A peak inside our sleeping quarters, the taste of curry and a birthday treat at Macca this week

Quiet times

Unlike continental Antarctica, Macquarie Island is still home to many animals. Walking around the station you will still see penguins, seals and birds every day. The shorter days prevalent at this time of year do however, promote a more paced lifestyle. It is not uncommon to see a penguin with its head drooped in slumber. During the day, smaller petrels are snugly snoozing in their burrows. Young elephant seals lie about on the beach or among tussock grass and dream the day away.

So too do the other migratory species that inhabit the station. Expeditioners enjoy cosy, comfortable heated rooms to rest at night. Macca today has a number of buildings that can accommodate the needs of sleepy people. Southern Aurora donga, built in the 1960’s, is still warm, snug and closest to the mess. It is similar to the living accommodation built at stations in Antarctica during that early period.

Newer constructions are Garden Cove, Hasselborough House and Cumpston’s Cottage. All the buildings provide individual rooms with windows and the usual bedroom furniture, albeit compact in nature. Most of the rooms have a slightly different arrangement so that no two appear exactly alike.

My room has basic personalisation in the form of books, papers, photos, shoes, towels, dirty clothes and a picture on the wall. The more creative and imaginative have decorated rooms in an individualistic style that makes them pleased to call their room ‘home’. Whatever the décor, at the end of the day, all the migratory expeditioners retire to the comfort of their beds to enter the land of dreams.

By Norbert Trupp 

Curry night Macca style

Recently the Macquarie Island expeditioners gathered for a simply sumptuous feasting night of curried delights.

What was initially proposed as a curry off competition of high stakes to find out who could master the madras or top nosh with a Rogan Josh? Somehow morphed into a non-competitive, open and friendly sharing night of simply gathering around the dinner table by all, to enjoy some mighty fine and tasty curry dishes prepared by our intrepid culinary cooks of the curried type.

If there had to be a winner from all of the effort and skill our curry cooks put into their dishes for the evening. Who was to be chosen?

Could it have been Ali and her Lamb Saagwala(i) or Rich with his eye and ear for a Kadai Paneer, Jez no sir, who nailed it with his Masala Dosa. Cathryn with a lean and a hurry for her aubergine curry or will it go to the finger licken’ Rara Chicken. Who was to say?

Well it was with a hear and a cheer! That the winner was revealed……and……

The winner for Macca Curry Night 2018 was the collective bellies of all the wintering crew.

Thanks to all our curried cooks for the great meals and night that was had.

Lemon meringue

Peter asked for a lemon meringue dessert for his birthday treat — and who were we to argue with that!

It was duly divided by Peter into 14 equal (more or less) servings for us all to eat — just delicious thanks Annette!

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