The latest news from Casey Station
This last week at Casey Station felt like a bit of a gear shift as we move into the ramp-up for the next part of the season.
The Wilkins crew packed up and headed up the hill to Wilkins Aerodrome to kick off de-winterising the camp. Over the next little while they’ll be getting things back up and running and turning their attention to prepping the runway for the return of flights. They took a few familiar faces with them too, Mitch (plumber), Josh (sparkie) and Michael (comms) heading up to help get everything sorted and try to remember where all the winterised gear actually goes.
Back on station, I headed out with a small crew Matt, Radar, Dan, Mick and Blinky for a trip to Browning Peninsula. The plan was to knock over a bit of maintenance work at the hut and make the most of being out there with a bit of a hike. With Blinky fresh back from his heroic Law Dome expedition, we had some serious deep-field experience in the group.
On the second day we set off from the hut and made our way across a mix of hills, valleys, frozen melt lakes and sea ice, which made for a pretty unreal scenic walk… and a very effective reminder that we don’t do nearly enough hiking. By the end of it, everyone’s legs were questioning our life choices and quietly regretting everything.
Our destination was the site where the US Navy first made landfall back in 1948. When we got there, we found a small memorial, a visitor register, and even a flag left behind from the original landing. The memorial sits out on a hill on Peterson Island, where you can look north over Penney Bay (currently half-committed to being sea ice) or south towards the Vanderford Glacier and its huge ice cliffs.
All up, a great trip with a good crew. We got a bit of work done, a solid hike to a pretty cool landmark, and a gentle reminder that even though Chef Matt’s food is excellent, maybe don’t treat it like it’s your last meal. The extra winter kilos do make themselves known on a hike.
Back on station, things were a bit cruisier as the weather rolled in and the wind picked up. It turned into a fairly chilled weekend — lots of lying low, watching sport, and catching up on sleep.
Special mention to family and friends back home, and to those we’ve lost since being down here who are no longer here to share in these stories or see the photos we’re lucky enough to enjoy. Rest in peace.
Harrison Judd
79th Carpenter
