Australian geologist Douglas Mawson organized the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) to explore and study Antarctica’s sector south of Australia, with a strong focus on scientific research. The expedition planned three field stations: a main base on the Antarctic continent, a western base, and a radio relay station on subantarctic Macquarie Island.
The expedition ship SY Aurora reached Macquarie Island, a key halfway point for setting up a communications relay station. This station was intended to bridge wireless messages between Antarctica and Australia, helping the expedition share weather and status updates.
Mawson and the main party landed at Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay, establishing the location for the expedition’s headquarters. This site became known for extreme winds, shaping daily life, construction, and fieldwork planning.
A separate group, the Western Base Party led by Frank Wild, was put ashore on the Shackleton Ice Shelf in Queen Mary Land. Its purpose was to extend exploration and scientific work westward from the main base, despite difficult ice conditions and harsh weather.
The Macquarie Island relay station achieved early wireless success by making outside radio contact. This was an important step toward the expedition’s goal of linking Antarctica with Australia using Morse code over long distances.
During the first months on the continent, the Cape Denison party built and moved into a small complex of wooden huts and work spaces. The base supported long-term scientific observations (such as weather and magnetism) and served as the starting point for major sledging journeys.
In early November, multiple sledging parties left Cape Denison to map coastline, glaciers, and inland terrain, and to collect scientific data. These journeys were central to the AAE’s geographic discoveries and to its scientific goals.
During Mawson’s Far Eastern Party traverse, Belgrave Ninnis fell into a crevasse along with a sledge, many dogs, and most of the party’s supplies. The loss forced Mawson and Xavier Mertz to attempt a long return with drastically reduced food and equipment.
As the two survivors struggled back, conditions and malnutrition worsened, and Xavier Mertz died on the journey. Mawson continued alone, reshaping his plans and equipment to improve his chances of reaching the main base.
After repeated failures caused by wind damage and difficult operating conditions, Cape Denison finally established wireless communication with Australia via Macquarie Island. This milestone enabled the expedition to send official traffic and meteorological data and to receive limited news from outside.
Mawson returned to the main base to find Aurora steaming away after waiting as long as it safely could. This created a crisis: Mawson and a small group would need to survive an additional Antarctic winter at Cape Denison before a rescue could arrive.
Aurora returned the next summer to retrieve Mawson and the remaining men, ending the expedition’s second winter at the main base. The surviving expeditioners left behind notes and preserved the huts as best they could, and the AAE concluded soon after with their return to Australia.
Australasian Antarctic Expedition (Douglas Mawson, 1911–1914)