Australia’s involvement in Antarctica
Australia’s long history of involvement in Antarctica has its foundations in the 18th century when Australia depended on the sea for its trade and communications. Due to the proximity of the vast expanse of ice to the south, it was inevitable that Australia became closely involved in Antarctic exploration.
The sailing vessels upon which the colonies depended for their supplies and trade with Europe followed the Great Circle routes south of the Cape of Good Hope and sought the favourable westerly winds found well to the south. These voyages brought familiarity with the high latitudes, but were not without risk – in the second year of settlement HMS Guardian was almost lost after striking an iceberg.
Sealing and whaling
From the first days of colonisation in 1788, Australia was closely associated with sealing and whaling industries. As Australian waters became exhausted, sealers and whalers turned to the subantarctic islands. By 1820, just 10 years after the discovery of Macquarie Island, fur seals had been virtually exterminated and elephant seals were being slaughtered for their oil.
Over-exploitation around Australia also forced whalers to explore the southern waters. The Hobart barque Venus reached 72°S in search of whales in 1831. Its return to Australia with a cargo of sperm whale oil stimulated others to explore the further south. Elsewhere around Antarctica other voyages by English, American and Russian vessels were making significant discoveries.
Many explorers bound for the Antarctic visited Australia for supplies for their southern journeys, including John Biscoe, Charles Wilkes, Dumont d’Urville and James Clark Ross. The use of Hobart as a port of call for most of these expeditions and its support for the southern sealing and whaling industries fostered Australian interest in Antarctica.
