Mawson's Centennial Voyage

26 days (Hobart)

Destinations visited: Hobart, Antarctica, World

Grading:

Discovery and Cruising level

Grading Definitions

Discovery & Cruising

These are our least demanding trips. These journeys of discovery and cruises involve little or no extended activity and are suitable for people with a basic level of fitness and good health. The itinerary may take place in remote areas (with basic facilities) and may involve long travel days on various types of transport. Sightseeing may be conducted on foot and all participants should be capable of carrying their own luggage from vehicle to hotel rooms. These adventures do not go above 2500m and rarely involve camping.
Suggested preparation: Once or twice a week, we recommend you walk on undulating terrain for an hour, for at least 2 -3 months prior to departure.

Adventure Touring

Suggested preparation: Two or three times a week, we recommend you walk on undulating terrain for an hour or more, for at least 3 months prior to departure.

Introductory

These trips involve trekking or walking, cycling, rafting or sea kayaking for up to five or six hours a day at a slow but steady pace and should never be misinterpreted to mean they are easy trips. These trips do not spend time at altitudes above 4000m and are usually a week in duration. You will need a reasonable level of fitness and good health.
Suggested preparation: 30 minutes of aerobic type exercise, (either cycling or jogging) three times a week for three months leading up to your trek. For trekking, hill walking with a daypack in variable weather conditions is also recommended. For a cycling adventure, road cycling twice a week for three months prior to departure is recommended.

Introductory to Moderate

These trips involve a combination of what is described in our INTRODUCTORY and MODERATE levels. The emphasis is on introductory activity with several moderate stages

Moderate

These adventures involve trekking, cycling, rafting or sea kayaking for up to 6 or 7 hours a day at a steady pace. These trips may spend successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 5,500m and are usually between 10 and 15 days in duration. You will need a good level of fitness and be in good health.
Suggested preparation: 45 minutes of aerobic type exercise, three to five times a week for the three months leading up to your trek. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions or road cycling is also recommended depending upon the activity you plan to undertake.

Moderate to Challenging

These adventures involve trekking, cycling, rafting or sea kayaking for up to 6 or 7 hours a day at a steady pace. These trips may spend successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 5,500m and are usually between 10 and 15 days in duration. You will need a good level of fitness and be in good health. Suggested preparation: 45 minutes of aerobic type exercise, three to five times a week for the three months leading up to your trek. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions or road cycling is also recommended depending upon the activity you plan to undertake.

Challenging

These adventures involve trekking, cycling or rafting in remote areas in variable weather conditions for up to 8 to 10 hours a day (possibly more subject to weather conditions and altitude). This may include spending successive days at altitudes not generally exceeding 6000m. These trips may often be over three weeks in duration. You will need an excellent level of fitness, be prepared to carry a daypack weighing up to 8kgs (and in some cases a full pack) and be completely comfortable in adverse weather conditions.
Suggested preparation: One hour of aerobic type exercise, four to five times a week for three to six months prior to departure. Hill walking with a pack in variable weather conditions or on/off road cycling is also recommended.

Entry Mtn/Exploratory Treks

These adventures are classed as expeditions. They involve either extreme trekking and or basic mountaineering. Expect remote and poorly defined trails in variable weather conditions for up to 12 hours a day (possibly more subject to weather conditions and altitude). This may include a number of demanding high pass crossings and evacuation may be difficult from remote areas. Suitable for first time mountaineers wishing to take the step from trekking into the realm of mountaineering. Prior experience trekking at altitude is preferable but not essential and you should be comfortable in adverse weather conditions. Prior technical mountaineering experience is not necessary. Terrain will involve low angle snow slopes. Ropes may be used during treks for glacier travel and steeper sections of ice and snow. When mountaineering, basic mountaineering instruction is given by our mountaineering guides.
Suggested preparation: For grade 8-10 mountaineering expeditions you will need to be very fit and healthy. A minimum of 1 hour of aerobic exercise per session, four to five times a week is essential. Running and cycling in hilly areas is particularly beneficial as are multi day walks on the weekends. This is the ideal time to try out your boots and other gear to make sure you are prepared and ready for your expedition. If you are considering Intermediate or advanced level trips, you will need to discuss your preparation leading up to the trip with our expert staff.

