Sir Douglas Mawson (1882ï¿½1958) — Australian Antarctic Division Sir Douglas Mawson (1882ï¿½1958) Douglas Mawson, circa 1918 (Photo: Swaine Studios) Mawson’s focus was not for wealth or fame, but to advance objective scientific research and discover the truth. He lamented that tales from Antarctica were told by whalers and sealers motivated by financial gain. He was also disappointed by the personal glory sought by those wanting to be the first to the Pole. Mawson set out to understand the unknown, and saw that his collaboration with John King Davis , whom he met on Shackleton’s expedition, would achieve that: “The task of the geographer is to fill in the details provided by the navigator.” In leading Australia’s first major scientific exploring endeavour beyond the Australian continent, he unintentionally became one of Australia’s most famous and respected heroes. Education and work Two year old Mawson arrived in Australia from Yorkshire, growing up in Glebe. His outstanding academic abilities were obvious in early life, and he gained entrance to geology and engineering at Sydney University aged 16.

His teaching career began as a demonstrator in chemistry. While undertaking his doctorate, he had his first Antarctic experience: Shackleton’s 1907–1909 expedition. As a lecturer in mineralogy and petrology at the University of Adelaide, he studied the glacial geology of South Australia and Precambrian rocks. Despite time in Antarctica and the war in Europe, Mawson returned to his lecturing post, becoming Professor of geology and mineralogy in 1921. He supported the Australian Antarctic Research Expeditions and was a long serving member of the Australian Antarctic Executive Planning Committee. Achievements in Antarctica Shackleton’s 1907–1909 expedition While Scott and Shackleton were focused on reaching the South Geographic Pole, Mawson was passionate about advancing science. As members of Shackleton’s 1907–1909 British Antarctic Nimrod expedition, Mawson completed the longest Antarctic man-hauling sledge journey, of 122 days, with his mentor, Professor Edgeworth David . They coped with hunger, hidden crevasses, frostbite and exhaustion and were given the well earned hero’s welcome on their return.

Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), 1911–1914 Mawson’s 1911–1914 expedition successfully charted Antarctic coastline, investigated the ocean between Australia and Antarctica and examined Macquarie Island. The Toroa followed the Aurora to Macqurie Island, with supplies, 17 expeditioners, 50 sheep, and a load of coal. The Aurora held materials for living huts, wireless masts, and the motorised air-tractor sledge (originally a monoplane before it crashed). There were 31 men on the Aurora. Five men were to remain on the meteorological and radio base on Macquarie Island; the remainder were divided between Mawson’s coastal Antarctic bases from which to investigate Antarctica’s secrets: Main Base at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, and Western Base at Queen Mary Land. Mawson was station leader at Main Base. The Western Base was under the leadership of Yorkshireman Frank Wild , who served on Scott’s National Antarctic Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904, and Shackleton’s 1907–1909 Nimrod expedition.

Expeditioners included: Melbourne born Herbert Dyce Murphy, due to his experience of three seasons on Arctic whalers; photographer Frank Hurley ; wireless operator Walter Hannam ; biologist Charles Harrisson ; and chief medical officer Archibald McLean. Tragedy and success Mawson, Mertz and Ninnis’s Far Eastern Journey departed Main Base in November 1912, on what would become a tragic and yet inspiring feat of courage and determination to return with the data and specimens the party set out to collect. Ninnis died from plummeting down a crevasse, with many of the supplies. Mertz perished from physical exertion, starvation and possibly toxicity from eating dogs’ livers. The loss of these popular expeditioners must have taken an enormous emotional toll on Mawson, as he struggled alone for 30 days, arriving at Main Base in February 1913. Six men had volunteered to remain at Main Base to search for Mawson’s party, instead of leaving as planned, with Davis on the Aurora. Among the stayers was McLean, who left lifesaving supplies and navigational aids in what they hoped would be Mawson’s path.

Hannam returned with Davis, and his replacement as radio operator, Sidney Jeffryes would have surprised Mawson. Unbeknown to Davis, Mawson had declined Jeffryes’ application, but Jeffryes had convinced Davis of his suitability. Jeffryes expertly established radio contact between Main Base and Macquarie Island, and was able to communicate expedition tragedies and successes. Receiving returned communications was important for the expeditioners’ morale. Jeffryes’ mental illness is not well documented. Mawson was possibly protecting Jeffryes and his family from the social stigma of the time, but it appears that Jeffryes was often paranoid and sometimes aggressive. Mawson was often the focus of his delusions: having been accused of putting Jeffryes under a ‘magnetic spell’. Although Mawson managed to keep Jeffryes safe during that difficult year at Main Base, Jeffryes needed admission to a psychiatric facility after their return to Australia. Scientific discoveries of the 1911–1914 expedition Scientific advances made during the expedition included: work in cartography, geology, meteorology, aurora, geomagnetism, biology and marine science.

Their land exploration included over 6437 km in Adelie Land, King George V Land and Queen Mary Land. They recorded features of the land and coast between 90° E and 155° E and at Macquarie Island. Biological species on land and sea, never before encountered by man, were described. Meteorological data was collected from all three bases. Geomagnetic field records for 18 months were obtained at Commonwealth Bay. Innovations in the use of technology Mawson’s was the first expedition to use radio communications: enabling them to make meteorological reports, from Commonwealth Bay to Macquarie Island, and Macquarie Island to the Melbourne Weather Bureau. Mawson’s damaged monoplane was converted for use as a mechanical sled, to transport supplies, demonstrating his ingenuity. Mawson’s 1929–1930 and 1930–1931 Discovery expeditions Mawson’s British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expeditions (BANZARE) on the Discovery did not use land bases.

Crucial work was successfully completed on much of the Antarctic coastline, in Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, and Heard Island. Scientific advances were made in oceanographic work, and biology. Mawson’s team were the first to map much of the coast, and this provided firm foundation for establishing the Australian Antarctic Territory. World War I Mawson married Francisca Adriana Paquita Delprat in 1914, and both contributed to the war effort. Lady Mawson made hospital dressings and was Mawson’s secretary. They had two daughters. Mawson worked with the British Ministry of Munitions and the Russian Military Commission. His skills with high explosives, poisonous gas, chemicals and petroleum oil products saw him promoted to Major by the war’s end. Mawson continued his contribution to service personnel by being a committee-member of the Australian War Museum. Awards and honours Mawson has received much recognition.

He received two Italian decorations, the Royal Geographical Society’s Antarctic (1908) and Founders’ (1915) medals, Polar medals, gold medals of the geographical societies of America, Chicago, Paris and Berlin, the von Mueller medal of ANZAAS and the Verco and Clarke medals of the Royal Societies of South Australia and New South Wales. He was knighted in 1914. He was a fellow of the Royal Society from 1923, a foundation fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and president of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science from 1935–1937. The Australian Academy of Science hosts the Mawson lecture. Numerous places have been named after him, such as Mawson Coast and the Australian Antarctic Division’s Mawson station established in 1954. The University of Adelaide published Sir Douglas Mawson Anniversary Volume and named their geology building in his honour. In his retirement from lecturing, he was made Emeritus Professor. The Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research was created within the University of Adelaide in 1959.

