tiabunna's photos with the keyword: AAE

When we visited Mawson's Hut, we had with us a team of four from the Mawson's Hut Foundation. We left them at the site for several days (there are other new huts nearby for workers) to do their work of clearing out some of the snow, to allow access. Their main task was examining and measuring the roof, to assess what was needed to add a false over-roof to protect the building (that has since been done). On our return, we were allowed inside in groups of three for just a few valuable minutes (they didn't want excess body heat thawing things unnecessarily for conservation reasons). As someone remarked, there have been fewer people here than to the top of Everest! Taken with the main stove/heater directly behind me. Originally there was a long table where I was standing - this was the only 'social/recreation' area indoors. Apart from the old tins and jars, it was fascinating to see the old paperback books and magazines on the shelf. Clickable links to further photos in the notes. Here is a link to a Mawson's Hut Foundation video on the restoration programme, showing quite a bit of original movie and stills from 1911-12 by Frank Hurley. www.youtube.com/watch?v=72sgyZpHGq8 I am amazed though, that in their film they have totally misplaced Mawson's Hut on the map! The correct address is in the link at right on this page (change to satellite view).

That very icy shelf in the foreground is the top of the slow combustion heater/stove for Mawson's Hut. Alongside the flue of the stove is a canister used to melt snow as the water supply. The tiny box behind with the open door is the darkroom of Frank Hurley, the expedition photographer, while beyond it is his bunk area with the black plastic (a recent conservation measure) protecting something from snow and water .

This contrivance is the acetylene apparatus, which generated acetylene to provide lighting for the huts. Although there was electricity (Mawson's expedition in 1911-13 was the first to use radio to communicate from Antarctica to the world, via a relay station on Macquarie Island) it would not have been possible to operate full time generators for power and lighting.

The 17 expeditioners were bunked around the outer walls of the hut (Mawson, the leader, had a small office/bedroom). They also had their initials on their bunk space, and in most areas there were upper and lower bunks. In 1912 this was the area for James Francis Hurley - better known as Frank Hurley. Hurley was the photographer for the expedition and also, on his return, for Shackleton's famous "Endurance" expedition. On this expedition he was given the nickname "Hoyle" because of his encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules of card games. It appears he had the luxury of an enclosed cupboard below the upper bunk, presumably to house all his photographic gear (cine and still cameras, chemicals etc). In his darkroom he wrote on the wall Near enough is never good enough : he was an excellent and quite innovative photographer and remains one of my "photographic heroes". :) I would encourage anyone interested to Google for images of his work.