Exploring an Abandoned Antarctic Station: Wilks Station.

Today a few of us are lucky enough to head “Off Station” on what we call a Jolly, (recreation time off station). We jump in the IRB’s and head across the bay to the abandoned Wilks Station. Wilks was originally established by the U.S. on the on the 29th of January 1957 then handed over to Australia on the 7th of February 1959. Australia used the station until 1969 when the new Casey Station was occupied.

Once at Wilks we make the walk through the ruins of this unique part of Australia’s Antarctic heritage. You can see so many buildings completely buried in ice and snow, with just their roofs peaking through the surface. It was amazing to think that there used to be a complete working station here, now hidden below years of snow. We make it the hut that will be our home for the night, the famous Wilks Hilton. Its an old Transmitter hut and now acts as one of the favourite recreation huts for expeditioner’s from Casey. The hut oozes character and charm of yesteryear. We settle in and head out to explore the station.

The Boys at the Wilks Hilton

Abandoned Buildings covered in snow and ice.

Machinery Left Behind

I could easily spends days walking around these old remains, it was just incredible to see parts of buildings that used to house expeditions back in the early days of Antarctic Research. It gave me a little insight into what it might of been like here back in the 60’s. Now days we have WiFi, phones, Radio comms back to Australia, ducted heating, we even have a spa. These expeditions back in the 60’s were made of much tougher fibre then any of us.

Supplies left behind at Wilks

After many hours of exploring and deep discussions with my mates about how it might of been like to be here we sit down to watch the sunset over Casey. I had another Antarctic moment on that rocky outcrop. I am sitting here, at an Abandoned Research Station in Antarctica, watching the sunset. How did I get here? How did a this bloke from the Girrawheen end up working as en Electrician in Antarctica?

Shane at Wilks Station, Antarctica

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The best sunset I have ever seen.

One Life, One Search,

Peace Out,

Shane.

Two Days In The Kombi.

My NOT so little project is starting to take shape now. I’ve had this bus for a few years now and have always been tinkering with her. Lately I have stepped it up a notch in hoping that I will take her on one BIG adventure soon.

Lately I have had her engine repaired, she now has a new cam, her carbies have been re-built, I have had some pretty sick White Wall Tyres put on her and now have painted the rims black. Inside I have been hard at work putting some recycled cupboards in, my wife Kristy has made up some of the coolest curtains and the other week I have had a new Pop-Top fitted. We have also given the inside a coat of paint.

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Riding In Hagglunds: Antarctica.

I wake early to watch the sunrise over Wilkins Runway. Its 4:30am and around -10c, However it is all worth it. As I watch that sun peak over the horizon, reflecting off millions of ice crystals, I take a moment. A moment to really see where I am, How lucky I am to be here, to be here in Antarctica.

Antarctic Sunrise: Wilkins Runway.

Wilkins Runway is built on approx. 500m of solid Glacial Ice which moves up to 15 meters a year and is the gate way to Australia’s Antarctic Programs Casey Station.

Today we return to Casey after spending a week conducting maintenance at the remote airfield.  The return trip is only 90km but can take up to 4hrs. It is a long, rough ride in one of the coolest vehicles in the World, a Hagglund. 1hr into the trip we reach the edge of the Antarctic Circle.

The very unique sign creates an incredible photo opportunity and the back drop, well that just takes your breath away. Here you get a real sense of how remote you really are, how vast the frozen continent is.

One incredible Sign

5 Days later at the Antarctic circle.

Back in the Haggs, we start the descent off the plateau, making our way back to Casey. We pass over some blue ice, taking care not to slip or slide on the super slippery blue is Joe expertly navigates the hazard.

You never know what you will see up here, this time we spot an old 44 gallon drum. The drum is an old Way Point that has surfaced, who knows where it has come from.

Descending further down the plateau you feel the temperture rise, as it gets warmer we notice snow and ice melts. Even in this All Terrain Vehicle these need to be negotiated carefully.

We cross a few of these melt streams and begin to hear radio chatter, we are close to home now. We make our wat through Penguin Pass and get our first view of the aptly named “Red Shed” where all the Caseyites live. We “Call In” to Casey Comms and are welcomed back by Tina the Comms Operator.

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One Life, One Search,

Peace Out,

Shane.

