Field training, formal dinners, Easter, rec trips, and learning something new

Getting out and about at Macca

Field Training Party

Alex our FTO (Field Training Officer) has taken his second group of expeditioners out and about the island this week to show them the ins and outs of Field Travel here at Macca. This is essential training to make sure the crew know how to navigate the island, how to Bivvy (one-person waterproof bag) down and what to do if the weather turns on you, how to survive if you get stuck outdoors for a period of time and also most importantly, where the huts are and the best views of the wildlife down here!

All the expeditioners will head ‘down Island’ for 3 days in the next couple of weeks staying at multiple huts, testing out their weatherproof hiking gear and busting their lungs as they climb up hill, after hill, after hill. The reward for this is a tick in the box for Search and Rescue Capabilities as well as one step closer to getting signed off as a trip leader and taking groups out yourself and also the opportunity to do a bit of solo travel down Island. Something most of the crew are very motivated to have a crack at!

Saturday formal dinner and Wine club

Our Saturday Formal dinners have continued on this week with our chef, Arvid, dishing out another pearler of a meal cooking up some fantastic lamb backstrap, mixed meg and some potato gratin, finished off with a scrumptious baked cheesecake with berry coulis. If the meal wasn’t delicious enough, our wine connoisseur’s, Curly and Alex, took us on a journey to Southern Europe with wines from Spain, Portugal and Italy to pair with the meal.

If we keep eating like this the poor Doc might have a bit of work to do later on in the season.

Easter Sunday

Expeditioners Joe and Jamie put on quite an Easter treat for the crew with a super Sunday for the ages. The guys got up bright and early cooking up a big brunch of bacon and egg sangas before launching into an Easter egg hunt all throughout the Green Store. All hell broke loose as the crew went hunting for the 48 chocolate eggs hidden up ladders, inside cage pallets and all through the fridges. Sealy did nothing for the diesos reputation when he thought he had found the last remaining Easter egg only to be told it was a regular chicken egg!

The guys followed up the Easter egg hunt with a traditional Easter hat parade. Team Macca brought out their creative side with some exceptional hats crafted. In the end though our Tas Parks Ranger Sara came home with the bikkies with her wandering albatross inspired headpiece.

The day was finished up with a few rounds of ping pong, a BBQ and a couple of coldies.

Rec Trips

The great weather coupled with a long weekend gave some of the crew a good chance to head out and about for a few little recreational hikes. We are very spoilt around Macca with some pristine coastline and an abundance of animal life to go have a look at.

A group of hikers made their way out to Handspike Point to check out the stunning coastline and the colony of fur seals, another group made their way out to North Head to check up on the nesting grey petrels, gadgets gully had a few visitors to make sure our king penguins and their little chicks are doing well and our Tas Parks contingent have left to head down to Hurd Point to check up on our nesting wandering albatross.

Tas Parks Wandering Albatross and Weather Talks from Jase

Macca has been a hive of learning the last week (some say we are the Cambridge of the South) with our trusty Met observer Jason giving the crew a great rundown of how to interpret the weather models available to us and how to actually read the graphs that the Bureau of Meterology use for our weather forecasts.

Our Tas Parks ranger Sara jumped on the bandwagon and showed us how to identify the different species of albatross on the Island and some of the work she will be undertaking with our other Tas Parks Ranger Chris later on in the week!

It’s nice to see some of the tradies attempting to learn something that doesn’t involve them hitting something with a hammer..

Article by Troy Henderson, Station Communications Technical Officer

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