4 ANTARCTIC COMMITTEE — REPORT. 



The Aurora (under the command of Captain J. K. Davis) sailed 

 from Hobart on 1st December, 1911, with Dr. Mawson and some of 

 his staff on board, the remainder following a week later in the Toroa. 

 All were united at Macquarie Island, where a wireless station was erected, 

 and a party established for meteorological, biological, geological, and 

 other scientific work. The Toroa returned to Hobart, and the Aurora 

 then proceeded southwards, crossing the Antarctic Circle near the 

 160th meridian, and then turning westwards. Dr. Mawson and the 

 main party were landed on the Adelie coast in about longitude 144° E.. 

 latitude 67° S., and the rest, under Mr. Wild, were ultimately 

 established at a second base on a great glacier, near the site of the 

 Termination Land of Wilkes, in about longitude 95° E., latitude 66° S., 

 some 1,100 miles separating the two parties. The Aurora then returned 

 to Hobart, arriving on 12th March, 1912. During the voyage very 

 interesting geographical results were obtained, but, as these have been 

 made known already, and will be fully discussed when the story of the 

 Expedition is published, they need not be described here. 



Though the wireless station at Macquarie Island has proved a 

 complete success and has done valuable service by supplying regular 

 meteorological reports both to the Commonwealth and to the Dominion, 

 the second wireless station at Dr. Mawson's main base has so far 

 proved less successful. Only a few messages have been received from 

 it, and apparently it has been unable to receive any messages whatever. 

 A severe accident to the dynamo, of the nature of a heavy fall when it 

 was being landed, is, perhaps, the cause of the former trouble. The 

 cause of this latter defect is not known ; but it is hoped that the fault 

 may still be remedied with the aid of new equipment and an additional 

 wireless operator sent on the Aurora on her present voyage. Should 

 communication be established, an arrangement has been made for an 

 exchange of time signals with Melbourne under Mr. Baracchi's 

 direction for the purpose of determining a fundamental longitude. 



The programme of winter cruises for the Aurora was greatly 

 interfered with by the necessity of laying her up for extensive repairs, 

 first in Sydney, and subsequently at Williamstown. These were 

 executed at the expense of the Governments of New South Wales and 

 Victoria, to whom the Committee, as well as Captain Davis and Dr. 

 Mawson, owe gfateful thanks. Two trips were, however, undertaken 

 by Captain Davis after consultation with members of the Committee, 

 the main object being to take soundings to the south of Tasmania and 

 in the neighbourhood of Macquarie Island ; and results were obtained 

 which are full of interest, and will probably prove still more valuable 

 when supplemented by further observations during the second voyage 

 to the south. The most important of these discoveries was that of 

 the existence of an immense bank as large in area as Tasmania, at 



