My New Years Eve (pics)

[Frenchie]

Midnight Berg cruise..... :cool:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2799.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2829.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2873.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2895.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2963.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP3007.jpg

[LandyAndy]

Awesome pics Tony.
Thanks
Andrew

[mns488]

the old penguin party... how come you wern't in your tux as well? ;):D

looks good!

[Shonky]

Nice pics mate!

Having fun?

I would love to do a stint down there. :(

[p38arover]

Bastard! :mad:



















:D:D

Nice pics, Tony. I like the look of the single penguin. Was it checking you out?

[BMKal]

Stunning photos mate.

[DiscoTDI]

Wow:eek:

[dmdigital]

Fantastic! Please post more shots.



What exactly did you do to that lone penguin to make its eyes bulge like that:eek:

[Frenchie]

Fantastic! Please post more shots.

What exactly did you do to that lone penguin to make its eyes bulge like that:eek:

Got a bit too close to it, accidentally of course...;)

You asked for it... from a walk I did recently

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2730.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/DSC_0059.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2628.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2704.jpg

[LandyAndy]

Thanks Tony
I just learnt something new,having only ever seen "ice" pics from Antartica I thought it was all ice,didnt realise they had rocks and dirt too.
Andrew

[Frenchie]

Thanks Tony
I just learnt something new,having only ever seen "ice" pics from Antartica I thought it was all ice,didnt realise they had rocks and dirt too.
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

yes, one of the things I love about Davis is that it is in the Vestfold Hills which is a 400sq.km. ice free area of hills, fjords, freshwater lakes, saline lakes and hyper-saline lakes. It's one of the largest ice free areas down here, after the Dry Valleys near McMurdo. There are several field huts sprinkled about so you can just strap on your boots and go for a multi-day walk. Deep Lake is hyper-saline and the surface is 50m below sea level. It never freezes and the water temp can fall below -15C in winter. Some more pics below of the Vestfolds from the air, Deep Lake and Trajer Ridge, one of my favourite places.

Cheers Tony


Trajer Ridge:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2347.jpg

The plateau in the background (start of the proper ice cap)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2334.jpg

Deep Lake

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2202.jpg

Vestfolds up near the plateau

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2278.jpg

Vestfolds from the air

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP2154.jpg


.

[Bundalene]

Amazing photos Frenchie, thanks for sharing them.

Our daughter Sharon sailed from Ushuaia to Cape Town a few years ago on the Barque "Europa" for 53 days through Antarctica and the photos she came back with were truly amazing.

The penguins, whales and birds AND the icebergs and lansdcape pics were quite unbelievable - it looked almost like another world.

Thanks again for the great photos!

Mrs B

[easo]

Brilliant stuff.

[Frenchie]

Was out helping some of the bios with water sampling in the lakes the other day near an Adelie colony when this little fellow came for a look, they are very curious:


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[numpty]

Thanks for sharing. Lovely pics and I am very jealous.

[Blknight.aus]

ok, how do you go about getting job down there?

[Cap]

Great photos Tony, so clear it feels like one is there. I have a number of places listed to see before I die, and thats one of them.

Thanks for sharing.

[Tombie]

Was out helping some of the bios with water sampling in the lakes the other day near an Adelie colony when this little fellow came for a look, they are very curious:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP3117.jpg


Fantastic Pic!

[Chucaro]

Superb images of an awesome landscaping.
Thank you for sharing.
I agree with Tombie2 the image of the penguin is technically very good with excellent exposure control :clap2:

[Slunnie]

Do companies run tours down there. I chatted to a fellow on a course I was doing who runs expeditions to the poles, he was saying that they were like $20k+ type thing, but it would just be an adventure of a lifetime!

[Frenchie]

ok, how do you go about getting job down there?

Easy, have a look here:

Australian Antarctic Division - AAp Recruitment 2009-10 (http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=23915)

;)

If you like penguins........
(and if anyone is really interested most of my good pics are at:
baldrick110/Antarctic - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/) )

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP1889.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v635/baldrick110/Antarctic/IMGP1878.jpg

[Frenchie]

Do companies run tours down there. I chatted to a fellow on a course I was doing who runs expeditions to the poles, he was saying that they were like $20k+ type thing, but it would just be an adventure of a lifetime!

