It's been a fabulous trip around the sun. The final entry.

As quickly as it started, it has all come to a finish. 

The Aurora Australis arrived at Macquarie Island in early March, bring this year's wintering team along with all the provisions they'll need during their time (and plenty they won't - like another 2 tonne of toilet paper to add to the existing 10 tonne on station...).

After a slow start due to weather (pretty much nothing happened for the first 5 days) resupply finally kicked off and from there is was all go. Food, trades equipment, medical supplies, diesel and a whole lot of chocolate got transferred from the ship to the island via helicopter and LARC - see my first entry for more on this fabulous amphibious vessel.

Everything went very smoothly, including the ship-to-shore transfer of a 13-tonne digger and an enormous JCB (telehandler). Apparently it took 5 years to get the last JCB ashore, and that was a fraction of the size. Thank goodness for the odd day of calm seas!

After handing over our jobs and the station, we packed up, boarded the ship and set off for the pretty short journey home. Two days later Hobart came out of the mist. And then it was all over.

In the words of one of our Macca family (the esteemed Danielle McCarthy 'DC'), "it's been a fabulous trip around the sun". 

The Aurora Australia arrived in mist and high winds - it's out there somewhere! The ship stooged up and down the island for 2 days before we managed to get a groups of new winterers ashore.

And a mere 5 days after arriving, the helicopters finally get off the ship and start unloading some of the people and cargo. Danielle is very excited. Stu isn't so sure.

And here come the people! The first group off the helicopter make their way through the station gate.

After a week or so of unloading cargo, it was time to start pumping tens of thousands of diesel ashore. I spent a very cold 4-hour shift in an IRB patrolling up and down the fuel line. No leaks!

Another misty Macca day. One of the trusty LARCS takes a load of cargo ashore. 

And then suddenly it was time to pack up and go. The hard working Nui (a biosecurity dog who checks every crate of cargo coming ashore) gets lifted onto the ship.

And this year the LARCs are coming back to Australia for some long needed maintenance. They get a helping hand aboard too.

I leave station and board the ship a few days early to allow the new doctor to move ashore (there always has to be one doctor ashore and one onboard overnight). The view back across to the station.

And Tim eventually joins me. A cheesy couple shot just before we depart.

And all too soon we are off. The AA steams north and Macca slowly disappears behind us. Goodbye sweet Macca. I will miss you terribly!

And just over two days later. Hello Hobart and civilisation!

Living out childhood post mistress dreams

One of the challenging things about living on a remote island with a tiny population is trying to replicate all the services that you have in the normal world. We have the trades well covered, plus a doctor, chef, communications technician and various other essential personnel, but what about all the other jobs and services that you rely on in day to day life?

In order to ensure everything like this is covered, each of us takes on additional roles besides our main station job. This year I got to live out a long-forgotten childhood fantasy of working as a post officer (perhaps an odd fantasy, but something to do with Postman Pat).

Before we left Australia, I attended a half-day training course at Australia Post, and had to undertake two rather onerous 40-page exams on mail security - how to recognise a bomb (there "might be wires coming out") etc. Thankfully they were both open book. Four different signed contracts later, I was officially a Community Postal Agent, although I prefer Post Mistress.

Usually the postal agent role on Antarctic Stations just involves selling stamps and postcards for a couple of weeks before the resupply ship arrives (the only opportunity to get mail out), but here on Macquarie there is an added dimension, as we have numerous tourist ship visits during the summer months. Many on board are keen to send mail home to loved ones with an official Macquarie Island post-mark, so the ships visits were often a very busy time for me and my rubber stamp.

Now we are only a week away from the start of resupply, it's time to pack up my ink pad and handover to the next post person.

Tourists from one of the smaller tourist ships visit our mess for cream teas and postcard writing. Always slightly odd to have 40 strangers descend on the station for an hour or two, but nice to add some variety to the usual routines.

Our station leader, Ali, sets up shop in the bar. She sells cards and postcards on behalf of Tasmanian Parks and a few other organisations. The tourists stop off at her first....

And then come and see me for stamps and other 'philatelic items'.

Once the ship has left I empty the post box and postmark all the letters. They won't make it back to Australia until late March (at the same time as we return) but the postmark shows the date they were posted - some back in March 2018 when we first arrived!

A perfect postmark. My stamping skills have greatly improved over the year.

An hour later and a little bit of wrist-RSI, I'm done!

Apart from tourist ship visits, my postal duties mainly occur twice a year when ships drop off mail to us. This lot arrived on the L'Astrolabe - the French Antarctic resupply vessel that dropped off some expeditioners and cargo in November. The mail that arrives on the ships often contains letters and requests from philatelists (stamp collectors) from all over the world. The post only goes back to Australia once a year though (in March) so it can be over a year before they get a reply.

