In 1911 a group of scientists and adventurers left Hobart under the leadership of Dr Douglas Mawson. They were bound for Macquarie Island and the then unknown parts of Antarctica. The scientists of the expedition produced information that later made an major contribution to knowledge of the region. The exploration of new lands established precedence to claims, formalised in 1936 as the Australian Antarctic Territory. Although James Francis (Frank) Hurley was the official photographer to the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, other members of the expedition also took photographs.
Wreck of the ‘Gratitude’, Macquarie Island, 1911
Skeleton of sea-elephant and Harold Hamilton, circa 1912
Start of the first Depot Journey; “The Grottoes”, circa 1912
Wild and Watson in sleeping bag tent on sledge journey, circa 1912
Mertz leaving the hut by the trapdoor on the verandah roof, circa 1912
Mushroom ice formation, 1912
Basilisk and Ginger at Main Base, circa 1912
Bage in the entrance to the Astronomic Observatory, Antarctica, 1911-1914
F. Bickerton looking out over seas near Commonwealth Bay, circa 1912
Cavern carved by the sea in an ice wall near Commonwealth Bay, circa 1912
The Air-tractor, circa 1912
Huskies pulling sledge, circa 1912
Hamilton hand-netting for macro-plankton from Aurora, circa 1912
Arthur Sawyer and sea elephant pup, circa 1912
via State Library of New South Wales
