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Request further details or information.Mawson Centennial Expedition
Encouraged by the success of the 1908/09 Nimrod Expedition, and in particular his successful trip to the South Magnetic Pole, Douglas Mawson planned to lead his own expedition to explore the Antarctic coastline directly south of Australia. The Australasian Antarctic Expedition sailed from Hobart on 2nd December 1911.
The Expedition made a brief stop at Macquarie Island to establish a radio base and then continued south making landfall at Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay. Unbeknown to Mawson and his men they had discovered the windiest place on the planet, renowned as the ‘home of the blizzard’. Tragedy struck the expedition when Ninnis and Mertz died. Mawson cheated death on more than one occasion and had to spend another winter because he arrived back after their relief ship had sailed. We hope for weather that will allow us to land at Cape Denison to visit and photograph Mawson’s Hut and enjoy the beauty of this seldom visited part of Antarctica.
The French maintain a base west of Commonwealth Bay near the spot where the French Explorer Dumont d’Urville landed in January 1840.
The Expedition made a brief stop at Macquarie Island to establish a radio base and then continued south making landfall at Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay. Unbeknown to Mawson and his men they had discovered the windiest place on the planet, renowned as the ‘home of the blizzard’. Tragedy struck the expedition when Ninnis and Mertz died. Mawson cheated death on more than one occasion and had to spend another winter because he arrived back after their relief ship had sailed. We hope for weather that will allow us to land at Cape Denison to visit and photograph Mawson’s Hut and enjoy the beauty of this seldom visited part of Antarctica.
The French maintain a base west of Commonwealth Bay near the spot where the French Explorer Dumont d’Urville landed in January 1840.
Departures
Mawson Centennial Expedition itinerary:
Day 1: Hobart
Arrive at the historic city of Hobart, Australia and settle into your central hotel. Enjoy evening celebrations and dinner with your fellow voyagers to commemorate the Centennial of Sir Douglas Mawson’s departure from this famous port.
Day 2: Port of Hobart
Take breakfast at your leisure before boarding the complimentary transport that will take you to the port. There you will we welcomed onboard the Spirit of Enderby by the Captain and Expedition Staff.
Days 3 - 5: At Sea
Mawson’s ship signalled “Goodbye, all snug onboard” as it set sail into the dark waters of the Southern Ocean – we sail to Macquarie Island on the same route. On the way, we should spot many pelagic species including Wandering Albatross, shearwaters and petrels; we may even be lucky enough to see the Antarctic Prion wheeling in the wind.
Days 6 and 7: Macquarie Island
This remote, rocky outpost in the middle of the roaring westerly winds supports one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Southern Hemisphere. Four species of penguins breed here including the endemic Royal Penguin and King and Rockhopper Penguins breed in their thousands. Mawson’s party established a base here to relay radio messages from Antarctica to Australia. The only humans remaining are scientific researchers but the wildlife populations remain almost the same as a hundred years ago. We will visit these vast penguin colonies, meet with the scientists and Park Rangers and also observe the thousands of Elephant Seals along the beaches.
Days 8 – 10: At Sea
As we plough our way across the tumultuous Southern Ocean towards East Antarctica, there will be many opportunities to view pelagic species. We will be logging the location of the various albatross, petrels, and prions that we see and will be keeping a keen lookout for marine mammals. Staff will prepare us for our time in the Antarctic with informal lectures and discussions, or you can relax in the ship’s bar and well-stocked library.
Days 11 – 17: East Antarctic
Our first stop on the remote East Antarctic coastline is Cape Denison, now notoriously known as the ‘home of the blizzard’ (from the title of Mawson’s memoir). Mawson’s original expedition hut built 100 years ago still stands, although ravaged by extremes of weather. Recent restoration work means that we can enter the hut and “experience” it in a special way on this centennial expedition. This coastline is one of the first areas of the Antarctic Continent to become free of ice each year and as a result wildlife is abundant, with Adelie Penguins, Snow Petrels and Wilson’s Storm Petrels both on the continent and on many of the offshore islands. We make a special effort to land at these sites to view the birds up close. West of Cape Denison are the Petrel Islands, the landing place of 18th century French explorer Dumont d’Urville and the site of the modern French scientific base. Nearby there is an Emperor Penguin colony - they are a winter breeder but some birds may still be present.
