Ice axe, metal/wood, made by Leonhard Kost, used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Antarctic Expedition, Antarctica, 1911-1914
This ice axe was used for cutting hand and foot holds in ice, and was used during Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), Antarctica, 1911-1914.
One of the objectives of this expedition was the exploration and charting of the largely unexplored coastline of Antarctica. This included meteorological and magnetic observations, and the collection of biological and geological samples. It also aimed to establish a wireless weather station to assist with weather forecasting. Sailing on the Newfoundland sealing vessel 'Aurora', the team entered a part of the world which was then little known.
The expedition was not without tragedy. During a sledding trip to the east of the base with Douglas Mawson, Xavier Mertz and Belgrade Ninnis, a crevasse swallowed up Ninnis, a team of six dogs, and the sled containing most of their food. The survivors began the arduous journey back to base, some 500 kilometres away, during which they ate the remaining dogs for food. Mertz died during the return, leaving Mawson to travel the 100 kilometres back to base alone.
Mawson later led the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expeditions (BANZARE), 1929-1931. The expeditions aimed to assert British territorial claims in Antarctica, and were responsible for the mapping of more than 3000 kilometres of what is now Australian Antarctic Territory coastline. The AA and BANZAR expeditions were two of the most important Australian scientific expeditions of the 20th century, laying the basis for Australia's later claims to almost 42 per cent of the Antarctic continent.
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