"Macquarie Island is the very soul of the tempestuous south," - Douglas Mawson, 1922. The island holds a special place in many people's hearts.

Macquarie Island steals another heart

Douglas Mawson 1922:  "Macquarie Island is the very soul of the tempestuous south, and the natural home of its specialised life". 

People who have read Macca’s Station News before have no doubt heard that Macca holds a special place in many people’s heart. I am certainly one of them.

I was fortunate to participate in the resupply voyage of May 2023 and clearly remember stepping out of the helicopter and feeling the full force of Macca. Seals and penguins underfoot, belting wind, horizontal rain, the sounds, the smells and the amazing wild west coast. It spoke to my soul. I knew at the moment I needed to come back for longer.

Fast forward 2 ½ years, I am very fortunate for the opportunity to be the Station Safety Advisor for the summer, arriving just under a week ago. Stepping foot on Landing Beach, with nine other fresh faces from the L'Astrolabe, gave me the same feeling. I haven’t stopped smiling.

I feel extremely privileged to be here and am looking forward to spending the summer and spring with the great Macca winter crew, who have welcomed us and made us feel at home already.

Vanessa Hollister

An adult black and white penguins with an orange beak stands in a nest with a small chicks on either side.
Six black, white and gold King Penguins stand on the pebbly seashore preening their feathers.
Silver-green leafed plants with burgundy coloured flower heads on stalks (Pleurophyllum hookeri) next to a patch of darker green coloured leafed plants with yellow flowers on stalks (Stilbocarpa polaris).
Swirling masses of dark grey, stringy kelp growing from rock mounds, in the ocean shallows.
Four elephant seals sleep side by side on a tussock covered mound that looks out over the calm ocean.
A large elephant seal on the seashore with its mouth fully open as though roaring
Three black, white and gold king penguins walk together along the pebbly seashore. In the background are steep green hills abutting the seashore with more penguins.
The sun sets over a distant plateau of an island. There is a narrow isthmus in the mid-ground joining a hill in the foreground.
A group of about 30 black, white and yellow king penguins stand on the seashore in a sheltered bay. There is a tussock covered rocky hill in the background with a hut on it.

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