The Fourth International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Science, held at the University of Adelaide, honoured him in the proceedings. Mawson’s face is well known, having adorned postage stamps and the Australian $100 note. Scientific achievements Mawson’s report, The geology of the New Hebrides, was one of the first writings on Melanesian geology. His co-authored papers include: The geology of Mittagong, New South Wales, with Thomas Taylor; and Radioactive minerals in Australia, with Thomas Laby. Mawson was a forerunner in the field of geochemistry, and published reports on glaciology and geology from his discoveries on Shackleton’s expedition. Mawson identified two groups of Precambrian rocks, documented in his report Geological investigations in the Broken Hill area. He also discovered the mineral he called Davidite after his mentor Professor TW Edgeworth David. Imparting his knowledge of Antarctica With the assistance of McLean’s eloquence, and Hurley’s photographs, Mawson’s Home of the Blizzard was published in 1915.

The 1911–1914 expedition created 22 volumes of AAE Scientific Reports edited by Mawson and completed in 1947. The results of Mawson’s 1929–1930 and 1930–1931 expeditions were published in 13 volumes of the BANZARE Scientific Reports. Personal attributes Mawson’s survival on the scientific trek with Ninnis and Mertz is testimony to his attributes of determination, courage, and physical and psychological resilience. His ability to recover from this traumatic ordeal while caring for Jeffryes is testimony of his compassion and commitment to all team members. He was described by many as kind, friendly, dignified and respectful. He extended geological understanding over a breadth of topics and locations. His enthusiastic and well delivered lectures were an inspiration to many students. His abhorrence of indiscriminate seal and penguin slaughter, witnessed on the 1930 BANZARE expedition, informed his advice to the Tasmanian Government to declare Macquarie Island a wildlife sanctuary. Mawson passionately lobbied for the Federal Government to create ongoing Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE).

Mawson’s work to protect and understand the Antarctic Environment he loved is continued today by the committed staff of the Australian Antarctic Division. Video of Douglas Mawson reading a proclamation during BANZARE : [Video] Antarctic Explorers: Douglas Mawson Douglas Mawson 1882-1958 After Shackleton's heroic effort to attain the South Pole, the whole world stood by in anticipation as Scott and Amundsen announced their plans to conquer the extremes and grab the prize at 90°S. As their bases were being established in 1911, Australian geologist Douglas Mawson was quietly organizing an Australasian expedition to chart the 2000-mile coastline directly south of Australia. The great span between Cape Adare, lying to the south of New Zealand, and Gauss Berg, lying south of the Indian Ocean, was virgin land virtually unexplored. Mawsons' plans were first exposed during a trip to Europe in February 1910 when discussions were held with Robert Scott.

Scott was eager to include Mawson in the TERRA NOVA EXPEDITION as Mawson had certainly proved his tenacity when he forced his way along an unforgiving route to the South Magnetic Pole on Shackleton's NIMROD EXPEDITION . However, an inclusion of Mawsons' plans was simply out of the question as Scott's itinerary was already full. After speaking with Shackleton, Mawson had to decline Scott's offer. The Australian Association for the Advancement of Science gave their stamp of approval to Mawsons' plans and pledged a significant sum of money towards the cost of the expedition. Finances were then raised by public subscription with substantial contributions coming from the Commonwealth and State Governments, the British Government and the Royal Geographical Society. Professor Sir David Orme Masson, of Melbourne, and Professor Sir Edgeworth David, of Sydney, were the primary members of the A.A.A.S. appointed to further the cause of the expedition and represent the expedition in Australia. Mawson's expedition team was selected primarily from Australian and New Zealand universities. The expedition vessel came from the Newfoundland sealing fleet. The AURORA, built in Dundee, was still in relatively good condition despite her old age.

The hull was made of stout oak planks, sheathed with greenheart and lined with fir. The bow was a mass of solid wood re-enforced with steel-plated armor. The heavy side frames were braced by two levels of horizontal oak beams. The primary dimensions were 165 feet in length, 30 feet in width and 18 feet in depth, with a carrying capacity of approximately 600 tons. The engines were compound, supplied with steam from a single boiler. Six large steel tanks were built into the bottom of the hold for storage of fresh water. On the deck was a deck-house, comprising the cook's galley, steward's pantry and two laboratories. Forward from this area was storage for kerosene, lamps and other supplies. The fo'c'sle-head accommodated the carpenters' stores while below it were the quarters for a crew of sixteen men. Captain of the ship and second in command would be John King Davis, of NIMROD fame. From the time the AURORA arrived in London for refitting until her departure for Australia, the scene was busy as alterations and replacements were hurried along in order to fit her for future work in the Antarctic.

Stores and gear were purchased as donations rolled in from Europe and Australia. Mawson left London on June 22, 1911, leaving final instructions with Davis for completing the overhaul and sailing her out to Hobart. The Crew The chief objective of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition was to investigate, as far as possible, the stretch of essentially unknown Antarctic coast extending between the farthest west of the TERRA NOVA EXPEDITION and the farthest east of the GAUSS EXPEDITION . Included in the scientific program would be examination of Macquarie Island lying 850 miles south-south-east of Hobart. In addition to land-based work, extensive investigation of the ocean and its floor between Australia and Antarctica was planned. No plans were made to attain the South Pole. From Hobart a course was to be set for Macquarie Island. A small party would land with stores and a hut and proceed to undertake scientific studies over the next year. After leaving Macquarie Island the ship would proceed along the meridian of 158°E longitude until reaching the ice pack.

From here every attempt would be made to penetrate the ice to reach the continental mainland whereby a main party, equipped for a year's effort of scientific study and exploration, would be landed. A hut would be built and a Main Base established to enable the men extensive exploration opportunities over the Antarctic summer. The ship would then proceed westward as far as possible, before the end of the summer season, to establish a Western Base party. Having landed several parties, the AURORA would sail and steam her way back to Hobart. The following summer she would return to conclude the expedition and pick up the members of the land parties. As stated earlier, most of the crew was made up of young graduates of Australian and New Zealand universities. Among the exceptions was Frank Wild, who was appointed in charge of one of the Antarctic wintering stations. Wild had already distinguished himself in the South on both the Scott and Shackleton expeditions. Also appointed in London were Lieutenant B.E.S. Ninnis of the Royal Fusiliers, Dr. X. Mertz, an expert Swiss mountaineer and F.H. Bickerton, in charge of the air-tractor sledge. Staff of the Adelie Land Station (Main Base)* Dr. D.

Mawson Commander of the Expedition Lt. R. Bage Astronomer, Assistant Magnetician & Recorder of Tides C.T. Madigan Meteorologist Lt. B.E.S. Ninnis In charge of Greenland dogs Dr. X. Mertz In charge of Greenland dogs A.L. McLean Chief Medical Officer, Bacteriologist F.H. Bickerton In charge of air-tractor sledge A.J. Hodgeman Cartographer and Sketch Artist J.F. Hurley Official Photographer E.N. Webb Chief Magnetician P.E. Correll Mechanic and Assistant Physicist J.G. Hunter Biologist C.F. Laseron Taxidermist & Biological Collector F.L. Stillwell Geologist H.D. Murphy In charge of Expedition stores W. H. Hannam Wireless Operator and Mechanic J.H. Close Assistant Collector L.A. Whetter Surgeon Staff of the Queen Mary Land Station (Western Base) F. Wild Leader, Sledge-master A.D. Watson Geologist S.E. Jones Medical Officer C.T. Harrisson Biologist M.H. Moyes Meteorologist A.L. Kennedy Magnetician C.A. Hadley Geologist C.

