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the Southern Ocean currents.

By August, field work became possible when a sub-surface sledging depot known as Aladdin's Cave was established 8 km inland from Cape Denison. Mawson and his teams began making inland sledging trips to chart the area and make scientific observations, as did Wild in the vicinity of his Western Base. Some used dogs, but most of the major journeys were man-hauled. All proceeded into the unknown, and required both navigational skills and physical and mental strength. They faced invisible hazards in the unpredictable icescape, and other dangers arising from their equipment (one party nearly succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning while cooking in an unventilated dugout).

There were five major expeditions from the Main Base:

    Southern Party: Bage, Webb and Hurley, observing magnetic conditions, appear to have reached within 80 km of the South Magnetic Pole, despite bad weather. They were helped by a southern supporting party (Murphy, Hunter, Laseron).

    Western Party: Bickerton, Hodgeman and Whetter investigated the coastal regions to the west of Cape Denison. The team travelled 254 km from Cape Denison. They sighted the first-known Antarctic meteorite.

    Near-Eastern Party: Stillwell, Close and Hodgeman (later replaced by Laseron) explored and charted the coast from Cape Denison to the Mertz Glacier.

    Eastern Coastal Party: Madigan, McLean and Correll investigated the coast to the east of the Mertz Glacier. They reached Horn Bluff, a large cliff 434 km from the Main Base.

    Far Eastern Party: On 10 November 1912 Mawson took the two dog handlers, Mertz and Ninnis, eighteen dogs and three sledges, to explore and map the far east coast, expecting to return by mid-January. This became a long and tragic journey which only Mawson survived. The story of his survival elevated Mawson in the public esteem.

On 14 December Ninnis fell into a crevasse and was never seen again. On the return journey Mawson lacked the provisions that had been carried on Ninnis' sledge. The rations ran out, and the dogs died of exhaustion or were killed for food. Mertz fell ill - from toxins, food deprivation or sheer stress - and had to be towed on a sledge until he too died, and was buried by Mawson on 8 January 1913.

Mawson then cut his sled in half, and while starving, dehydrated, frostbitten and at times delirious marched 160 km to Cape Denison alone, kept alive towards the end by a depot of provisions left by a rescue party. He was delayed again at the next food depot, being trapped for an entire week by poor weather in Aladdin's Cave, barely a day's march from his goal.

Mawson arrived back utterly exhausted on 8 February 1913. After three months away from the Main Base,