Some of the request letters are quite incredible and often amusing. This one is form Cuba and reads "Dear friends, Please, I need to obtain any souvenir about that far place. Yes, it's very very important for me according to a 91 years old man. I know that island belongs Tasmania which at same time, of course, belongs to Australia. Yes that wonderful country! Hoping your answer." The postmark from Australia shows it arrived there in November 2017 - any reply won't get back to Cuba until mid-2019 - I wonder if they'll still be waiting?

Flattery is a commonly used tool in the philatelic armamentarium. This letter reads "of course, we love those  special postmarks!.....please use them as much as possible, and clean postmark will make the card perfect.....This could be masterpiece in our postcard collection... Finally, thank you for all your hard work! " The requestor often includes diagrams of where to place the postmark and various other specific instructions. It's hard to know how many are for personal collections and how many are for sale on eBay, but it's not uncommon to get 10 or 20 identical cards from the same person- in which case I'm pretty sure it's straight to eBay.

And a couple of hours later, the postbag is processed. Just in time for the resupply ship (bringing 4 bags of mail!) which arrives later this week.

Australia Day in the southern colonies

It's a couple of weeks ago now, but Australia Day was celebrated here with as much gusto as on the mainland. 

As per usual the day was bookended by culinary overindulgence, but we did fit in some swimming, spit-roasting and general relaxing. 

Unfortunately the surf was too big on the east coast to allow the traditional bi-coastal swim, although to be honest once you've got into 2 degree water once, you really don't want to repeat it.

All in all a great day, and probably our last major celebration with our 12 months on the island soon to finish and the Aurora Australis on schedule to pick us up in mid-March!

Danielle ('DC') ensuring her insulation layer is intact before the big swim. Chef Annette does make an excellent lemon curd sourdough donut.

Angus ensures safety flotation devices are to hand in case of emergency

Some safety devices are less official than others

Some of our swimmers ready themselves for the plunge - from left - Annie (our summer wildlife ranger), Vicky (a weather observer), Danielle (another weather observer), Annette (our chef), Ali (our station leader and safety observer for the swim) and Angus (our meteorological technician)

And they're off. Some are in and out quicker than others - Annie (far left) managed to get up to her ankles before retreating back up the beach to steel herself for another go. Tim sports a dry suit (on the right) ready to rescue anyone overcome by the cold.

And Tim has a go himself after handing over the lifeguard duties to someone else.

A well deserved spa after the swim

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Chris B, our diesel mechanic, sorts out the technical side of the spit roast

Mel (our vegan Tasmanian Parks volunteer) and Annie (our gluten-free wildlife ranger) discover a rather helpful cook book stashed in the back room. They spend a lot of time working in the field and staying in field huts together. Field hut cooking is always a little limited, but trying to make vegan gluten-free meals in a hut takes the challenge to a new level.

Tommy, our summer storeman (and ex-chef) lends a hand in the kitchen

Chef Annette starts work on the lamingtons

I add a certain amount of je ne sais quoi (and marinade) to the lamb spit roast

The most Australian laminations you've ever eaten

A ready table and drinks at the bar waiting for the spit roast to finish. 

Warning: Images may contain distressing levels of cuteness

Summer is the time when various animal census' take place on Macquarie Island. Most recently it was the turn of the Fur Seal pups. Every January, the TASPAWS ranger team (and assorted volunteers) conduct 3 counts, each a week apart, to keep an eye on the breeding success of various species of ‘furries'. The count includes Antarctic, Sub-Antarctic and NZ Fur Seals, and takes place all around the beaches on North Head - the small part of the island north of our station.

Fur Seals were hunted to annihilation on Macquarie Island in the early 1800s (estimated 200,000 killed). They kept their distance until returning in the mid-1950s and are making a slow but steady recovery. 

I was involved in the first count, and we found well over 300 pups (all 10/10 on the cuteness scale) on the western side of North Head.

I won't say it was an easy day out - a combination of 40 knot winds, steep and treacherous hills to clamber over, and some very aggressive adult seals to run from. It's tricky to keep count when you are having to fend off charges from all directions. It was pretty amazing though.

The first view of the seal colony as we descended into the bay. Counting them looked simple enough.

And it's not exactly work when the object of your count looks like this. The only trouble is trying to get anything done when you can't stop taking photographs.

But then mum spots us and the colony goes on high alert

This spunky dude is a sub-Antarctic male seal in his prime. They have quite distinctive features - the white face and mohawk - so are pretty much the only sub-type I can readily identify. He isn't terribly happy about our census efforts.

The pups try out their growling too. Very hard not to laugh.

Total poser

Out of the tussocks and onto the beach - a male fur seal, in his breeding prime, guards his harem. You definitely don't want to get too close. 

A bit of regal roaring to warn us off

Meanwhile a female feeds her pup nearby

But this mum has had enough - "get off my rock!"

A tagged male. At certain times they rapidly poke their tongues in and out - not sure what it means but makes for some comical images.

Just back in from a paddle

Do I have something on my face?

And just more cuteness really

And to finish, a fur seal family portrait in the sun. Not a bad day at all!