Some good weather meant the Casey and Wilkins teams worked in the sunshine this week. There is lots of cleaning and tidying going on ready for the next expeditioners and a final trip out to Browning’s.

News from Wilkins

Progress continues at the Wilkins runway, with proof rolling completed and some hard work by the gang doing some repair work.  The next step was to commence surveying works.

The guys made the most of some clear days which usually mean better GPS reception in the remote location. Working in the sunshine can sometimes be made harder by the wind, particularly when it’s −25°C but with the occasional break to warm up the surveying process is on track. On top of getting a runway operational the guys are required to keep the camp running. With just four of us to keep the place running — cooking, cleaning and melting snow for our water supply are all jobs that are second nature to the Wilkins crew.

Expeditioner rugged up for the cold weather holding the survey equipment on a blue sky day.
Silhouette of two expeditioners working with the survey equipment on a very cold, sunny blue sky day with the wind blowing snow along the ground.
Tipping snow into the snow melter with the Wilkins skid steer loader.

Almost home time

Well the days are really winding down now here at Casey and the vibe is definitely changing as we all start to get excited for our return to the real world, and get to indulge in the things we have missed most since arriving down here nearly 12 months ago.

It has been a busy week and will only get busier up until the first flight now as we prepare the station for handover. This includes giving the station a thorough spring clean which we have already started in some places. Also, each work group has to wrap up the jobs they are working on to ensure their work areas are ready for handover to our new replacements coming in next week.

There are mixed emotions knowing that it is all coming to an end but the excitement of heading home for most of us is definitely starting to show.

Three expeditioners position for a photo on the scaffold that they are pulling down.
Expeditioner sitting at the tables in the wallow having smoko.
Two expeditioners working on the mess floor with the rotary floor polishers.

Last minute trip

Although we have been busy, we have also been blessed with good weather which has allowed us to squeeze some last minute field trips in, which has been great.

In addition to the trips, the penguins are finally returning to say their goodbyes to us just in time before we leave.

Expeditioner standing on the blue ice with his arm up in the air on a bright sunny day.
Two expeditioners walking on the blue ice towards the camera with both towing a small sled with their survival pack on the sled.
Two polar pyramid tents set up on the Plato with the green Hägglunds parked next to them as the sun goes down on the horizon.
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