Antarctica: Casey Station, Re-Supply 2014

The yearly Casey Re-Supply is the most chaotic and busy time at the Australian Antarctic Program’s Casey Station. We have a week to completely re-stock the station with Fuel, food, parts needed for repairs and to send any scientific research projects back to Australia as well as receiving anything to do with this years projects. It is the only time in the summer season that the crew work 24hrs a day. Everyone is working super hard and doing tasks outside of their usual role on station. I am an electrician and I was driving the big old Mack Truck.

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Survival Training: Antarctica.

The time has come, I am both excited and a little nervous about the next two days. Every expeditioner needs to complete and show their competence in all aspects of survival training. This includes everything from organising your expedition paper work through to plotting your course using maps and compasses.

Survival Training: Casey Station

As our training day approaches we are informed by the Meteorology team that the weather is turning bad and a blizzard is possible. We carry on planning our training day and decide as a group to go a head. I must admit I am a little nervous about spending 24hrs out in this weather, but at the same time I am well aware how much of a unique experience this will be. Everyone down there needs to complete survival training, but so far everyone has had perfect weather.

Survival Training, Antarctica.

Survival Training, Antarctica: Feeling The Chill

We have completed all our paper work, collected all our gear and we are ready to head out. We make our very first call in to Casey Communications, explain our intentions and off we head towards Shirley Island. We need to follow the approved walking route which winds its way through a rocky valley. We have a few marked GPS Way points on our maps, which we use to navigate ourselves through this area. I soon realised that this was going to be a challenge. We constantly refer to our maps and compasses, but it so windy. Every time I remove my map from my jacket it almost blows away.

Radioing In

We reach the sea ice and call Casey Communications. To walk on ice we need know how thick it is and the only way to do that is to drill the ice. So we grab our Sea Ice Drill and set it all up. We learn a bit about sea ice, how to tell if it is good ice, how thick it is and how saturated it is. As we finish drilling we are visited by group inquisitive Adelie Penguins. It was incredible, they came right up to us and spent a good 10 minutes just chilling and checking us out, until they get bored and return to their colony.

Adelie Penguins, Shirley Island, Antarctica

As we reach Shirley Island we have another training drill. We set up a survival shelter called a Mega Bivvy. A bivvy is a bag that you can use in a survival situation. They are way to escape from the wind, they are super light and easy to set up even in strong winds. We all jump in the Mega Bivvy and call in to Casey Communications. We watch and listen to the weather getting worse and decide its time to head to our next location, The Wharf. Here we will learn how to use the camp stoves and how to set up our personal bivvy bags and where we’ll be spending the night.

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One Life, One Search,

Peace Out,

Shane.

Stand By Me, The Meltdowns: Antarctica.

The Casey Winter Crew of 2013-2014 are about to head back home to Australia, so to send them off with a bang, the new incoming crew assemble a band and quickly put together a show for them. I would like to present to you “The Meltdowns”.

After a superb formal dinner prepared for us by the Casey Chief’s Eddie and Gareth, we were treated to a live performance of a bunch of great songs. Here is Stand By Me sung by Greg.

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NASA Base in Antarctica

Today we are invited out to see a very cool place, somewhere I would never have though that I would see, let alone see in Antarctica. We are invited to visit the NASA base situated on the sea ice out from McMurdo Station.

We arrive at the NASA base and I look around, I can see a few very tall sheds and few make shift “Nissans” these Dome style huts, and the huge Mount Erebus. We are guided inside and given a brief induction to the site. Then we head off in groups for a tour of the facility.

Antarctica, NASA Base.

NASA. Antarctica

I wont pretend to completely understand what these scientist were doing, I will let the video speak for it self. I will just say that in my non scientific understanding these scientist were looking for Neutrinos, which are the most tiny quantity, or particle ever imagined by a human being. They are also looking to figure out what happened in the first seconds after the big bang.

I hope you enjoy the short film from my visit to NASA. Do you know about Neutrinos or are you a scientist that is looking into the very beginning of our world? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Maybe you could explain it all to me?

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One Life, One Search,

Peace Out,

Shane.

Exploring the Pressure Ridges: Antarctica

Today we are invited by the Kiwi’s to visit the incredibly beautiful and absolutely amazing Pressure Ridge Field right next to New Zealand’s Scott  Base. Scott Base was named after Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Royal Navy. Captan Scott lead two expeditions to the Ross Sea region of Antarctica.