Dovers Cartographer Staff of the Macquarie Island Station G.F. Ainsworth Leader: Meteorologist L.R. Blake Cartographer and Geologist H. Hamilton Biologist C.A. Sandell Wireless Operator & Mechanic A.J. Sawyer Wireless Operator The Ship's Party J.K. Davis Master of the S.Y. Aurora & Second in Command of the Expedition J.H. Blair First Officer during the final Antarctic Cruise P. Gray Second Officer C.P. de la Motte Third Officer F.J. Gillies Chief Engineer * During the second year of occupation the party at the Main Base was reduced to seven: Bage, Madigan, Bickerton, Hodgeman and Mawson, together with S.N. Jeffryes, who relieved Hannam with wireless operations. Added to these officers were a crew of 19, making a total of 24 in the ship's company. N.C. Toucher and later F.D. Fletcher served during the earlier voyages. On November 4, 1911, Captain Davis arrived at Hobart with the AURORA after a voyage from London taking 100 days. At 4:00 p.m.

on Saturday, December 2, the AURORA departed from Hobart for Macquarie Island. "God speed" messages had been received from all over the world with kind wishes for success coming from Queen Alexandra and His Majesty the King. At dusk, the hills in the distance were silhouetted against the sky as a tiny, sparkling lamp glimmered from Signal Hill indicating a warm farewell. From the AURORA the men flashed back, "Good-bye, all snug on board". Onward they pressed into a shroud of darkness, drawn to the undiscovered lands of the south. During the night the wind and sea rose into a full gale. Anxieties ran high as immense quantities of deck cargo began thrashing about. The crew constantly worked at the lashings as a thousand gallons of benzene, kerosene and spirits threatened the men with a dousing of toxic vapors. Most of the men passed through a phase of seasickness, but in most cases it passed quickly. The plug in one of the fresh water tanks was carried away allowing seawater to rush in. Thereafter, the drinking supply had to be rationed.

The wind increased and on the morning of December 5 the ship was hit with a huge wave which carried the starboard side of the bridge clean away. By the morning of December 8 the seas had subsided to the point where the AURORA could once again steer for Macquarie Island. At daybreak on December 11 they sighted the island. By noon they were along Caroline Cove at which time a boat was lowered and a party rowed to shore. Several hours were spent examining the area, Webb and Kennedy took a set of magnetic observations while others carried some cases of stores to a small, rocky hill to form a depot as it was decided the northern area of the island would be more suitable for a permanent base. They arrived back on the AURORA that evening and Captain Davis set a course for the northern end of the island. Dangerous reefs could be seen with towering waterfalls falling hundreds of feet from the highlands to the lowlands below. They arrived at North-East Bay which lies on the eastern side of a low spit which connects the bulk of the island with a flat-topped hill--Wireless Hill--approximately three-quarters of a mile farther north.

Near the end of the spit two small huts were spotted but no human life. Below the huts, upon rocks rising above the surf, lay a small schooner partly broken up. A mile south were fragments of another wreck. Suddenly a human figured appeared in front of one of the huts. He ran back into the hut and soon a whole number of men could be seen jumping and waving at them. One of the men signaled them with flags that the ship on the rocks was the CLYDED, that they had just recently become marooned and that all hands were safe. Besides the shipwrecked crew, some half-dozen men were residents of the island during the summer months for the purpose of collecting blubber. The sealers soon pushed a small boat right across the spit and came out to meet them. They were greatly relieved to hear that Mawson's auxiliary vessel, the TOROA, would be arriving soon and could take them back to civilization. Ham Radio QSL Card Confirming My Contact With Macquarie Island The hut was eventually built in the shadow of a large rock at the north end of the spit. After much discussion the wireless station was built at the summit of Wireless Hill, some three hundred and fifty feet high.

By noon on December 13 all stores from the AURORA had been transferred ashore with most of the provisions arriving with the TOROA that afternoon. The provisions were quickly unloaded and the TOROA departed for Hobart on the morning of December 15. The final parting with the Macquarie Island party took place on the beach at dusk on the evening of December 23. The next morning they steamed down the west coast, southward bound. At 4 p.m. on December 29 the cry of "Ice on the starboard bow!" was heard for the first time. On January 7 a bay, which Mawson named Commonwealth Bay, opened before them. On the far side of the bay was a cape presumed to be Cape Découverte, the most easterly extension of Adélie Land seen by Dumont d'Urville in 1840. At 4 p.m. on January 8, 1912, a whale boat was lowered and rowed towards shore. As land approached they found themselves amongst a group of islets, later named the Mackellar Islets.

Weddell seals and Adélie penguins numbering in the thousands rested upon the rocks. The men soon stepped ashore, the first to set foot on the Antarctic continent between Cape Adare and Gaussberg, a distance of approximately 2000 miles. Cape Denison, as it was now called, became Mawson's Main Base of operations. The unloading was completed by January 19 and it came none to soon. With January more than half over, the AURORA struggled along the coast to drop the eight-man Western Party, led by Frank Wild, on the Shackleton Ice Shelf at Queen Mary Land some 1500 miles from Cape Denison. Back at Cape Denison, the huts were completed by January 30 with the 18 men sleeping inside. By February the winds grew to a point that anything not tied down would be lost. Additionally, anyone caught outside without crampons would find himself in extreme danger. Calm days were so rare that routine chores outside were conducted in hurricane-force winds much of the time. Throughout March and April the wind often gusted to more than 100 miles per hour, occasionally peaking above 200 mph!

The average wind speed for every hour of every day in May was 60.7 mph and on May 15 the wind averaged 90 mph over a twenty-four-hour period. On one occasion the 335-pound lid of the air-tractor case was blown 50 yards and, an hour later, was tossed back! The wind dominated their lives throughout the Antarctic winter. At the end of February, despite dangerous weather conditions, Mawson decided to risk a short sojourn to survey the area. Cecil Madigan, the meteorologist, and Lt. R. Bage, the astronomer, joined Mawson on the trek. They planted flags, to guide the returning party, and managed to make 5.5 miles before weather forced them to turn back. One of the most important projects was to build two radio masts. Started on April 4, the job was not completed until September 1. Some of the work had to be done in 60 mph winds and on October 13 the whole system came crashing to the ground.

However, during the few weeks that the antenna system was operational, messages transmitted to the AURORA and Macquarie Island were received but nothing was received on Mawson's end. Communication was not reestablished until February 13, when two-way communication between Adélie Land and Macquarie Island was achieved for the very first time. Bage (L) & Mertz in Aladdin's Cave Typical to many Antarctic expeditions of the era, winter months were filled with long periods of inactivity and boredom. During the winter of 1912, games, concerts and tomfoolery permeated the dark, cold days. After midwinter celebrations, the expedition prepared for spring sledging and on August 9 Mawson, Madigan and B.E.S. Ninnis headed south into a 40 mph gale. After struggling 5.5 miles, the men dug an ice shelter, which they named Aladdin's Cave, and set up a supply depot. In September an unusual five straight days of calm weather arrived. Several of the men sledged food and equipment to Aladdin's Cave while three other sledging parties tested equipment during the peaceful days.

Mawson gave instructions to each sledging party to limit their respective travels to 14 days and 50 miles. Two of the parties fought 80 mph winds, making little headway, while another could only achieve 2.5 miles. The western party, however, did manage to make it 50-miles out but returned exhausted and frostbitten. During October the weather was so bad that no sledging was possible. In November the weather improved as Mawson made plans for further sledging. Five parties would head out with three traveling to the east, one south to the magnetic pole and one to the west. Mawson himself planned to lead the treacherous Far Eastern trek, using the dogs. A combination of the Southern and Support Party left Aladdin's Cave on November 10, heading in a southerly direction in horrible weather conditions. Mawson instructed all men to return no later than January 15 as the AURORA was expected to be waiting for them. The Southern Party, led by Bage, struck out in gale-force winds as Webb took complicated magnetic readings to help guide them towards the magnetic pole.

