Antarctic Expedition during the summer of 2007/08 Part 3 - V4 the long voyage home

Cruising through the pack ice - a spectacular iceberg viewed from the stern of the Aurora Australis - 14th February 2008

Close up of one end of a large tabular iceberg - 14th February 2008

Cruising past a large tabular iceberg - 14th February 2008

Cruising through a stunning field of icebergs - 14th February 2008

Cruising through the icebergs after leaving Casey - 14th February 2008

Early in the day after leaving Casey we passed a very large tabular iceberg - 15th February 2008

Cruising through mostly open waters over a couple of days - This was an iceberg we passed during this day - 17th February 2008

Cruising through mostly open waters over a couple of days - This was another iceberg we passed during this day - 17th February 2008

Cruising through mostly open waters over a couple of days - This was another iceberg we passed during this day - 17th February 2008

Cruising through mostly open waters over a couple of days - As the weather deteriorated this was another iceberg we passed during this day - 17th February 2008

Cruising through mostly open waters over a couple of days - As the weather deteriorated this was another iceberg with a seabird we passed during this day - 17th February 2008

Cruising through the pack ice on day 5 out of Casey - 18th February 2008

Day 5 out of Casey we turned SSW towards Davis - late morning we passed this amazing jade iceberg on our starboard side - 18th February 2008

Day 5 out of Casey we turned SSW towards Davis - late morning we passed this amazing jade iceberg on our starboard side - 18th February 2008

Day 5 out of Casey we turned SSW towards Davis - late morning we passed this amazing jade iceberg on our starboard side - 18th February 2008

Day 5 out of Casey we passed this stunning iceberg late in the afternoon - 18th February 2008

Day 6 out of Casey - travelling through iceberg alley approaching Davis in the early evening - 19th February 2008

Passing through iceberg alley in the early evening, very near Davis Station - 19th February 2008

Stunning iceberg with a solitary Emperor penguin near Davis Station - 19th February 2008

Stunning iceberg with a solitary Emperor penguin near Davis Station - 19th February 2008

Stunning iceberg with a solitary Emperor penguin near Davis Station - 19th February 2008

The right side of a stunning iceberg that has a solitary Emperor penguin on a shelf on the left side - very near Davis Station - 19th February 2008

Stunning iceberg with a solitary Emperor penguin near Davis Station - 19th February 2008

Passing many icebergs as we approach Davis Station - spot the 2 Adélie penguins - 19th February 2008

A group of Adélie penguins on the iceberg beach, near Davis Station - 19th February 2008

Icebergs, mostly grounded, nearing the anchorage off Davis Station - 19th February 2008

Approaching the anchorage spot between Gardiner and Anchorage Islands - 19th February 2008

Managed to get to the Station on a day trip, but the winds picked up in the afternoon, so we weren’t able to return to the AA - 20th February 2008

Local Elephant seal wallow at Davis Station. After the breeding season on the sub-Antarctic Islands the male elephant seals come ashore to moult - 20th February 2008

Local Elephant seal wallow at Davis Station. After the breeding season on the sub-Antarctic Islands the male elephant seals come ashore to moult - 20th February 2008

Local Elephant seal wallow at Davis Station. After the breeding season on the sub-Antarctic Islands the male elephant seals come ashore to moult - 20th February 2008

Local Elephant seal wallow at Davis Station. After the breeding season on the sub-Antarctic Islands the male elephant seals come ashore to moult - 20th February 2008

A walk along the coast to the north of the station - Anchorage Island can be seen in the background - 21st February 2008

A couple of juvenile Elephant seals practicing their fighting skills on the Davis beach - Day 4 at Davis, with the strong winds that have been blowing we have not been able to return to the AA - 23rd February 2008

we left Davis on the 23rd February. The next day we passed by 3 enormous tabular icebergs - this is the approach to the third one of these bergs - 24th February 2008

Cruising close by a huge tabular iceberg - 24th February 2008

Cruising close by a huge tabular iceberg - 24th February 2008

Cruising close by a huge tabular iceberg - 24th February 2008

Making our way through the fast ice towards Mawson Station - huge tabular iceberg stuck in the ice seems to have a Emperor penguin colony at it’s base - 27th February 2008

Making our way through the fast ice towards Mawson Station - huge tabular iceberg stuck in the ice has a Emperor penguin colony at it’s base - 27th February 2008

Making our way through the fast ice towards Mawson Station - huge tabular iceberg in our wake stuck in the ice - 28th February 2008

The track of the Aurora Australis through the fast ice. The helicopters were made ready for Mawson fly-offs - 28th February 2008

Helicopter ready to fly essential personnel to Mawson Station - 28th February 2008