There are plenty of tours that run to the Peninsula from South America, from about US$8k I think. The one I would really like to do goes to the Ross Sea from Hobart and ends up in NZ, visiting some of the old explorer's huts, Mt Erebus etc and some proper icebreaking too. That is about US$25k. :(

[Slunnie]

There are plenty of tours that run to the Peninsula from South America, from about US$8k I think. The one I would really like to do goes to the Ross Sea from Hobart and ends up in NZ, visiting some of the old explorer's huts, Mt Erebus etc and some proper icebreaking too. That is about US$25k. :(
Thanks for that Frenchie, it just looks like such an interesting place to visit.

One day!

Do yo find it difficult from an internal clock perspective with 24hr days?

[CowsGoMoo]

Fantastic pics. Are you allowed to use a flash? I was just thinking a very very small amout of flash would put catch lights in their eyes and really make them stand out. Dial the flash right back, I'd imagine the birds are pretty reflective. Of course flashing them might be frowned upon. Might send them into crazed killing frenzys or something... :twisted:

I know they run varous photograpic trips down there from time to time. The "best" (i.e. $$$$) hire a small ship and have 60 or so paying customers. Some of them leave from Argentina I think. The cost of getting there must be added.

The Luminous Landscape (The Luminous Landscape (http://www.luminous-landscape.com)) did a tour in Dec 2005. Bit of a write up can be found here - Antarctic Archive (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/locations/antarctic-archive.shtml)

The 2009 trip looks like it's on now. This is how to do it in style..

Antarctic Expedition 2009 (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/workshops/antarctica-2009.shtml)

I'd love to do one of these one day.

[Frenchie]

Do companies run tours down there. I chatted to a fellow on a course I was doing who runs expeditions to the poles, he was saying that they were like $20k+ type thing, but it would just be an adventure of a lifetime!

That wasn't Eric Philips was it? He is here at the moment, he runs expeditions to the poles, costs about $25k to the north pole (flying to 88N and walking the last bit, but you have to get yourself to Spitzbergen) and about $40k to the south pole. US dollars of course!

[Slunnie]

That wasn't Eric Philips was it? He is here at the moment, he runs expeditions to the poles, costs about $25k to the north pole (flying to 88N and walking the last bit, but you have to get yourself to Spitzbergen) and about $40k to the south pole. US dollars of course!
I'm almost certain thats the man! Jeez its such a small world. We did a Wilderness 1st aid course together a few years ago at Mt Victoria in the Blue mountains. Say hi to him from Murph, Scott and Simon from The Kings School. He is absolutely fascinating to listen to and a nice fellow also. I was just so envious of his expeditions (although it sounded like there are no guarantees!) and ever since then have really wanted to get down there and hike to the pole. Seeing all your pictures and reading of your experiences just makes me soooooo green with envy, although I'd prefer to do it at a challenge and journey to enjoy the place and the sites.

I still recall vividly him telling us about when they were trekking and a US sub broke through the ice just near them - they've wondered over and the ice cracked between themselves and their equipment. Likewise another time they were doing some filming where they set the camera down on the ice to film themselves walking towards it, and it wasn't until they were watching it later that they realised the whole surface was rippling as they walked on it! He was also saying that some of it is very fluid, and the GPS ref that you go to sleep at isn't necessarily where you wake up!

[Dmmos]

Amazing pictures...

Be serious though, the penguin in the 3rd pic (1st post) looks like it's straight out of Happy Feet :p

[DirtyDawg]

Looking at those pics Tony I turned my aircon down to 18 deg to get in the mood from the sweltering 35 something outside....
Take care and enjoy the rest of your trip.......need a pic of a Leopard Seal..up close:p

[mojo]

Great pics mate, thanks.

[CraigE]

Awesome pics.One place I would love to visit.

[Handbrake hates Camping]

Awesome pics and an awesome place.... what job are you doing down there? I was looking at the jobs available and some sound very interesting.

Doc