On November 22, after traveling 65 miles, the Support Party returned to Main Base as the three men, comprising the Southern Party, continued south on their 600-mile round trip. The temperatures were still cold at night and were typically below -20°F. They reached their farthest south on December 21 when time and food were running short. Webb calculated they were about 50 miles short of the south magnetic pole. The Near and Eastern Coastal parties had left Main Base on November 8 to rendezvous with Mawson's Far Eastern Party 18 miles southeast of Aladdin's Cave. Part of the Near Eastern Party's function was to provide support for the other two. They then worked along the coast between Cape Denison and the Mertz Glacier Tongue. Without a doubt, the Eastern Coastal Party, led by Madigan, enjoyed the most beautiful scenery of the expedition. By December 10 they had crossed the hazardous Mertz Glacier and, with rations for four weeks, tackled the Ninnis Glacier. The party's farthest east camp, on a rocky cliff called Horn Bluff, was pitched on December 18...they were 270 miles from Cape Denison.

On the return trip they were delayed by blizzards and deep, soft snow while re-crossing the Mertz Glacier. They finally reached a food cache on Mt. Murchison after three days on nothing more than a mug of penguin broth each. Vickers REP air-tractor The Western Party, led by Frank Bickerton, planned on crossing the coastal highlands west of Cape Denison by using the air-tractor. Stripped of its wings, fittings and covering, the Vickers airplane was to be used as a tractor for towing sledges. The machine cost £900. Unfortunately, the engine could not withstand the extreme conditions and was abandoned early in the trek. Soft and drifting snow hampered their sledging with the team only making 31 miles in the first seven days. However, an extraordinary discovery took place as the first meteorite in Antarctica was discovered. The farthest camp to the west was pitched on Christmas Day, 158 miles from Main Base.

Meanwhile at Cape Denison everyone, including the crew of the AURORA now awaited the return of Mawson's overdue Far Eastern Party, unaware that he would eventually stumble in, alone and exhausted, with a story to tell that rivals any pertaining to polar exploration. Mawson and his three-man party left Main Base on November 10, 1912. By the end of November they had made it across the heavily crevassed Mertz Glacier and were now facing the "tumultuous and broken" Ninnis Glacier where progress "amid rolling waves of ice" was slow. For three days, from December 6 to the 9th, the party remained trapped by a 70 mph blizzard. On the 9th the dogs and sledges were dug out of the snow and the men proceeded on. On December 13 one of the sledges was discarded and on the 14th, Dr. Xavier Mertz, ahead on skis, signaled that he had spotted another snow-covered crevasse. Mawson made it across easily but Mertz cried out as Ninnis suddenly disappeared.

Mawson turned around and was horrified to see Ninnis, the sledge and all the dogs gone. Rushing to the edge of the crevasse, the men stared down into a deep, gaping hole where, on a ridge some 150 feet below, was a dog, whining, its back apparently broken. Beneath that was only the abyss. Mertz and Mawson called into the depths for over three hours. They gathered all the rope they had but still could not even reach as far as the dog. They were in serious trouble as Ninnis's sledge, pulled by the six fittest dogs, had carried most of the indispensable supplies, including the tent, most of the food and spare clothing. The remaining sledge carried only 10 days of rations for the two men and nothing for the six dogs...they were 315 miles from Main Base. They still had a spare tent cover, the cooker and some kerosene. But they had laid no depots on the outward journey as they expected to take an easier route back to Main Base. They made it back to the discarded sledge, picked up a few items and then disposed of everything not essential.

A crude tent was devised by draping the remaining tent cover over skis and sledge struts. The dogs were fed worn-out finnesko, mitts and rawhide straps. On December 15 the weakest dog was killed to feed to the others and the men. This pattern was continued over the next 10 days until the final dog collapsed. Although the meat was tough and stringy, every scrap was eaten, including the paws which were stewed. By Christmas Day they were still 160 miles from Main Base. Most days they covered only 6 miles but on December 30 they managed 15. The next day Mertz asked to come off the dog-meat diet and try a small portion of their remaining sledging rations. On January 1, 1913, he developed stomach pains and the next day his strength was nearly gone. They rested on January 5 and the next day they tried to forge on. Dr. Mertz finally agreed to be hauled on the sledge by Mawson...by this time Mertz even had to be helped in and out of his sleeping bag.

One hundred miles southeast of Main Base, on January 7, Mertz became delirious and died. Mawson wrote, "For hours I lay in the bag, rolling over in my mind all that lay behind and the chance of the future. I seemed to stand alone on the wide shores of the world...My physical condition was such that I felt I might collapse at any moment...Several of my toes commenced to blacken and fester near the tips and the nails worked loose. There appeared to be little hope...It was easy to sleep on in the bag, and the weather was cruel outside". Then on January 17 Mawson found himself dangling in a crevasse at the end of his 14-foot harness. Delirious and exhausted, Mawson struggled to pull himself out, only to reach the lip and fall back in. Mawson wrote, "My strength was ebbing fast; in a few moments it would be too late. The struggle occupied some time, but by a miracle I rose slowly to the surface. This time I emerged feet first...and pushed myself out...Then came the reaction, and I could do nothing for quite and hour".

By now it was taking Mawson two hours to set up camp at the end of each day. On January 27 a blizzard brought him to his knees but on the 29th, his food nearly gone, he spotted a snow cairn. It had been built by McLean, Hodgeman and Hurley who had been out searching for the party. The cairn was only a few hours old as Mawson consumed the food and read an attached note declaring the AURORA was waiting and Aladdin's Cave was only 23 miles distant. Mawson arrived at the cave at 7 p.m. on February 1, but the weather closed in and trapped him for another week. Eventually, he set out in spite of the conditions and reached Cape Denison in time to see a departing speck on the horizon...the AURORA. However, Mawson was greeted as though back from the dead by six men left behind to continue the search. The AURORA was immediately recalled by radio but ice conditions prohibited the ship from returning. At Cape Denison, the seven men reconciled themselves to another winter of blizzards and confinement.

But, they were well stocked with supplies and the repaired radio antenna survived all the spectacular blizzards. Mawson, Madigan and Hodgeman made a sledge trip in late November and on December 12 the AURORA returned. By December 24, 1913, their two-year expedition was over and on February 5, 1914, after more than a month of sailing along the Antarctic coast, Captain John Davis steered the ship northward. The AURORA entered Gulf St. Vincent on February 26. Mawson wrote, "The welcome home, the voices of innumerable strangers--the hand-grips of many friends--it chokes me--it cannot be uttered!" As for the eight-man Western Party under Frank Wild, conditions were severe but not nearly as difficult as those at Main Base. The men settled into their hut, "The Grottoes", towards the end of the 1912 sledging season. An early disappointment was the destruction of the radio mast in the first blizzard. Throughout the winter the men worked each day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Winds blew up to 100 mph and nearly buried the hut in snow. Depot-laying trips were still made as early as August and sledge parties later explored and mapped the nearby coastline. Wild's push to the east was brought up short due to severe crevasses in the Denman Glacier, 120 miles from base. The western team crossed the Helen Glacier and discovered extensive penguin rookeries in the process. By Christmas Day they reached Gaussberg, discovered some ten years earlier by Erich von Drygalski . The entire party was picked up by the AURORA on February 23, 1913. The decade after the end of the first World War in Europe saw the beginning of the Mechanical Era which would completely revolutionize Antarctic exploration and scientific research. At an Imperial Conference held in London in 1926, the importance of further exploration and scientific research in the Antarctic quadrant claimed as British Territory, was strongly stressed.

