Captain Morton Henry Moyes’ talk is called ‘With Mawson to the Antarctic’. It is a first-hand account by one of the surviving members of the expedition of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911–1914, headed by Douglas Mawson. This expedition explored the largely uncharted Antarctic coast due south of Australia, Mawson having been inspired to lead his own venture following his experiences on Ernest Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition in 1907–1909. During its time in Antarctica, the expedition’s sledging parties covered around 4,180 kilometres of unexplored territory, while its ship, SY Aurora, navigated 2,900 kilometres of unmapped coastline. The expedition was organised into three bases: one on the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and two on the Antarctic mainland. Activities at both mainland bases were hampered by extreme winds, which often made outside work impossible, but the expedition’s broad exploration program was impressive and laid the groundwork for Australia’s later territorial claims in Antarctica.
Recorded on 2nd August 1974.
Duration is 1 hour.
Note that photos and diagrams referred to in this address are not included in this audio-only podcast
