A birthday far from ordinary, in a place even further from ordinary

Twenty five on Macca

A normal birthday would be spent with family and friends, connected through decades of experiences together. This year, I got a very different birthday. After signing up to be cast away on an island with 24 strangers, there was no known connection and no real certainty about what the year ahead would hold. 

Fast forward to today and the team here at Macca have been through quite a lot together. Our training started in February where we all shared the initial excitement of what was to come. Fifteenth of May was the morning we set eyes on our new home and yet again the excitement built of what we were embarking on. Now, after seven months on this world heritage listed island we have become our own family, working through the issues of day to day life here, enjoying all the breathtaking moments that Macca has to offer and sharing all of our stories from times back in the ‘real’ world.

Twenty five for me was far from normal. I opted to go off station for the night and enjoy some of the beauty which we have become so immersed in here. I woke up to a gorgeous day - sunshine and very limited wind, a pinch of luck considering Macca's very variable weather. It was a very leisurely walk with two fellow expeditioners. Brothers Point Hut was the destination and so we tightened our shoelaces and hit the road. 

Upon the descent into Sandy Bay we were pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Macca's own Royal Penguins – unique and charming in their own ways. We watched as they made their way up the creeks to their rookeries. King Penguins and their chicks were lining the beach too.

Elephant Seal mums scattered along the shores with their new pups, while the beach masters protect their harems at all costs. You can quite easily spend all day and some sitting in one spot, watching all these wonderful critters. 

A birthday far from ordinary, in a place far further from ordinary. What a privilege it is to be able to live and work in such an untouched, wild and raw place. This is Macca, this is our home.

Ryan Wardle - Carpenter 

A smiling man wearing yellow coloured field clothing stands atop a grassy hill with a snow and mist covered isthmus and buildings visible in the background.
A smiling man stands near green tussock on the edge of a beach covered with black and white penguins. In the background is the still ocean water and an orange sunset.
A smiling man in yellow outdoor gear stands on a black pebbly beach. In the distance three striking rock stacks jut from the ocean.
A smiling man in yellow outdoor clothing holds two poles in the air. he is standing on a rocky track in a rolling, tussock covered landscape.
A smiling man in yellow outdoor clothing stands amongst tussock grass and other green plants.
A smiling man in yellow outdoor clothing stands amongst green plants set in a rugged rolling landscape that drops into a bay in the sea in the distance.
A large white bird with its wings outstretched has bright red blood all over its beak.
A vivid black, white and gold King Penguins stands with its head and beak buried behind its wing as though resting.
A very large brown dappled male Elephant Seal lies on its stomach on the beach. Crashing waves can be seen in the distance.
A tubby Elephant Seal weaner lies on a black sandy beach.

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