It was pointed out that a vital need was to continue and extend exploratory and scientific activities to solidify Britain's territorial rights to what constituted nearly one-third of the continent, extending between Enderby Land at 45°E and King George V Land at 160°E longitude, excluding Adélie Land. Following his expedition in 1911-14, a strong desire remained with Mawson to continue his work to the west beyond Enderby Land. In July 1927, an Antarctic Committee was set up, supported by the Australian National Research Council. After several meetings it was determined that an Australian Antarctic expedition be planned with Sir Douglas Mawson as leader. The area defined for exploration was the entire coast of the territory over which Britain claimed sovereignty. One of the first major problems was to find a suitable ship. The expedition was extremely fortunate in that the famous DISCOVERY was made available by the British Government. Built in Dundee and launched in 1900, the ship served Robert Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-04. After the return of the Scott expedition the vessel was sold to the Hudson Bay Company for trading purposes.

In 1922, she was purchased by the British Government for oceanographic research in waters around the Falkland Islands Dependencies. Plans and organization of the expedition were completed by June 1929. Due to joint interests and financial support, the expedition was to be called the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition, or BANZARE for short. The DISCOVERY, commanded by Mawson's old friend John K. Davis (who was also second in command of the expedition), sailed from Cardiff for Cape Town on August 18, 1929. Little interest was created as only a handful of spectators stood by the docks as the DISCOVERY slipped away. Nevertheless, the dock workers cheered and ships' sirens screamed a farewell as she steamed out on her voyage to the Cape. The ship sailed from Cape Town on October 29, 1929. The DISCOVERY stopped at &#206les Crozets, &#206les Kerguelen and Heard Island before continuing south to the Antarctic coastline. An aerial survey by S.A.C. Campbell and E.

Douglas on the last day of 1929 revealed indistinct icescapes, probably continental, at latitude 68°11'S, longitude 65°10'E. Mawson and Campbell flew on January 5, 1930, and confirmed an extensive new coast of ice cliffs and rocky mountains. Mawson named the discovered area MacRobertson Land. On January 13 a party landed on a steep offshore island and named it Proclamation Island. The British flag was raised and the claim to full sovereignty of the territory, including Enderby Land, Kemp Land and MacRobertson Land south of latitude 60°S and between latitudes 47° and 73°E, was read to a small shore party and a few penguins. Mawson wanted to stay longer but since this was never intended to be anything other than a summer expedition, Captain Davis insisted they head north rather than run the risk of running short of coal and becoming stuck in the ice. An attempt was made to obtain additional coal from a South African factory ship but inclement weather prohibited this so they sailed for Australia, via Kerguelen.

Final Proclamation / Cape Bruce, Feb 14, 1931 The second half of the BANZARE, again under the command of Sir Douglas Mawson, sailed from Hobart on November 22, 1930 and returned on March 19, 1931. This time Captain K.N. MacKenzie replaced Captain J.K. Davis as commander of the DISCOVERY but again there were problems of divided command and short coal supplies. The DISCOVERY first called at Macquarie Island and then searched for the Royal Company and Emerald Islands. Although these island groups were noted by early whalers, it is now known that they never existed. They continued on and reached Cape Denison on January 4, 1931. Mawson stepped ashore at Commonwealth Bay and once again visited his Main Base built in 1911. Magnetic measurements were taken with the discovery that the magnetic pole had moved a considerable distance since 1914. The ship then sailed along the Adélie and Wilkes Land coasts to the Banzare Land coast, Queen Mary Land, Princess Elizabeth Land and MacRobertson Land, where they crossed the path made the previous year.

A number of flights and landings were made to reinforce surveys taken from the DISCOVERY. Following the conclusion of the BANZARE, a British Order in Council, of February 1933, affirmed the King's sovereignty over Antarctic territory south of latitude 60°S and, apart from Adélie Land, between longitudes 160°E and 45°E. The regions were placed under the control of the Commonwealth of Australia, from the date of her acceptance. The Acceptance Bill was proclaimed on August 24, 1936. The scientific work of the expedition took many years to gather and prepare and although much of it appeared in official BANZARE scientific reports, some results are still unpublished to this day. Douglas Mawson was born in Yorkshire and came to Australia as a boy. He studied geology under Edgeworth David at Sydney University and was appointed a lecturer at Adelaide University in 1905. He was appointed Professor of Geology in 1920. Mawson retired from the university in 1952 and died in 1958, the last leader from the heroic era.

Ham Radio QSL Card Confirming My 2-Way RadioContact With Mawson Base <MAP NAME="boxmap-p16"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="10, 322, 100, 329" HREF="" target=main><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="" target=main></MAP><img src="" width="468" height="336" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p16" alt="Shop at Amazon.com"> RECOMMENDED READING Antarctica and Sir Douglas Mawson | australia.gov.au Antarctica and Sir Douglas Mawson Early explorers – traversing the continent Antarctica and Sir Douglas Mawson Frank Hurley (1885-1962), Sir Douglas Mawson, affectionately known by his staff as 'The Dux', photograph: gelatin silver.

Photograph courtesy of the National Library of Australia.: an10932811-47 Antarctica and the history of its exploration is an exciting and important part of Australia's history and culture, and the future of Antarctica's environment an important responsibility. Sir Douglas Mawson Douglas Mawson studied mining, engineering, chemistry and geology at university, and was a lecturer in mineralogy at the University of Adelaide in 1905. In 1907, Mawson was interested in rocks that had been left after glaciers had melted, so he travelled to Antarctica with the British Antarctic Expedition (BAE) of 1907–09 led by Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton offered him a place in the group that was to stay in Antarctica over winter. Mawson accepted, and became an important member of the expedition. Mawson was a member of the trio that set out to locate the South Magnetic Pole. On this trip, Mawson, Mackay and David set a record for an unsupported sledge journey (over 2000 km in 122 days).

As the trip got more difficult, David gave Mawson the leadership, saying later in a tribute: Mawson was the real leader who was the soul of our expedition to the Magnetic Pole. We really have in him an Australian Nansen, of infinite resource, splendid physique, astonishing indifference to frost. Australian Dictionary of Biography, Mawson, Sir Douglas (1882–1958) The Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) 1911–1914 was an important scientific expedition and established Australia's interests in the Antarctic. However, the success was not without cost. Mawson, Ninnis and Mertz set out on one of the scientific sledding parties. Only Mawson made it back. After the AAE, Mawson could see the potential for Australia to become a major influence in the Antarctic region. He saw the potential for the commercial use of the resources of the continent, ranging from whaling to mining. He also thought other countries would become dominant in the region if Australia did not show interest.

Mawson was knighted in 1914 and returned to the University of Adelaide in 1919 where he was later appointed professor in 1921. Mawson, and others, spent a great deal of time and energy persuading the government that another expedition was needed. British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition 1929–1931 As the Professor of Geology and Mineralogy in Adelaide, Mawson was given government assistance and led two more voyages to Antarctica – the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE), 1929–31. The voyages were mainly ship-based, but also included land exploration and Gipsy Moth reconnaissance flights. Mawson and his team made numerous scientific observations and were careful to map and claim territory for Britain (these claims were later transferred to Australia). Mawson ice edge, Australian Antarctic Division, 2006. The scientific plans driving Mawson's expeditions were wide-ranging and often quite specialised. They included studies of the weather, the oceans, geology, physics, biology, glaciology and bacteriology.