Intermediate Mtn Expedition

Participants should be competent and self sufficient in the outdoors and have experience in multi day trekking at altitude. Prior experience on an entry level mountaineering expedition is highly recommended. The terrain will involve low to moderate angle snow slopes and traveling on crevassed glaciers. Experience using ice axe and crampons is preferred but not essential.
Suggested preparation: For grade 8-10 mountaineering expeditions you will need to be very fit and healthy. A minimum of 1 hour of aerobic exercise per session, four to five times a week is essential. Running and cycling in hilly areas is particularly beneficial as are multi day walks on the weekends. This is the ideal time to try out your boots and other gear to make sure you are prepared and ready for your expedition. If you are considering Intermediate or advanced level trips, you will need to discuss your preparation leading up to the trip with our expert staff.

Advanced Mtn Expedition

These are our most challenging expeditions. Clients must have prior mountaineering experience. Most are participatory expeditions & involve load carrying, setting up of camps, cooking and campcraft. Altitude is generally greater than 6500m. Some of these expeditions also involve “technical” climbing and are for experienced alpine climbers / mountaineers only. Technical expeditions involve steep climbing at high altitude (including rock climbing). Participation on one of these expeditions is subject to acceptance by one of our high altitude mountaineering guides.
Suggested preparation: For grade 8-10 mountaineering expeditions you will need to be very fit and healthy. A minimum of 1 hour of aerobic exercise per session, four to five times a week is essential. Running and cycling in hilly areas is particularly beneficial as are multi day walks on the weekends. This is the ideal time to try out your boots and other gear to make sure you are prepared and ready for your expedition. If you are considering Intermediate or advanced level trips, you will need to discuss your preparation leading up to the trip with our expert staff.

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Venture into remote Antarctica and Commonwealth Bay, witnessing the history of exploration

In 1911, Australian polar explorer, Douglas Mawson sailed into Commonwealth Bay where landfall was made at Cape Denison aboard the 6000 tonne "Aurora". Mawson and his men had unwittingly discovered the windiest and one of the wildest places on the planet. Despite the loss of two companions and his own struggle to survive, the beauty of East Antarctica drew Mawson back in years to come. Our journey will retrace the steps of Mawson's historic Australasian Antarctic Expedition in a celebration of his famous departure from Hobart on the 2nd of December 2011. We hope to visit Mawson's Hut at Commonwealth Bay, with the whim of the winds on our side. We expect to encounter heavy ice, and face the prospect of altering our schedule to adapt to the conditions we meet. Each day informal lectures will bring new insights into the mammals, birds, glaciology, and the history of Antarctic exploration. We explore Macquarie Island and Auckland Island to view the prolific wildlife that includes King Penguin colonies, albatross, fur seals and huge elephant seals. This expedition offers a great combination of adventure, history and wildlife in one of the most remote and pristine regions on Earth.

Highlights

Macquarie Island
Large glaciers and fantastic tabular bergs
Historic huts and research station visits
Visiting Cape Denison, Mawson’s Hut, & Commonwealth Bay
Adélie and emperor penguins, whales, seals, and sea birds
The sweep of the magnificent Polar Plateau
Wildlife rich Sub Antarctic islands

Itinerary

Day 1 Embark Hobart

An early afternoon transfer from our group hotel in Hobart takes us to the Akademik Shokalskiy where the ship’s captain and crew welcome us aboard. After a warm welcome, we will set sail down the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and turn south along Tasmania’s east coast.

Days 2-4 Tasman Sea

We will make our way towards Macquarie Island some 850 nautical miles south; accompanied by soaring albatross, shearwaters, terns and flighty petrels. Entertaining and informative talks by our on-board experts will enhance our understanding and appreciation of the magnificent wildlife, oceanography, and history of the mighty Southern Ocean.

Days 5-6 Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island, where Mawson set up his communications base in December 1911 establishing a scientific base and a radio link with Australia, is home to one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Southern Hemisphere. We hope to visit a scientific base situated on the northern end of the island, to meet with scientists and discuss their research. After that, we will concentrate on the best wildlife areas, such as the teeming Royal Penguin rookery and the expanding King Penguin colony at Sandy Bay, the massed King Penguins at Lusitania Bay and the Rockhopper Penguins scattered around the isthmus. On the beach of this World Heritage area, we may encounter elephant seals in wallows and frisky fur seals.