Days 18 – 21: At Sea
After departing the spectacular icebound majesty of Antarctica we have some quieter time at sea to recover from the long daylight hours of the southern high latitudes . Take in lectures on various aspects of the Southern Ocean, take advantage of the ship’s amenities or catch up on your reading. Join us on the bridge, where we keep a keen lookout for whales and the seabirds of the region.
Days 22 and 23: Campbell Island
We drop anchor in Perseverance Harbour, site of a former Meteorological Station. We land and can either take an easy walk to the nesting site of the Southern Royal Albatross and see the strange and beautiful ‘mega herbs’ at Col Lyall ridge or enjoy a longer walk across the Island to North West Bay, encountering Albatross along the way. We explore the upper reaches of Perseverance Harbour by Zodiac, visiting a number of historic sites or scramble up Mt Honey, the highest peak on the Island.
Day 24: Auckland Islands – Carnley Harbour
Characterised by towering cliffs and rugged sea stacks, the Auckland Islands have borne witness to many a shipwreck in days gone by; rich in history, they harbour tales of bullion and coastwatchers. We land in Carnley Harbour to visit some of these sites or, if the weather is suitable, climb to a Shy Mollymawk colony and nests of the beautiful Wandering Albatross amongst the tussock.
Day 25: Auckland Islands -. Enderby Island
Named for the same distinguished shipping family as our own vessel and one of the most beautiful in the group - if not the world- this is a great wildlife location and a chance to see everything from the famous Southern Royal Albatross and Northern Giant Petrel to the endemic shag, teal and snipe. Other birds include parakeets, bellbirds, tomtits, tui and possibly the New Zealand Falcon. Sandy Bay is a fine breeding ground for the rare Hooker’s Sea Lion - it will be a day to remember.
Day 26: Snares Islands
North East Island is the largest of the Snares and, staggeringly, this one island is home to more nesting seabirds than all of the British Isles together. Zodiac cruising the sheltered bays we should see Snares Crested Penguins, Cape Petrel and Buller’s Albatross among the imposing cliffs. Other wildlife will include Antarctic Terns, White-fronted Terns and Red-billed Gulls and we are also likely to encounter New Zealand Fur Seals hauled out on the rocky shoreline.
Day 27: Port of Bluff, New Zealand
When Douglas Mawson returned to Australia from his harrowing expedition he noted “the welcome home...the hand-grips of many friends--it chokes me--it cannot be uttered!” We arrive, less dramatically, at the port of Bluff, famous for its delicate oysters, and bid fond farewell to our fellow voyagers, to enjoy a transfer to your hotel or to the airport.
Spirit of Enderby
The 'Spirit of Enderby' is perfect for Expedition Travel. The real focus and emphasis of every expedition is getting you ashore as often as possible for as long as possible with maximum safety and comfort.
It carries just 48 passengers in very comfortable accommodation (refurbished in New Zealand Nov '04). The cuisine is excellent and is prepared by top NZ and Australian chefs.
Our Expeditions are accompanied by some of the most experienced naturalists and guides, who have devoted a lifetime to field research in the areas that we visit. The ship is crewed by a very enthusiastic and most experienced Russian Capitan and crew.
The 'Spirit of Enderby' measures 72 metres in length and is fully ice-strengthened. Powered by two 1,560 horse power diesel engines. It is capable of speeds of up to 12 knots. What makes this Expedition Vessel absolutely unique is the equipment we carry including:
a) our fleet of RIB’s, (rigid inflatable boats) sometimes referred to as zodiacs. These extremely safe and stable craft will land you at some of the most amazing places.
b) Our specially designed and built Hovercraft (2) give us unprecedented over ice capability in Antarctica allowing us to land in places that are inaccessible to other ships.
The name 'Spirit of Enderby' honours the work and the vision of the Enderby Brothers of London. The Enderby Captains were at the forefront of Antarctic exploration for almost 40 years in the early 1800’s. It also celebrates Enderby Island, arguably the greatest Subantarctic Island in the world.
Technical description:
- Classification: Russian register KM ice class
- Year built: 1984
- Accommodation: 50 berths expedition
- Shipyard: Finland
- Main engines: power 2x1560 bhp (2x 1147 Kw)
- Register: Russia
- Maximum speed: 12 knots (2 engines),
- Cruising speed: 10 knots(one engine)
- Bunker capacity: 320 tons