Mawson and the other early Antarctic expeditioners started a series of weather reports which are being continued today as part of scientific work on predicting weather patterns and understanding climate change. Another important task was mapping, as Antarctica was an almost unknown land. Maps were drawn on ship and on land by Hodgeman, the cartographer (map maker) and sketch artist at the Australasian Antarctic Expedition Main Base. However, the main occupation of the BANZARE expedition was marine science, which included extensive oceanographic work and marine biological sampling. Examination of the various species collected was done over the next fifty years by specialists all over the world, and their results described in the thirteen volumes of the BANZARE Scientific Reports. Mawson's influence and materials Mawson cultivated a broad range of interests including conservation, farming and forestry. He was a persistent advocate of decimal measures, a supporter of strict regulation of the whaling industry, and was influential in having Macquarie Island declared a sanctuary. In 1928 Sir Grenfell Price gave an evaluation of Mawson as: ...the man who, of all southern explorers, gave the world the greatest contributions in south polar science and his own people the greatest territorial possessions in the Antarctic.

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Mawson, Sir Douglas (1882–1958) The Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research was established within the University of Adelaide in 1959. Its library incorporates Mawson's collection of polar literature, his Antarctic diaries, a substantial collection of papers, correspondence, photographic records and objects of historical importance. The Australian Antarctic Division Glenn Duncan, Aurora at Mawson, Australian Antarctic Division, 2006, Kingston Tasmania 7050. The Australian Antarctic Division leads Australia's Antarctic Program, which aims to increase understanding and protection of the Antarctic environment. The Australian Antarctic Division website includes information on station organisation, maintenance, research and a photo gallery of wildlife, icebergs, and the Aurora Australis. By 1994 all of Australia's Antarctic stations had been rebuilt. The ongoing upgrade of facilities at Australia's Antarctic stations since 1969, combined with state-of-the-art satellite communication facilities, has enabled a greater emphasis to be placed on research that provides information and data, vital to further understanding global climate change and the role of the Antarctic in global systems.

The Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship aims to communicate the significance of Australia's activities in Antarctica through the work of people especially gifted in communicating through various media including the visual arts, film-making, imaginative writing, education, and music as well as print and broadcast journalism. The Fellowship takes the form of a berth on a ship to Antarctica and associated logistical support i.e. food, accommodation and transport. Antarctic bases may be seen through webcams set up at Mawson, Davis Station, Casey and Macquarie Island Station. The pictures are captured at the stations and sent via a permanent satellite link to the Australian Antarctic Division's headquarters in Kingston, Tasmania. Conserving Mawson's huts King penguins, Australian Antarctic Division, 2006, Kingston Tasmania 7050. Mawson's huts, built at Commonwealth Bay early in 1912 to house Australasian Antarctic expedition members and their scientific equipment, are regarded as Australia's most significant historic presence in Antarctica. The site was included on the National Heritage List in 2005, and had been registered on the Register of the National Estate since 1980.

The Mawson's Huts Historic Site Management Plan 2007–2012 sets out the direction of management of the site. The Mawson's Huts Foundation was formed in 1996 to conserve the unique, historical buildings. The foundation works in partnership with the Australian Government, through the Australian Antarctic Division and the Australian Heritage Division, to carry out conservation work. The 2008–09 Mawson's Huts Foundation conservation team uncovered a collection of artefacts from the 1911–14 expedition, including smoking pipes, a Horlicks milk tin full of linseed oil, and the collar of one of Mawson's husky dogs. The remains of a seat from the first aircraft taken to the Antarctic have also been found, although the plane's fuselage has not been located. Useful links Sir Douglas Mawson SIR DOUGLAS MAWSON (1882 - 1958) Sir Douglas Mawson is Australia's most famous Antarctic explorer. His story reveals a man who gave his evergy and almost his life to explore and study the coldest place on earth.

Born in Yorkshire, England in 1882, Douglas was just two when his family moved to Australia. For young Douglas, the deserts and rugged coastline of this ancient continent sparked a fascination for nature and a keeness to learn how the earth was formed. At school, he was a bright student and was only sixteen years old when he started at the University of Sydney. He graduated in Engineering and Science and got a job at the University of Adelaide lecturing in petrology - the study of the origin and structure of rocks. On field trips he took students to the Flinders Ranges. These ranges were partly sculpted by glaciers millions of years ago and he began to wonder about the unexplored frozen land known as Antarctica where glaciers still existed. His first chance to visit this cold continent came when he was twenty-six. He joined an expedition headed by British explorer Ernest Shackleton. The team was the first to climb to the top of Mount Erebus, Antarctica's active volcano, and the first to reach the magnetic South Pole. This new frontier had Mawson in its spell and he knew he had to return.

And in 1911, when he was thirty years of age, he did just that - as leader of the first Australasian Expedition to Antarctica. His aim was to map and explore the coastal area of Antarctica closest to Australia. Mawson selected his team and in the ship 'Aurora' they sailed through one thousand, five hundred kilometres of pack ice to the Antarctic coast. Their first job was to build a hut which they named "Home of the Blizzard" because three hundred kilometre per hour winds blew men off their feet. They were the most fearsome gales on the planet. From their camp in Spring 1912 several parties of explorers set out on foot. Mawson took with him, Swiss scientist Dr. Xavier Mertz and Lieutenant Belgrave Ninnis and a team of Greenland huskies pulled their sleds. Film maker, David Parer, re-created their journey in his film 'Douglas Mawson The Survivor'. Mawson's party travelled east for over a thousand kilometres mapping the coastline, collecting geological samples and discovering huge glaciers. But despite their success the journey proved tragic.

Fighting appalling weather and poor light, the trio had to drag themselves and their supplies around crevasses and slippery ice covered rock. Just five weeks into the journey Ninnis disappeared down a deep crevasse with a team of dogs and the sled carrying most of the food. Mawson and Mertz had to turn back and in order to survive they were forced to shoot and eat the remaining huskies. Mertz became sick and increasingly weak and he too died. Mawson was near death - his feet were bloody, his skin was falling away and he had lost a lot of weight. He would never know that what killed Mertz and made him sick was toxic levels of vitamin A from the dogs' livers they had eaten. When he feel into a crevasse, he was saved by a rope. He later wrote in his diary he felt tempted to give up - to cut the rope that held him. But time and time again Mawson felt the presence of a spirit and found the strength to continue. He sawed his sled in half and dragged his poisoned body over more than one hundred and sixty kilometres of blizzard-swept ice and snow...to finally reach the safety of expedition headquarters.

His epic trek was described as the greatest story of lone survival in polar exploration. When he returned to Adelaide, he was knighted for his contribution to our scientific understanding of Antarctica. In 1914, he married Paquita Delprat the woman he often thought of throughout his Antarctic ordeal. Mawson loved to have his family around him and his two daughters came to know the qualities that made him a great leader. "He was always interested in anything we were doing...really interested in promoting our activities without bossing us around." (Patricia Thomas, Daughter) In 1929 and 1931 Mawson headed two more voyages to the Antarctic. This time concentrating on oceanography and marine biology. They resulted in Australia claiming forty-two percent of Antarctica as Australian Territory - an area the size of Australia without Queensland. For the rest of his life Sir Douglas worked as Professor of Geology at the University of Adelaide and was involved in forestry, farming and the conservation of the unique wildlife in our oceans. He died in 1958 at the age of seventy-six. Sir Douglas Mawson's research has contributed to our knowledge of the world... his life has taught us something about the strength of the human spirit.

