The early twentieth century was the 'heroic age' of Antarctic exploration - a time when adventurers such as Scott and Shackleton were national icons. ...
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The early twentieth century was the 'heroic age' of Antarctic exploration - a time when adventurers such as Scott and Shackleton were national icons. But, while these two are world famous to this day, Australian Douglas Mawson is not. Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition, undertaken in 1911 after he had been a key member of Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, was described Dr Edmund Hillary as "the greatest survival story in the history of exploration". Mawson's expedition, undertaken on a small whaling ship called Aurora, combines several exceptionally exciting elements. Once in the Antarctic, the expedition split up into smaller parties exploring different areas. The two other members of Mawson's party died and Mawson was left to struggle hundreds of miles back to base on his own. Despite incredible odds, he made it, only to find that the rescue ship had sailed away, leaving him to face a year on his own in the Antarctic. Scientifically and geographically speaking, Mawson's expedition was truly groundbreaking and established Australia as a key player in the Antarctic.
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