Scott Base, Antarctica

Scott Base is located at Pram Point on the Ross Island near the most active volcano in Antarctica, and the location of the 1979 Air New Zealand disaster where Flight 901, a DC-10 crashed instantly killing all 257 people on board.

As we walk towards Scott base we get our first view of the pressure ridge field. From our high vantage point I am unaware of the size of these ice formations but I can see that they extend in a wave like form from where the sea ice of the Ross Ice Shelf in McMurdo Sound meets the shore line. We meet at the Kiwi base recreation office and receive instructions to follow our Field Training Officers (FTO) every step. We are briefed on the dangers of the field and what to expect to see. Stay between the flags, do not stray from the marked paths, keep away from the black flags and do not approach the seals. So with our ice picks and cameras in hand we wander into the extraordinary Pressure Ridge Field.

The first thing I notice is that it is much colder out here. This quickly makes sense, we are standing on frozen sea water, there are no hills around us to stop the wind and we are in Antarctica! I quickly cover up any exposed skin and start taking heaps of photos and video. I soon realise that my camera gear is really struggling with the cold and my batteries are going flat very quickly.

Scott Base Pressure Ridge Field.

The Pressure Ridges develop here because the McMurdo Ice Shelf is pushing and squeezing the sea ice against the Hut Point Peninsula. The ice cracks, forcing these jagged pieces of ice to push up and forming these very interesting formations.

Scott Base Pressure Ridge Field.

Ice Blues

We approach our first giant piece of jagged ice towering out of the sea ice, it has all these shades of deep blues through it. The sun reflex the ice crystals it is just magnificent to see. I never new there were so many different shades of blue. I continue being completely overwhelmed that I am not only here in Antarctica, but that I am getting to see all these incredible places and having all these incredible experiences. I look up at this point and I can see Mt Erebus, with some smoke coming from the crater, I can see the Wind Turbines spinning, I can see the mountain ridge on the other side of McMurdo Sound, I can see Scott Base and I can see this vast expanse of sea ice, extending right to the horizon.

Vast Expanse of Ross Ice Shelf

Soon we reach the seals, We had been informed that there were a few Weddel Seals hanging out and that one just had a pup. We couldn’t get to close to these incredible creatures, but it was pretty amazing to see these massive animals this close in the wildest of wild places. They lay still, almost just chilling out, catching the antarctic sun, only moving to have a scratch or to see what all the fuss is about. They choose to hang out here as they are safe to pup, away from Predators such as Killer Whales and Leopard Seals.

As we exit the field and are about to walk back onto land I see my very first crevasse, be it only a very little one. It was pretty cool to look down a crack in the ice and not really see the bottom. These can be huge and are very dangerous. They can easily be covered by a snow bridge, completely covering the fact that they are there. I eye opener to what I will need to be aware of whilst I am in this wild continent.

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One Life, One Search,

Peace Out,

Shane,

Hiking Observation Hill: Antarctica.

Its early morning and we learn that we will be stuck in McMurdo for another day, so we decide to hike up to the top of Observation Hill. Ob Hill as the Americans call it is a 45min hike, up a slippery slope from McMurdo Station. I chuck all my camera gear in my bag, chuck on some warm clothes and hit the trail.

We reach the first clearing and I see a plaque, I wander over a get a pretty massive shock. This is the location of the only nuclear power plant to have been operated in Antarctica. I didn’t even know there had been one down there. I learn that it was built in January/ February of 1962 and run until September of 1972, being decommissioned in 1979, producing 1800kW.

The only Nuclear Power Plant to have operated in Antarctica

The one and only Nt Erebus

We reach the summit of Ob Hill and are treated to a pretty impressive view over McMurdo, Scott Base and Mt Erebus, the second highest volcano and the most active in Antarctica. I took a moment up here to attempt to take it all in. I was standing on top of hill, looking out over this vast expanse of frozen land, I couldn’t believe that I was here, that I was in Antarctica. This is going to be one hell of an adventure.

We make it to the top

That night we make the walk over to Scott Base to have a few drinks with our Kiwi friends at the American Night. A bunch of the Americans make the trek over and spend the afternoon mingling with there neighbours.

Visiting the Kiwi’s

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One Life, One Search,

Peace Out,

Shane.