Thread: Antarctica and Tractors

But the Volkswagen was not the first car in Antarctica!
This car was brought with Shackleton.

Ref; [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod_Expedition"]Nimrod Expedition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

The British Antarctic Expedition 1907–09, otherwise known as the Nimrod Expedition, was the first of three expeditions to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton.



For use with the Nimrod 1907 -09 Expedition in King George V land for a try at travelling to the pole and was instead tried at their landing site at Cape Royds, Ross Island, Antarctica, where the expedition built their hut and spent the 1908 winter.



Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds, Ross Island, Antarctica, showing the stables and garage, photographed 1907-1909 by an unknown photographer. The expedition's Arroll-Johnston motor car may be seen inside the garage. © Alexander Turnbull Library







Ref; Antarctica 1 Volkswagen Gallery






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Typical! Aussies get to Antarctica and build a bungalow with attached garage. Did they call it "Emoh Ruo" and have a statue with an Aboriginal out the front as well?

I think that's a Hills Hoist out the back, but the photo is a bit blurry.

Ah, the old VW. Was somewhat of a success as it was not water cooled! It was used around Mawson station. There is a brief history Volkswagon - ANARE CLUB NSW

That wreck is above Mawson station. You see it in the crevasse field on base the the Rumdoodle landing site in the hills above Mawson. There's quite a story attached to its crash and subsequent destruction.

And the Walrus flying boat in the top pic at Heard Island - that's now in the Point Cook museum.

Wrinklearuthur - I'm glad that you are finding Antarctica fascinating. As a kid, I was always interested in the place and wanted to go adventuring there. In fact I was reserve to go on a ski expedition to the Pole about 15 years ago, but my services weren't required. I was then given (or put myself in a position to capitalise upon) an opportunity to fly in Antarctica for a living. There is such a fantastic history to the place that I find very rewarding and there are many incredible stories still to be told from that heroic age and shortly after.

A common saying there is that the first time you go south is for the Adventure. The second time is for the people you meet. And the third time is because you can't function anywhere else...!

But to put it more succinctly, a quote I read the other day:

"Antarctica will pierce you in the heart, and even if you don't come back, you will think about it off and on, probably for the rest of your life."

Originally Posted by stallie

... I was then given (or put myself in a position to capitalise upon) an opportunity to fly in Antarctica for a living.

Were you flying in Antarctica around Casey in 1998? Loved the jollies in the squirrels and the S76. I wintered 1998 at Casey.

Originally Posted by stallie

"Antarctica will pierce you in the heart, and even if you don't come back, you will think about it off and on, probably for the rest of your life."

I certainly do...

Originally Posted by stallie

Ah, the old VW. Was somewhat of a success as it was not water cooled! It was used around Mawson station. There is a brief history Volkswagon - ANARE CLUB NSW

Number three in 1971?

That wreck is above Mawson station. You see it in the crevasse field on base the the Rumdoodle landing site in the hills above Mawson. There's quite a story attached to its crash and subsequent destruction.

Maybe needed this sign to show the way home?

And the Walrus flying boat in the top pic at Heard Island - that's now in the Point Cook museum.

Ref; RAAF Museum: Tech Hangar: Supermarine Walrus



"RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia"

As a kid, I was always interested in the place and wanted to go adventuring there. ----- There is such a fantastic history to the place that I find very rewarding and there are many incredible stories still to be told from that heroic age and shortly after.

Likewise as a kid in the mid 1960's, I would spend hours in the high school library reading books, journals and magazines, about Antarctica and the latest exploits of the explorers of the day.
I cried when I read about Mrs Chippy, the cat who accompanied the carpenter Harry "Chippy" McNeish, when it became obvious the Endurance was doomed.



Ref; Purr-n-Fur UK | Mrs Chippy, of Shackleton's Endurance

"Towards the end the crew had to camp out on the ice in tents, while Shackleton planned what to do for the best. He eventually decided they would have to head for the nearest land, nearly 350 miles away. In order to have any chance of success, he told the men they would have to be quite ruthless in taking with them only what was absolutely essential — which would mean there would be no place for Mrs Chippy. His crew were entirely loyal to Shackleton and respected his judgement, and so the decision had to be made.

When the time came the biologist, Robert Clark, picked up Mrs Chippy and gave him an affectionate hug and stroke. One by one the crew members came to pay their respects with a caress, a stroke or a tickle under the chin; the cat had been their companion throughout all their adversity and a great source of comfort in their numerous hardships. Mrs Chippy, of course, loved all the attention and treated it as his due.

Mrs Chippy's demise

The final playing out of the sad tale is unclear, as authors tended not to dwell upon it. It seems that after the crew had paid their respects McNeish probably took the cat into his tent to say his goodbyes, when the steward Blackborow somehow rustled up a bowl of sardines — Mrs Chippy's favourite and a real treat. He ate them with obvious pleasure, then washed and stretched out for a good sleep, little knowing it was to be a never-ending one. It is possible that the sardines were laced with a sleep-inducing drug. Blackborow returned once to embrace the cat tightly, telling him how glad he was that they had been shipmates, and then left, moist-eyed."

But to put it more succinctly, a quote I read the other day:
"Antarctica will pierce you in the heart, and even if you don't come back, you will think about it off and on, probably for the rest of your life."

When I wintered over at Casey in 1998 we had a couple of 4x4 on base. All hiluxes. The common wisdom held that the 4x4's had to be parked up during the winter. Basically meaning to drop coolant and oils and leave it parked - no use in winter. Only tracked vehicles etc for winter.

I used this ute a lot in the summer months and come time to park it up I didnt want to. Took responsibility. Was told I am a fool, damage comes out of my pocket, and the first good bliz will see the engine bay turn into a solid block of ice.

Well they were partially right. The first bliz did fill the entire engine bay with hard packed snow that froze solid.

It took all day and some of the night with an industrial diesel fuelled heater to melt the ice out of the engine bay and get it to start again. Only the starter relay failed.

What intrigued me when I first opened the bonnet after the bliz was the perfect impression of the underside of the bonnet on the top of the ice in the engine bay. Seems the snow blew in as fine dust through the radiator, and up from below and started to collect when it hit the underside of the bonnet, building up from the top down....

...so what would happen if there were no bonnet? Took it off. After the next bliz, days of high winds and driven snow - I went out to inspect and there was just a fine dusting of powder snow on the fanbelt and fan. Took just moments with a gloved hand to brush clear... and the ute started. We used that ute right through winter. The hard winter frozen snow/ice were perfect to drive on with a 4x4.

Eventually the head "dieso" (mechanic) decided to dig out another ute and take off the bonnet... very useful vehicles even in mid winter.

All the tracked vehicles will rupture your kidneys if you try go fast over rough stuff. The 4x4s took it much more comfortably.

In the previous post I mentioned bliz getting into an engine bay and the neat impression of the underside of the bonnet that presented when I opened it.

Something similar here. We normally park vehicles facing east at Casey, as 99% of all bliz winds blow from the east. When a vehicle is head to the wind less bliz manages to get inside vehicles.

We had an odd bliz that didnt blow from the east and you can see how the bliz got in via any crevice it could find... You can see clearly the way it packed up against the door in this shot - a nice clear moulding of the inside of the door seen in the snow.

I had my 39th birthday the year I wintered at Casey. As a birthday treat the gang organised a "berg cruise". As the sea was frozen we did the berg cruise on quads and skidoos, not in boats.

We spotted a cavern in the side of this huge berg.... the series of shots below tell the story... I went inside... it was amazing.