Sir Douglas Mawson Facts ADD TO WORD LIST Sir Douglas Mawson Facts Sir Douglas Mawson (1882-1958) was an Australian scientist and explorer of the Antarctic. His intellectual boldness and skill were matched by a practical initiative and courage which confirms his place among the world's greatest explorers. Douglas Mawson was born in Yorkshire on May 5, 1882. His parents took him to Sydney, New South Wales, when he was 4 years old, and he was educated at Fort Street High School and the University of Sydney. A student of the famous geologist Sir Edgeworth David, Mawson early showed high forensic capability in the field as well as a meticulous scholarly talent. In 1902 he graduated in mining engineering and taught briefly at the University of Sydney. In 1903 Mawson was invited to accompany the team which made the first intensive geological survey of the New Hebrides Islands in the Pacific. From 1905 he held the lectureship and later the professorship of mineralogy and petrology (geology) at the University of Adelaide.

He quickly gained the reputation of an outstanding teacher as well as that of a fine scientist and man of action. Antarctic Explorations By 1907 Mawson had turned his mind and energies toward Antarctica. Hitherto Britain, Sweden, and Germany had been engaged in surveying the land mass of the continent. Ernest Shackleton, a member of Robert F. Scott's team, had determined that year to reach the South Pole. Mawson accompanied the expedition as physicist and surveyor, and Edgeworth David joined the party. During 1908, together with Dr. A. F. MacKay, Mawson and David conquered the summit of Mt. Erebus—an ice-covered volcanic cone 11,400 feet high—for the first time. Among other notable achievements they observed, also for the first time, the shifting position of the magnetic pole. It was a thorough and successful introduction to the life and labor demanded of Antarctic scientists and explorers. Mawson had earned an invitation to join Scott in his forthcoming voyage of discovery.

In January 1911 the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science initiated a government-aided expedition under Mawson's leadership to survey the unknown and unmapped ice plateau west of the magnetic pole. When the expedition sailed from Hobart, Tasmania, in December, Mawson had already earned the utmost affection and respect of his crew. During the course of the survey Mawson found himself, after the death of two companions, alone, without supplies, on foot, and a hundred miles from safety. His courage and ingenuity enabled him to survive a most terrible journey through blizzards and across frightening crevasses. At one stage the soles of his feet separated from the flesh. Yet by 1914 the objects of the scientific research had been triumphantly achieved. In 1929 Mawson was asked to lead a combined British, Australian, and New Zealand expedition to Antarctica and to explore that huge part of the continent which lay to the south of Australia.

Scott's old ship, the Discovery, was fitted out for them, and on the voyage from Cape Town Mawson carried out research on the unexplored islands of the Crozets and also on Kerguelen and Heard islands. The phenomenon of the shallowing of the ocean depths toward the Antarctic was observed carefully. Mawson named Mac-Robertson Land and, in the 1930 season, Princess Elizabeth Land. Notable was his use of an airplane for scientific purposes. As an outcome of this expedition and of Mawson's work, Britain made over to Australia its claims in Antarctica, and in 1936 the present Australian sector of the continent was annexed. The chief Australian Antarctic base was named after Mawson, and he firmly established his country's status as an Antarctic power. In addition to many scientific papers and reports, Mawson wrote a remarkable two-volume book on his experiences, The Land of the Blizzard (1915). Though Mawson is chiefly remembered for his Antarctic exploration, his geological work at the University of Adelaide was outstanding. He was a pioneer in research on uranium and other minerals connected with radioactivity.

In 1914 he was knighted for his services and later filled many high official positions in the scientific world. He died on Oct. 14, 1958. Further Reading on Sir Douglas Mawson Books that deal with Mawson's life and work include Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, The Heart of the Antarctic (2 vols., 1909); Charles F. Laseron, South with Mawson (2d ed. 1958); Sir A. Grenfell Price, The Winning of Australian Antarctica (1962); and Lady Paquita Mawson, Mawson of the Antarctic (1964). Explorers - Antarctica Antarctica Beliefs and values that influence a persons journey Douglas Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson (1882–1958) Mawson’s focus was not for wealth or fame, but to advance objective scientific research and discover the truth. He lamented that tales from Antarctica were told by whalers and sealers motivated by financial gain. He was also disappointed by the personal glory sought by those wanting to be the first to the Pole.

Mawson set out to understand the unknown, and saw that his collaboration with John King Davis , whom he met on Shackleton’s expedition, would achieve that: “The task of the geographer is to fill in the details provided by the navigator.”In leading Australia’s first major scientific exploring endeavour beyond the Australian continent, he unintentionally became one of Australia’s most famous and respected heroes. Education and workTwo year old Mawson arrived in Australia from Yorkshire, growing up in Glebe. His outstanding academic abilities were obvious in early life, and he gained entrance to geology and engineering at Sydney University aged 16. His teaching career began as a demonstrator in chemistry. While undertaking his doctorate, he had his first Antarctic experience: Shackleton’s 1907–1909 expedition. As a lecturer in mineralogy and petrology at the University of Adelaide, he studied the glacial geology of South Australia and Precambrian rocks. Despite time in Antarctica and the war in Europe, Mawson returned to his lecturing post, becoming Professor of geology and mineralogy in 1921. He supported the Australian Antarctic Research Expeditions and was a long serving member of the Australian Antarctic Executive Planning Committee.

Achievements in AntarcticaShackleton’s 1907–1909 expeditionWhile Scott and Shackleton were focused on reaching the South Geographic Pole, Mawson was passionate about advancing science. As members of Shackleton’s 1907–1909 British Antarctic Nimrod expedition, Mawson completed the longest Antarctic man-hauling sledge journey, of 122 days, with his mentor, Professor Edgeworth David . They coped with hunger, hidden crevasses, frostbite and exhaustion and were given the well earned hero’s welcome on their return. Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), 1911–1914Mawson’s 1911–1914 expedition successfully charted Antarctic coastline, investigated the ocean between Australia and Antarctica and examined Macquarie Island. The Toroa followed the Aurora to Macqurie Island, with supplies, 17 expeditioners, 50 sheep, and a load of coal. The Aurora held materials for living huts, wireless masts, and the motorised air-tractor sledge (originally a monoplane before it crashed).

There were 31 men on the Aurora. Five men were to remain on the meteorological and radio base on Macquarie Island; the remainder were divided between Mawson’s coastal Antarctic bases from which to investigate Antarctica’s secrets: Main Base at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, and Western Base at Queen Mary Land. Mawson was station leader at Main Base. The Western Base was under the leadership of Yorkshireman Frank Wild , who served on Scott’s National Antarctic Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904, and Shackleton’s 1907–1909 Nimrod expedition. Expeditioners included: Melbourne born Herbert Dyce Murphy, due to his experience of three seasons on Arctic whalers; photographer Frank Hurley ; wireless operator Walter Hannam ; biologist Charles Harrisson ; and chief medical officer Archibald McLean. Tragedy and successMawson, Mertz and Ninnis’s Far Eastern Journey departed Main Base in November 1912, on what would become a tragic and yet inspiring feat of courage and determination to return with the data and specimens the party set out to collect. Ninnis died from plummeting down a crevasse, with many of the supplies.

Mertz perished from physical exertion, starvation and possibly toxicity from eating dogs’ livers. The loss of these popular expeditioners must have taken an enormous emotional toll on Mawson, as he struggled alone for 30 days, arriving at Main Base in February 1913. Six men had volunteered to remain at Main Base to search for Mawson’s party, instead of leaving as planned, with Davis on the Aurora. Among the stayers was McLean, who left lifesaving supplies and navigational aids in what they hoped would be Mawson’s path. Hannam returned with Davis, and his replacement as radio operator, Sidney Jeffryes would have surprised Mawson. Unbeknown to Davis, Mawson had declined Jeffryes’ application, but Jeffryes had convinced Davis of his suitability. Jeffryes expertly established radio contact between Main Base and Macquarie Island, and was able to communicate expedition tragedies and successes. Receiving returned communications was important for the expeditioners’ morale. Jeffryes’ mental illness is not well documented.

