This week at Mawson has seen the first group of six expeditioners head out to Taylor Rookery, the emperor penguin colony, a journey of 90 kilometres taking approximately 8 hours in the Hägglund vehicle. The view of the colony, where the male birds are currently resting eggs on their feet, was well worth the trip. The chicks are due to hatch very soon. There were some curious individuals amongst the colony with a few emperor penguins waddling nearby to inspect the team. They are just as curious about us as we are about them. The team checked the permanent monitoring cameras that are located around the rookery, enjoyed the views and spent as much time as they could with the penguins before heading back to the hut for the night.
Next stop was to travel around to Proclamation Point where Sir Douglas Mawson fixed a small plaque claiming sovereignty to King and Country back in 1931. Located there is a record book of all expeditioners that have visited this point and our team had the privilege of writing their names in this history book. After two nights away from station the team successfully arrived back at base buzzing with the news of the trip, which only excited those who remained behind who will make their visit to the rookery after the chicks have hatched and the females have returned — weather permitting.
Speaking of weather, Mawson has had more blizzards this week with winds reaching 165 kilometres per hour, forcing everyone indoors for a few days. A Putt-Putt golf course was erected as entertainment and a competitive event took place through the Red Shed corridors, with Adam and Danny coming out on top.
Lastly Dry July fundraising is well underway with over $3000 raised by the Mawson team. A big thank you to all those who have donated. If you would like to support us head to the Dry July website and search for the Mawson fundraising team.
Billy Merrick
Mawson Plumber