Days 7-9 Southern Ocean

We will have time to reflect on our Macquarie Island visit, and will continue our informative talks to prepare us for Antarctica. Just south of Macquarie Island, we will cross the Antarctic Convergence. We should see our first icebergs any time now!

Days 10-11 Cape Denison and Mawson’s Hut

Reputedly the windiest place on earth, Cape Denison historic site is located near the South Magnetic Pole, and is home to four huts and other historical remains from Mawson’s 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition. Weather permitting, we plan to make a landing and visit the famed Mawson’s Hut, the main base of his expedition. With a bit of luck we may also see Wilson’s storm-petrels, Weddell seas, Adelie penguins and some Skuas.

Days 12-13 Dumont D’Urville

Overnight, we will wind our way through iceberg-adorned seas to Petrel Island, or to the sea ice edge, home of the French research station Dumont D’Urville and the nesting ground of snow petrels. We hope to visit the station, go for walks along the island’s shores, and take our zodiacs out to admire the formidable ice front of the Astrolabe Glacier.

Days 14-15 Dibble Iceberg Tongue; Wilkes and Sabrina Coasts

We will follow the route taken by Captain John King Davis in 1912, as he pushed the SY Aurora through pack ice to find a place for Mawson’s Western Party to winter. Like Davis, our path will be dictated by ice and weather, but we hope to get close to the Dibble Iceberg Tongue, and push along the Wilkes and Sabrina coasts as far west as time allows, watching for emperor penguins along the way.

Continue reading ...

Day 16 Port Martin

As we make our way west again, we hope to stop at Port Martin, a rocky toehold on the Antarctic Plateau, usually out of reach of the katabatic winds of Commonwealth Bay. Here we will cruise near the French base, abandoned because of a fire in the 1950s, and visit a lively Adelie penguin colony.

Day 17 Mertz Glacier

We will pass the awesome ice tongue of the Mertz Glacier, a natural boundary that attracts wildlife including the larger whale species. Should the opportunity arise, we’ll take a closer look from our zodiacs.

Days 18-19 Oates Land Coast

We will thread through the maze of icebergs formed by Mertz Glacier to reach open water along the Oates Land coast.

Days 20-23 Southern Ocean

As we head north, we will welcome time at sea to absorb the rich experiences of the past 20 days. Our Naturalists will begin preparing us for our final excursions on New Zealand’s remote Sub-Antarctic islands.

Day 24 New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands

After our weeks spent south, we will delight in the luxurious rata forests found on the Auckland Islands. We will search for rare yellow-eyed penguins, the endemic teal duck and powerful Hooker sea lions. If conditions permit, we may use our zodiacs to obtain views of breeding grounds of both shy and wandering albatross.

Day 25 At Sea

This morning our explorations of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands come to an end, as we start our journey across open seas to the port town of Bluff.

Day 26 Disembark Bluff. Transfer to Invercargill Airport where trip concludes

We are expected to arrive into Bluff early this morning. After clearing customs, we will disembark in this historic seaport ready for our transfer to Invercargill Airport.

Additional Information

Inclusions

25 breakfasts, 24 lunches and 25 dinners
One pre tour night in Hobart or Invercagill depending on direction of voyage
Transfer from hotel to port on day 1, and transfer from ship to airport on final day
Comfortable cabin accommodation and use of all public areas on cruise
Specialist expedition staff
All sightseeing and shore excursions from the ship including the use of Zodiacs
Lectures, videos, slide and film shows and guide services
Medical services (there is a resident medical officer and infirmary on board)
Port taxes and port charges imposed by government authorities
Landing and visitor fees for Macquarie Island and New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Island
Pre-departure information

Summary

Cruising
1 night Hobart/Invercargill, 25 nights aboard Akademik Shokalskiy

Trip Main Activities

Cruising
Wildlife Viewing

Group Size Min

Group Size Max

n/a

Accommodation Summary

Equipment Required

A comprehensive gear list is provided in the pre-departure information supplied on booking.

What You Carry

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