-1958 (photographer)
Hurley, Frank, 1885-1962 (photographer)
Baldwin, H. F. (photographer)
Campbell, J. P. (photographer)
Gullett, Henry Sir, 1878-1940.
Bean, C. E. W. (Charles Edwin Woodrow), 1879-1968.
Responsibility:
annotated by C.E.W. Bean and H.S. Gullett
Edition:
3rd ed.
Place:
Sydney
Publisher:
Angus and Robertson
Date Published:
1934.
Series:
Official history of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 ; v. XII
Description:
x, [20] p., 753 p. of plates : chiefly ill. ; 22 cm.
Polar Expeditions
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Rare Book Discussion Group -October 2015
Page 35
Call Number:
rga 940.4 O32 v.12
Subject:
World War, 1914-1918--Pictorial works
World War, 1914-1918--Australia--Pictorial works
World War, 1914-1918--Photography
War photography--Australia
War photographers--Australia
Wilkins, George H. (George Hubert), Sir, 1888-1958
Hurley, Frank, 1885-1962
Baldwin, H. F.
Campbell, J. P.
Australiana:
Australiana
Biography:
Sir George Hubert Wilkins (1888-1958) was an Australian war
correspondent and photographer, polar explorer, naturalist, geographer, climatologist and aviator.
From 1913 to 1916 he was second in command on Stefansson's Canadian Arctic expedition. In World
War I he won the M.C. and Bar when he was official photographer of the A.I.F. He first went to the
Antarctic with Cope in 1920-21 and next as ornithologist with Shackleton's Quest expedition of 192122. His zoological expedition to tropical Australia in the mid 1920s for the British Museum is
recorded in his "Undiscovered Australia" (New York, 1929). Wilkins then initiated a programme of
Arctic exploration by air and in April 1928, with Carl Ben Eielson as pilot, accomplished the feat of
flying from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Svalbard (Spitsbergen), for which he was knighted ("Flying the
Arctic", New York, 1929). He carried out the first aerial explorations of the Antarctic in 1928-1929. In
1931 he and Lincoln Ellsworth tried to reach th
Notes:
Spine title: Official history of Australia in the War of 1914-18. Vol. XII,
Photographic record of the War Includes index.
1912 : the year the world discovered
Antarctica
Nineteen twelve : the year the world
discovered Antarctica
Author:
Turney, Chris, 1973-
Responsibility:
Chris Turney
Place:
Melbourne
Publisher:
Text Publishing
Date Published:
2012.
Description:
358 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm.
Call Number:
rg 998.9 a 2012
Subject:
Scott, Robert Falcon, 1868-1912--Travel--Antarctica
Amundsen, Roald, 1872-1928--Travel--Antarctica
Mawson, Douglas, Sir, 1882-1958--Travel--Antarctica
Filchner, Wilhelm, 1877-1957--Travel--Antarctica
Polar Expeditions
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Rare Book Discussion Group -October 2015
Page 36
Shirase, Nobu, 1861-1946--Travel--Antarctica
Explorers--Antarctica--History
Explorers--Antarctica--Biography
Antarctica--Discovery and exploration
South Pole--Discovery and exploration
Australiana:
Australiana
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:
The rivalry between Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen is a familiar story; what
fewer people know is that, in 1912, five separate teams were exploring beyond the limits of the
known world: Scott for Britain, Amundsen for Norway, Mawson for Australasia, Filchner for Germany
and Shirase for Japan. The Antarctic discoveries made by these brave explorers enthralled the world
and forever changed the way we understand our planet. Chris Turney tells the story of the frozen
continent, the heroic trials endured by its explorers and the lasting legacy for future scientific
endeavour. Devoting a chapter to each of the five expeditions, he draws on previously unpublished
archival material, framing the narrative with the broader idea of the spirit and excitement of
scientific discovery. This book is a celebration of the science that was undertaken in Antarctica 100
years ago. REFERENCES
Antarctic Artefacts- Richard Ferguson 1995
Behind the berg- Richard Ferguson 1995
This Accursed Land- Lennard Bickel 1977
Antarctica- the physical landscape- Mark Adams 1995
The Home of the Blizzard – Sir Douglas Mawson (abridged popular edition
1996) first published 1915