79th ANARE expeditioners take the helm at Mawson research station
It doesn’t seem that long ago that our crew of 19 wintering expeditioners said goodbye to Tasmanian shores, but time has since passed very quickly. We boarded RSV Nuyina back on Thursday 12th February – full of trepidation around leaving family/friends and civilisation as we knew it… while wondering if an extra supply of vomit bags would be required for our polar voyage. The Southern Ocean is renowned for being the wildest and roughest body of water on the planet, so there were no surprises when many of the team stocked up on sea sickness tablets prior to boarding. Conditions were forgiving however, and Nuyina rode the seas comfortably – a bit of a disappointment for some adventure seekers while others counted their lucky stars.
Our 13-day transit proved to present many surreal treats along the way, including: sighting of the first iceberg, the first dolphin/whale/orca, penguins and/or seals on ice floes, spectacular sunsets and vibrant auroras. We had to remind ourselves that we were getting paid to do this - but somebody’s got to do it right? As we negotiated stubborn pack ice to forge a path to our new home, terra firma eventually appeared in the distance, characterised by mountainous peaks synonymous with Mawson’s landscape. Drawing closer, high local winds combined with blown snow generated an eerie mask over the station – only a turning wind turbine could be seen protruding above this bleak haze. We staged overnight and disembarked for station the following day, welcomed by beautiful blue skies and sunny conditions.
The weather that day (which is uncharacteristic for Mawson) lasted for the entirety of our station resupply and refuel. In the 10 days that followed, we accomplished a full handover from outgoing to incoming expeditioners, pumping 420,500 litres of Special Antarctic Blend (or SAB) diesel from the ship into Mawson’s bulk fuel tanks, and processing 275 and 310 tonnes of incoming and Return to Australia (or RTA) cargo respectively. A significant achievement with accolades deservedly directed at the 78th (outgoing) wintering team, alongside Nuyina crew and small boat operators for facilitating this success.
Of course, once the ship departed on 7th March, it was time for Mawson to turn up the weather dial and remind our crew that winds and whiteouts are an ever-present part of living here. For some new to the game, 75 knot wind-gusts were eagerly anticipated, while other (more experienced) tradies wondered what site-service alarms or emergency call-outs would be triggered by this climactic bashing.
The weather receded in a few days, leaving us to focus on settling into our winter season as per our station motto: “Isolated. Not Alone. Together.”
Nuyina arriving at the front of a wind-blown and masked Mawson Station
Video transcript
Nuyina arriving at the front of a wind-blown and hazy Mawson Station, with the wind turbine visible but remainder of station hidden.
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