Mawson was possibly protecting Jeffryes and his family from the social stigma of the time, but it appears that Jeffryes was often paranoid and sometimes aggressive. Mawson was often the focus of his delusions: having been accused of putting Jeffryes under a ‘magnetic spell’. Although Mawson managed to keep Jeffryes safe during that difficult year at Main Base, Jeffryes needed admission to a psychiatric facility after their return to Australia. Scientific discoveries of the 1911–1914 expeditionScientific advances made during the expedition included: work in cartography, geology, meteorology, aurora, geomagnetism, biology and marine science. Their land exploration included over 6437 km in Adelie Land, King George V Land and Queen Mary Land. They recorded features of the land and coast between 90° E and 155° E and at Macquarie Island. Biological species on land and sea, never before encountered by man, were described. Meteorological data was collected from all three bases. Geomagnetic field records for 18 months were obtained at Commonwealth Bay.

Innovations in the use of technologyMawson’s was the first expedition to use radio communications: enabling them to make meteorological reports, from Commonwealth Bay to Macquarie Island, and Macquarie Island to the Melbourne Weather Bureau. Mawson’s damaged monoplane was converted for use as a mechanical sled, to transport supplies, demonstrating his ingenuity. Mawson’s 1929–1930 and 1930–1931 Discovery expeditionsMawson’s British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expeditions (BANZARE) on the Discovery did not use land bases. Crucial work was successfully completed on much of the Antarctic coastline, in Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, and Heard Island. Scientific advances were made in oceanographic work, and biology. Mawson’s team were the first to map much of the coast, and this provided firm foundation for establishing the Australian Antarctic Territory. Create a free website Sir Douglas Mawson facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Sir Douglas Mawson COPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc.

Sir Douglas Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson (1882-1958) was an Australian scientist and explorer of the Antarctic. His intellectual boldness and skill were matched by a practical initiative and courage which confirms his place among the world's greatest explorers. Douglas Mawson was born in Yorkshire on May 5, 1882. His parents took him to Sydney, New South Wales, when he was 4 years old, and he was educated at Fort Street High School and the University of Sydney. A student of the famous geologist Sir Edgeworth David, Mawson early showed high forensic capability in the field as well as a meticulous scholarly talent. In 1902 he graduated in mining engineering and taught briefly at the University of Sydney. In 1903 Mawson was invited to accompany the team which made the first intensive geological survey of the New Hebrides Islands in the Pacific. From 1905 he held the lectureship and later the professorship of mineralogy and petrology (geology) at the University of Adelaide. He quickly gained the reputation of an outstanding teacher as well as that of a fine scientist and man of action.

Antarctic Explorations By 1907 Mawson had turned his mind and energies toward Antarctica. Hitherto Britain, Sweden, and Germany had been engaged in surveying the land mass of the continent. Ernest Shackleton, a member of Robert F. Scott's team, had determined that year to reach the South Pole. Mawson accompanied the expedition as physicist and surveyor, and Edgeworth David joined the party. During 1908, together with Dr. A. F. MacKay, Mawson and David conquered the summit of Mt. Erebus—an ice-covered volcanic cone 11,400 feet high—for the first time. Among other notable achievements they observed, also for the first time, the shifting position of the magnetic pole. It was a thorough and successful introduction to the life and labor demanded of Antarctic scientists and explorers. Mawson had earned an invitation to join Scott in his forthcoming voyage of discovery. In January 1911 the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science initiated a government-aided expedition under Mawson's leadership to survey the unknown and unmapped ice plateau west of the magnetic pole.

When the expedition sailed from Hobart, Tasmania, in December, Mawson had already earned the utmost affection and respect of his crew. During the course of the survey Mawson found himself, after the death of two companions, alone, without supplies, on foot, and a hundred miles from safety. His courage and ingenuity enabled him to survive a most terrible journey through blizzards and across frightening crevasses. At one stage the soles of his feet separated from the flesh. Yet by 1914 the objects of the scientific research had been triumphantly achieved. In 1929 Mawson was asked to lead a combined British, Australian, and New Zealand expedition to Antarctica and to explore that huge part of the continent which lay to the south of Australia. Scott's old ship, the Discovery, was fitted out for them, and on the voyage from Cape Town Mawson carried out research on the unexplored islands of the Crozets and also on Kerguelen and Heard islands. The phenomenon of the shallowing of the ocean depths toward the Antarctic was observed carefully. Mawson named Mac-Robertson Land and, in the 1930 season, Princess Elizabeth Land.

Notable was his use of an airplane for scientific purposes. As an outcome of this expedition and of Mawson's work, Britain made over to Australia its claims in Antarctica, and in 1936 the present Australian sector of the continent was annexed. The chief Australian Antarctic base was named after Mawson, and he firmly established his country's status as an Antarctic power. In addition to many scientific papers and reports, Mawson wrote a remarkable two-volume book on his experiences, The Land of the Blizzard (1915). Though Mawson is chiefly remembered for his Antarctic exploration, his geological work at the University of Adelaide was outstanding. He was a pioneer in research on uranium and other minerals connected with radioactivity. In 1914 he was knighted for his services and later filled many high official positions in the scientific world. He died on Oct. 14, 1958. Further Reading Books that deal with Mawson's life and work include Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, The Heart of the Antarctic (2 vols., 1909); Charles F. Laseron, South with Mawson (2d ed. 1958); Sir A.

Grenfell Price, The Winning of Australian Antarctica (1962); and Lady Paquita Mawson, Mawson of the Antarctic (1964). Additional Sources The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright The Columbia University Press Sir Douglas Mawson, 1882–1958, Australian antarctic explorer and geologist, b. England. His first geographical expedition was to the New Hebrides Islands as a geologist in 1903. As a member of the scientific staff of Sir Ernest Shackleton's south polar expedition (1907–9), Mawson took part in the famous ascent of Mt. Erebus and the journey to the south magnetic pole. From 1911 to 1914 he commanded the Australian antarctic expedition; he studied the antarctic coast W of Cape Adare, spent two winters in Adélie Land (now Adélie Coast), and discovered King George V Land (now George V Coast), while a subordinate party discovered and explored Queen Mary Land (now Queen Mary Coast). On this trip Mawson's two companions died, and he was barely able to save himself.

His Home of the Blizzard (1915) describes these explorations. In 1920 he became professor of geology and mineralogy at the Univ. of Adelaide. As commander of the British, Australian, and New Zealand antarctic expedition (1929–30), he revisited Enderby Land, not seen since its reported discovery a century earlier, and discovered MacRobertson Coast. Using a seaplane in conjunction with his ship, he made many short flights; in the course of this expedition, Mawson charted over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) of previously unknown antarctic coast and recharted c.1,500 mi (2,400 km) of vaguely known coasts. In his three trips between 1907 and 1931, Mawson claimed 2,225,000 sq mi (5,762,750 sq km) of antarctic territory for Australia. In recognition of his accomplishments he received the King's Polar Medal. He wrote many scientific papers. Cite this article

Question: Australian Douglas Mawson, 1882-1958, was famous for exploration on which continent?
Answer: ANTARCTICA