21 Jan 2024

Exploring Inexpressible Island – Walking through Antarctic history

They say there are no ordinary days in Antarctica, and today was no exception! After we landed on sea ice yesterday evening (and enjoyed a surprise hot toddy), our Captain set a course south towards Terra Nova Bay.

In the morning, John presented on Scott's Discovery expedition and Fiona gave us composition tips for our photography. A passage, free of ice, allowed us to make good time south. After lunch, many of us took the opportunity for a nap as we had not gotten to bed until the early hours of the morning. We dropped anchor in Terra Nova Bay just off Inexpressible Island, 74 degrees 53 minutes south late in the afternoon. Flexibility is the key to making the most of Antarctica and so our landing was scheduled for after dinner.

Terra Nova Bay is home to some early Antarctic survival tales. It was here on Inexpressible Island in 1912 that Scott's Northern Party survived an Antarctic winter living in a snow cave. Having been picked up from Cape Adare in November 1911, Victor Campbell and his men were taken south to Evans Cove in the vicinity of Terra Nova Bay to conduct scientific work. Unfortunately, the ship, Terra Nova, couldn't extract the party as planned and they were forced to spend the winter living in horrendous conditions, surviving on seals and penguins. In spring 1912, Campbell, Priestley, Levick, Abbott, Dickason and Browning, finally made it back to the main expedition base on Ross Island, where they learnt the fate of Captain Scott and the Polar party.

We walked along Inexpressible Island's shoreline to the site of Campbell's snow cave and, with a few flakes of snow in our faces, marvelled at the resilience of these Antarctic explorers. A few hardy souls then made the trek over Harrowfield Hill, recently named in honour of New Zealand Antarctic Historian David Harrowfield.

What a fantastic day walking in the footsteps of these legendary Antarctic explorers!

Images © F. Wardle, M. Potter & K. Sutherland, Heritage Expeditions