This week at Macquarie Island: 26 July 2024

Hello readers! Here’s a charming tale about an expeditioner and his unique pet.

Every year, it’s a tradition to celebrate midwinter in the southern regions, marking the shortest day of the year and heralding the return of longer days. This year, on Macquarie Island, our thoughtful Field Training Officer, Jessie, decided to create a photo board showcasing all our pets back home.

Among the usual suspects—dogs, cats, and even a goat—one photo stood out: Rick, the Mexican walking fish. Intrigued, I discovered that this fascinating creature belonged to our handsome electrician, Marcus. When I inquired about Rick, Marcus shared their heartwarming story.

“They make fantastic pets. I got Rick 11 years ago from a friend at church called Albert. Mexican walking fish are remarkable—they look and behave like tiny prehistoric monsters,” Marcus said. He continued, “These animals can grow up to 30 centimeters and make excellent pets, sometimes living up to 25 years in captivity.”

“Though they are solitary creatures, Rick enjoys a stroll with me. I take him out to the lawn at home, but I have to watch him closely because he tends to wander off and can get sunburnt. One day, I went inside to grab an iced tea, and when I returned, Rick had disappeared. I searched the garden, under the wheelbarrow, and around the flowerpots, but he was nowhere to be found. I was distraught! What would I tell my friends at Bible study!? Rick had become a celebrity of sorts in our group.

Albert couldn’t keep Rick because he tried to house him with another fish, but we learned that Mexican walking fish prefer solitude. Plus, Rick was eating all the other fish.

Fortunately, I found Rick later that afternoon under the BBQ, he must have just sought out a shady spot. From that day on, I never left Rick unattended. Now, he accompanies me around the house, often perched on my shoulder as I do my chores.”

“What do you feed Rick?” I asked. “Rick enjoys a varied diet—earthworms, insects, small crustaceans, and occasionally a strip of raw lean beef from my kebabs. He’s also partial to a bit of cod from the fish and chip shop. At Christmas, we both enjoy chicken, as neither of us care for turkey. I feed him by hand, wiggling the food in the water, which has become a fun game for us. We enjoy our time together, and I often sit at the dinner table chatting with him while he eats in his tank at the other end.”

Marcus’s story about Rick was so captivating that I felt compelled to share it with everyone. I’m thrilled to present this extraordinary tale in this week’s Icy News update.

Author, Jamie Terry

Field training is a requirement for all expeditioners on station to ensure they have the skills necessary to travel, work, and live safely in the field on Macquarie Island. It is a requirement before anyone is able to undertake trips on foot in the Station Operating Area (which is pretty much the entire island). And as the Field Training Guidelines specify for Field Training “expeditioners are required to carry a field pack and walk up to 30km in, at times, challenging terrain and weather conditions.”

Well let’s just say that’s an understatement. Field training at Macquarie Island is a whole different beast to what I’ve previously experienced on the continent. It is in parts harrowing and exhausting, and in other parts extraordinary, amazing, awe inspiring, and an incredible team bonding experience. Our first real opportunity to experience the island environments, to feel with every step the ups and downs that Macca is famous for, and to sink into the mud up to knees or occasionally the thighs. So now we know why the island is called The Green Sponge! (And don’t let anyone tell you that the “plateau” of Macca is actually a plateau. The definition of plateau is “an area of fairly level high ground’. Nope. It’s just more up and down, perhaps a gentler slope … maybe just a little. I’m lobbying for a name change. Just not sure what yet – perhaps Mountain Range.)

But what a privilege to have to spend three days in work time walking the top end of the island. On the first day we go from station at sea level, straight up “Doctors Track” to an elevation of about 300m, then across the plateau (remember the plateau is not flat) along the “inland lake track” through an amazing landscape and seeing new and unusual vegetation, then drop down to Bauer Bay to have our first night in a hut. Bauer Bay hut is a little timber hut that feels like absolute luxury after a wearying walk across the island, with a beautiful outlook across the expansive beach of Bauer Bay. This is where we are trained on the intricacies of hut life on Macca – food, cleaning, toileting, communications, power, heating, water etc. One of our favourite lessons – “the tower of stench” – which is a contraption used to dry all of our walking gear including socks, gloves, inner soles, beanies, glasses etc. Not attractive to the eyes or nose, but very effective.

The second day is an ‘up and over’ day. Walking from the west coast to the east coast, with a ‘little’ off track navigation thrown in. Again, visiting new landscapes with glacial valleys, cirques and wonderful plants, including one of our favourites – “moss balls”. We finish for the night at the magnificent Brothers Point Hut, a Smarty with porch addition which may very quickly become my new favourite home away from home. Training to do, but I really just wanted to sit and read, look out the window, make tasty food, and venture out every now and then to visit the penguins a little way along the beach. (Future plans!)

The final day, a walk along the east coast back to station, which sounds easier than it actually turned out to be. Not just beach walking, but little mini jump-ups and jump-downs to avoid impassable points that plunge out into the sea (and the fur seals which guard the rocky vantage points) and then a large section of boulder hopping to finally make it back to station. To break up the walk, we are blessed by the opportunity to get our first sighting of a king penguin colony. The chicks are the most extraordinary creatures! How does something that looks a little like a gangster moll in fluffy mink coat turn into such a beautiful shiny sleek bird; albeit one that waddles clumsily when on land. I look forward to spending many more hours studying them!

But back to field training. Once, back on station at the end of day three we divest ourselves of our packs and are literally hosed down to remove the mud before shedding the layers which will be hung in the drying room for the next week or so. A group hug to end the experience. But many stories and fun times to regale the rest of station with over the next week or so (but also many inside jokes that others just won’t understand) until the next team comes back from field training to share their stories.

Bec Jeffcoat - Station Leader