Slow going for the Aurora Australis through the fast ice towards Mawson Station - 28th February 2008

First helicopter flight from the AA to Mawson Station carrying essential personnel to start the preparation of the re-supply - 28th February 2008

Breaking through the thick fast ice on route to Mawson Station - 28th February 2008

Captured this image of both helicopters in flight across the fast ice towards Mawson Station - 28th February 2008

Start of sling-loads to Mason Station - 28th February 2008

Sierra Romeo Bravo returning to the AA after a trip to Mawson Station - 28th February 2008

Sierra Romeo Bravo just about to land on the Helideck of the Aurora Australis - 28th February 2008

After a couple of days of solid fast ice the Aurora Australis encountered some thinner ice - 1st March 2008

Cruising through thin pack ice not far from Mawson - 1st March 2008

Part of the Framnes Mountains provides a spectacular backdrop to Mawson Station - 1st March 2008

As there was a iceberg grounded in the entrance to Horseshoe Harbour the Aurora Australis would have to re-supply and re-fuel the station from the western side of West Arm. The heavily crevassed Ice plateau provides a stunning backdrop to the station - 1st March 2008

Close-up of Mawson Station from just beyond West Arm - 1st March 2008

The Aurora Australis couldn’t anchor off West Arm because of the glaciation that left the ocean floor very smooth and unable to hold an anchor. So before the katabatic winds returned overnight the AA left Mawson Station in the late evening to park in the ice well offshore - note the iceberg in the entrance to the harbour.

As the Aurora Australis cruised to the north it became more obvious that the grounded iceberg was in the middle of the entrance to Horseshoe Harbour - 1st March 2008

The view from the deck of the AA as we left Mawson through Kista Strait to park in the offshore ice - the peak of Mt Henderson (934m asl) embedded in the ice plateau - 1st March 2008

Because there was a iceberg blocking the entrance to Horseshoe Harbour, the plan was to re-supply and re-fuel the station while the AA was ‘parked’ to the west of West Arm. This involved tying the ship to bollards on West Arm and the Bridge crew keeping the ship in place with the stabilisers. This pic is of the crew on West Arm waiting to put this plan into action - 2nd March 2008

Because there was a iceberg blocking the entrance to Horseshoe Harbour, the plan was to re-supply and re-fuel the station while the AA was ‘parked’ to the west of West Arm. This involved tying the ship to bollards on West Arm and the Bridge crew keeping the ship in place with the stabilisers. This photo is of the crew on West Arm pulling the rope towards the bollard - 2nd March 2008

The heavily crevassed Antarctic ice plateau provides a dramatic backdrop to Mawson Station - 2nd March 2008

The fuel line was deployed from the Aurora Australis across the water, over West Arm, and across Horseshoe Harbour then into the fuel tanks. The pumping of fuel would continue well into the evening before the onset of the Katabatic winds - 07:08pm 2nd March 2008

I went ashore to do some forecasting for a couple of days - this taken from the barge as we left the Aurora Australis - 2nd March 2008

Close-up of the iceberg blocking the entrance to Horseshoe Harbour - 2nd March 2008

Mawson Station from inside Horseshoe Harbour - 2nd March 2008

Perfect evening for re-fuelling operations - 2nd March 2008

After coming ashore I went for a walk around the station - view towards the northeast - 2nd March 2008

View from the top of the hill at the edge of Station Limits - showing the iceberg in the entrance, the Aurora Australis beyond West Arm and the fuel line floating in Horseshoe Harbour - 08:32pm 2nd March 2008

Some of the buildings of the old Mawson Station - 2nd March 2008

The Carpenters Hut - part of the old Mawson Station - 2nd March 2008

Mawson Station - the old and the new - 5th March 2008

Structural footing for the old Hangar building - 6th March 2008

Old sled at the Dog buildings - The last huskies left Mawson in 1993, after the Madrid protocol called for non-native animals to be removed. In 1992 there were 28 dogs on station, 22 of the young ones were taken out in November 1992 with the last six being taken out in December 1993, a sad day for all involved. (AAD) - 6th March 2008

Inside one of the old dog buildings - the collars and leads of the dogs were hung on the nails - 6th March 2008

On the barge returning to the Aurora Australis at sunset - 6th March 2008

Final day at Mawson tying up loose ends before we sail to Hobart - 8th March 2008

Last look across West Arm at Mawson Station - 8th March 2008

Farewell Mawson Station - 8th March 2008

Cruising through the Southern Ocean - 13th March 2008

Sailing into a storm - 14th March 2008

Making our way across the Southern Ocean - 14th March 2008

Arrived back in Hobart on a beautiful summer morning after leaving Casey on a 5 week odyssey aboard the Aurora Australis - 20th March 2008