CHAPTER LXII 
MAWSON'S EXPEDITION 
It had always been desired that that portion of the 
coast of Antarctica which faces Australia, along which 
Balleny, and afterwards Wilkes and Dumont d'Urville, 
had sailed more than sixty years ago, should be landed 
upon and explored. The coast is not one that faces 
eastward, and much accessible land could not be expected. 
It was assumed that there would probably be ice cliffs 
for the most part, and the ice-cap inland. Still, explora- 
tion of this locality was very desirable. 
Mr Mawson 1 undertook the difficult enterprise. He 
had made a very fine journey to the South Magnetic Pole 
during Shackleton's Expedition, and was deeply interested 
in Antarctic problems. Born in Australia he wished his 
expedition to be mainly an Australian undertaking. The 
Aurora, a fine steamer, was purchased and Captain Davis 
received the command. There could be no better man, 
both as a sailor and an enthusiast in the work of deep-sea 
sounding. Frank Wild, who had been both on the Dis- 
covery and the Nimrod, was appointed to command a 
second landing party. Dr Mertz was the naturalist. 
Ninnis, a 2nd Lieut, of the Royal Fusiliers, son of my old 
friend Dr Belgrave Ninnis of the Discovery in the Arctic 
expedition of 1875-6, first wrote to me from Pietermaritz- 
burg, full of Antarctic enthusiasm, in September 1909, 
and his excellent qualifications obtained for him a place 
on the scientific staff of the Aurora. 
The Aurora left Hobart December 2nd, 1911, arriving 
at Macquarie Island on the nth to land five men, who 
were to install and manage the wireless telegraph. On 
Christmas Day the voyage to the south, was resumed. 
1 Sir Douglas Mawson was born in 1882, the son of Mr R. E. Mawson, 
of Otley, in Yorkshire. He was educated at Sydney University and 
graduated as Bachelor of Mining Engineering 1901, Bachelor of Science 
1904, Doctor of Science 1909. He was Lecturer in Mineralogy at Adelaide 
University in 1905. 
