We often get questions from family and friends about our motivations for coming to Antarctica. So I thought I would share some insights from our crew about why we work remotely and what we love about Antarctic life. Our team at Davis is a mixture of returning expeditioners and first-timers. Many of us have worked remotely before and keep picking roles that take us to faraway places. Being isolated from family, friends, and modern life's convenience is challenging, so what's the drawcard? Here is what the good people of Davis had to say:
Being here is the whole package - living, working, socialising under one roof. Life is really easy. I get to wear my ugg boots most of the day, downside - the short showers.
You have the chance and time to excel at whatever you want to, like playing music, learning a language, photography.
Down here you meet people that you may never have come across in your everyday life; their wealth and depth of knowledge, information and experiences is incredible. That is my favourite thing. It's a shared experience; every single person is away from their friends and family, so everyone is on that same journey with you.
I never get sick of watching penguins, I could watch them all day!
I like the simplicity of remote life, it reminds you how little we need to be content and happy.
It always comes back to the people, no matter what you do or where you go, it comes back to the people - they make this place.
The scenery, I'd rather look at icebergs than highrises, every time before I go home I'm thinking 'Gold Coast next week, it's going to be high rises again. Do I have to go back?'
The nature, the scenery, the unexpectedness of everything, it puts you in your place as a human. You realise you're just another little molecule in the big system. We are not as relevant as we think we are… despite all the technology we have, we can measure, predict and forecast things, but when nature wants to turn it on, you can't stop it.
I like being around friends all of the time, if you wake up in the middle of the night and go down to the dartboard, someone will be there or someone will be in the kitchen making a sandwich - there's a great sense of community.
It's nice having a change of environment, not being in the city anymore.
The scenery, every morning you have your breakfast watching icebergs floating by.
I love the challenge. There's nobody you can call in to solve your problems, we have to use our skills and knack to address any issues that arise.
On the mainland, I work in an office, and here I get to work in the field all the time.
On an Antarctic station, you get to do a full spectrum of jobs, not just one part, you have to wear many hats in your job, and as a community member, this makes it exciting, no two days are the same, every day there are new challenges.
I love wintertime at Davis, being out in the frozen fjords, the wonders of the Vestfold group, it's beautiful - the continuous twilight through the middle of the day as you're out in a Hagglands driving on a frozen ocean.
The scenery! It is the most magical place. The other things you don't expect like there are no insects, there's no greenery, the silence when there is no wind - there are no traffic sounds, no birds squawking, no trees ruffling, you could hear a pin drop.
You don't have access to everything you would in an established society, you have to make do with what you've got.
I don't necessarily like working remotely, I just left my toothbrush here, so I've come back to get it.
I love big wide open landscapes so being here suits me perfectly.
Complete self-reliance, it feels like the last frontier.
There are a great bunch of people here in an amazing place, having new shared experiences together. I love the different jobs you get to do, this week I learnt how to drive a snow groomer and helped build a runway.
I relish the people around me, the simplicity of life here, the fact there's no commute to work, you don't have to be a part of the hustle and bustle of ordinary life, you have a lot of time to reflect, I love having time to do my hobbies, the things in everyday life I wouldn't have time to do.
The penguins, the weather, the fact that it is sunny all the time. Now that the sea ice has just broken up, it feels like a whole new place, which is exciting.
Self-reliance, having to deal with different situations, working within a community, working together on projects.
The remoteness of Antarctica is its attractiveness, you're away from the normal everyday life back in Australia, so being down here, you'll get to do things that you'll never get to do anywhere else, so I find it very exciting to be given roles that I would never get to do in my mainland life.
The challenges of working independently in locations that people don't normally have the chance to visit.
I love living in a small community and getting to know everyone. We have doctors, weather observers, electricians, chefs, station leaders, engineers, biologists and all the other roles, and we are all the same, we all hang out together - we all work, play and eat together, and where else do you get that mixture of people?
The quiet - I walked to Marchants Landing yesterday, and I could hear the icebergs running into each other, there was no traffic, no insects. Just me and the bergs.
It's really nice being away from the real world.
It's always a great group of people down here, you get to bond with an eclectic group of really special people.
Not every day is the same, the environment changes all the same, seeing all the seasonal changes over the year.
I love being away from people.
I like the community, seeing everyone (except for Hana :)) every day.
The short answer is I love everything about being here.
I love what working remotely teaches you about yourself, the human condition and how to overcome whatever challenges arise.
I love the ever-changing beauty of our backyard, it's an honour to be here with you all. Cowabunga!
Being here is a true test of my skillset, and I love that challenge. I like having to be adaptable and versatile. I love working with a diverse workforce, we learn so much from each other.
As you get older, it is harder to make friends, but here you get thrown together, it is a rare opportunity and truly get to know people.
Thank you to my fellow Davisonians for sharing what you love about this place, my heart is full.
Hana Glencross - full-time legend, part-time BOM Weather Observer
