 Dozing the site for Wilkes, 31 January 1957 |
|  Erecting the Jamesway huts for a hundred 'seabees' (construction crew) to live in for 14 days |
|  The US Navy unloading in Newcombe Bay 1 February 1957 |
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The Jamesway huts were initially used to house the construction cew on station. Built of double thickness canvas with fibreglass insulation, they were later used for stores.
 11,000 tons of stores and prefabricated building materials came ashore January 1957 |
|  Laying the foundations for the Clements prefabricated buildings 1957 |
|  Ten days after establishment |
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The formal handover ceremony occurred in 'Market Square' on 7 February 1959.
 Australia takes over Wilkes 7 February 1959 |
|  Wilkes in 1959 - a working station with a place for everything |
|  Wilkes from the air in February 1960 |
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 The Wilkes transmitter building in 1964, now used as a field hut known as the 'Wilkes Hilton' |
|  The radio theodolite dome at Wilkes 1987 |
|  Household chores in the rec room 1961 |
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The 'Wilkes Hilton' field hut, seen in the photo on the left as the communications building during the 1960s, is now a field hut. The radio equipment has been removed and the hut is fitted out with bunks and stoves. It is used as an escape from station life at Casey.
The radio theodolite dome in the photograph above centre, housed the radio theodolite that manually tracked the meteorological balloons.
 In the radio room |
|  Tracking a radio sonde |
|  A jam session with Phil Law (Director of the AAD from 1947-1966) playing the accordion |
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The communications centre, seen in the photo above left, was the crucial relay link between Australia and its continental stations. Note the teletype machine on the left.
Readings from the balloon equipment are recorded on the instrument in the photo above, centre. It measures of the altitude of the balloon, wind speed in the upper atmosphere, as well as temperature and humidity. This information is used for meteorological forecasting.
 Sharing a drink at the end of the day during 1961 |
|  In the recreation room during changeover |
|  Inside the Clements hut |
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Efforts were made on social occasions to maintain a standard of dress, as seen in the get-together in the photo, above left.
The station change over, as seen in the photo on the right, is the time that the incoming party of expeditioners takes over from those who have staffed the station for the previous year. The new party has to become familiar with the idiosyncrasies of operating the equipment and locating the necessary spare parts to keep the station functioning.
 Riometer frame and balloon launching building today |
|  The sun room, 1964 |
|  Wilkes exposed during the big 1992 melt |
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The balloon hut seen in the photograph left, was used twice daily to release meteorological balloons. The riometer is a Relative Ionospheric Opacity Meter, a crude form of radio telescope that was part of the upper atmospheric research program in the 1960s.
Sunray lamps were used to maintain a tan during the sun's absence in winter, above centre.
 Wilkes as it appears most of the time today. Only the tops of the buildings are visible. |
|  Wilkes exposed during the big 1992 melt |
|  The details on the end of this drum identify it as being from the US 1957 Deep Freeze 11 program |
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Most of the time Wilkes remains buried under ice and snow. Occasionally a large thaw reveals the buildings beneath the ice, as happened during the summer of 1992.
The photo, centre, shows the remains of Market Square. The burlap over the plywood frame, used once to create an enclosed corridor, is now exposed to the elements.
Main picture gallery
