Aurora Expeditions Reaches Commonwealth Bay, 100 Years After Sir Douglas Mawson

Aurora Expeditions Reaches Commonwealth Bay, 100 Years After Sir Douglas Mawson

Aurora Expeditions' Akademik Shokalskiy has become the first ship to sail into Commonwealth Bay this Antarctic season, making it within 10 nautical miles of Mawson's Hut to commemorate Sir Douglas Mawson's arrival 100 years ago. The ship sailed into the bay on the evening of 10 January 2012, just two days after the estimated centenary of Mawson's landing in 1912. Access to the region has until now been block by fast ice and a 150 kilometre iceberg, known as B9B. Other highlights of the commemorative Antarctic expedition so far have included a three kilometre walk out over the fast ice to a grounded, cavernous iceberg, Zodiac cruising around the enormous, 150 kilometre long, 30 metre high, walls of the B9B iceberg, and watching hundreds of inquisitive and charismatic Adelie penguins playing on the ice. Aurora Expeditions is an Australian-owned and operated expedition cruise company who have been operating expeditions to Antarctica for two decades. This season they will run three commemorative voyages to East Antarctica to celebrate the Mawson Centenary, as well as 10 voyages exploring the Antarctic Peninsula from Argentina. Their 2012/13 Antarctic brochure is now available online at www.auroraexpeditions.com.au In the UK visit the expedition crusing specialists. The Cruise Line