Scott, one of our electricians, talks about some of the ways that he enjoys relaxing while at Mawson; and finally, the weather falls in our favour and our intrepid team of six expeditioners head out on a deep-field sea ice traverse to check on an emperor penguin colony.

Relaxing at Mawson – Golf, Penguins, and Jigsaws

This weekend at Mawson, we opened the Mawson Links! We played golf on the sea ice, and it was a nice sunny -10 day; the season is turning here, so we are taking every chance to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. We wouldn’t want to lose any of the golf balls though, so they were painted in bright colours to make them easier to find amongst the snow and ice.

There have also been many trips to Auster to see the Emperor Penguin Colony. It is great being able to get out and watch the Emperor chicks grow. On the first visit to Auster, we would have to look very hard to spot any chicks standing on their parent’s feet. After a few trips, the chicks could be spotted more easily on the parent’s feet and would poke their heads out for feeds; now, the chicks are much bigger and are trying to escape the parents and are also trying to huddle as groups of chicks.

It is definitely a highlight of my time at Mawson going out to Auster to visit the Emperor Penguins.

When the weather isn’t great outside, or we are just wanting to relax indoors, there are a few of us who enjoy a jigsaw puzzle. Mawson has a large selection of jigsaw puzzles, and we hope to complete them all by the time the ship comes to collect us! There have been many long hours spent at the jigsaw table, sometimes four of us sitting at the table trying to piece it together. Some jigsaws are quite easy and fun, while some, however, are very difficult and sit unfished on the table for weeks. To make it harder, some Jigsaws even have a different picture than the picture on the box. Some jigsaws have no borders, others have pieces missing, some are small 500 pieces, and some are large 3000 pieces. Our chippy (station carpenter) made us a custom table for jigsaw. The Jigsaws are an excellent way to relax, and no Jigsaw is safe here at Mawson; they will all be pieced together.

Scott (Mawson Instrument Electrician)

Two men in brightly coloured shirts are standing next to a golf cart on an ice covered harbour
A man in a brightly coloured shirt is about to hit a yellow golf ball. He is standing on snow covered ice and there are tall aerials in the background
A man is standing on an ice covered landscape holding a golf club.
A man in overalls and a brightly coloured shirt has taken a swing at a red golf ball and missed. He is standing on an ice covered landscape.
A man in tan overalls and beanie is about to hit a pink golf ball with a golf club. He is standing on an ice covered landscape.
Three men are smiling at the camera. Just behind them are a number of large emperor penguins and in the distance are large iceberg frozen into the sea ice and many more penguins.
A penguin chick is visible sitting on the feet of its parent. In the background another penguin is laying on the ice.
An emperor penguin chick is being cuddled by its parent. In the background are a large number of other emperor penguins.
Two adult emperor penguins are standing above an emperor penguin chick. In the background are a large number of other emperor penguins.
Two adult penguins and three emperor penguin chicks are gathered together.
A close up photo of an emperor penguin's head which is looking askew at the camera.
A large jigsaw puzzle of a town with canals is complete on a table.
A jigsaw puzzle of penguins is partly complete on a table.
A large jigsaw puzzle of a workshop with many flowers is complete on a table.
A large jigsaw puzzle of a waterfall is complete on a table however there are two pieces missing.
A large jigsaw puzzle of penguins diving into water from an iceberg is complete on a table.

Deep-field Traverse Team Away!

Conducting visits to the emperor penguin colonies in the region around Mawson is one of the contributions the winter team makes to the ongoing scientific study of these amazing birds. (And it is also just incredibly enjoyable, especially when the chicks begin wandering about on their own!) By taking photographs of the colonies at various stages of the breeding cycle, we can build a picture of how the colonies are coping – or not coping – with the changing climatic conditions. One of the furthest colonies that we regularly visit is at Fold Island, about 160km to our west over the sea ice. With plans made for a team to travel, we had to patiently await a suitable weather window to actually set out, and after nearly a week of delay, we got our chance.

Six expeditioners made up the team and, along with their trusty chariots (Hägglunds tracked vehicles) and pulling a sledge of extra supplies, they headed west. Recent snow had gathered in abundance among the rafted edges of the sea ice, and the going was slow, but after a couple of long days driving, they successfully made it and quickly located the colony.

While out, the team also conducted maintenance on our more remote field huts. The huts at Colbeck Island and the larger 'melon' at Ledingham Depot are only visited a few times each year and need to be carefully maintained so that they will be ready to provide shelter to those returning next winter. Replenishment of food and first aid supplies at the huts also helps ensure that if future trips were caught there by bad weather, they would have enough essentials to wait out even the longest of blizzards.

Another highlight of the trip for the team is the opportunity to stop in at Proclamation Point. This location on Cape Bruce is where Sir Douglas Mawson landed over 90 years ago and proclaimed sovereignty over the territory. With low clouds and snow falling, the team had to wait an additional day at Colbeck Island on the way back, but thankfully, the next day saw clearer skies and allowed a safe drive back to station. After a total of six days away from station, the team arrived back and were happily welcomed with directions to the showers and a specially prepared lasagne for dinner.

Cat (Mawson Station Leader)

A green Hägglunds vehicle is covered in snow and a heart has been drawn in the snow on the back. It is parked on an expanse of sea ice with large icebergs in the distance
A group of six men are standing in front of two Hägglunds vehicles smiling at the camera. In the background are a number of brightly coloured buildings, a satellite dome and a wind turbine.
Two Hägglunds vehicles with one pulling a sled are driving away over an ice covered harbour.
Three trays of sandwiches are on a bain-marie. Tongs are on each tray for service.
A zoomed out photograph of station buildings and an ice covered harbour. Just visible are a number of people playing golf on the ice.
A person is standing next to a golf cart on the edge an ice covered harbour. Two people are on the ice close to a golf flag.
A brightly coloured green and purple aurora is visible in the night sky above two large icebergs and a rocky island.
A brightly coloured green and purple aurora is visible in the night sky a bright yellow crane. In the background is an ice covered harbour.
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