Exploring with Purpose: Interview with Tim Jarvis AM

Renowned environmental scientist, explorer and author Dr Tim Jarvis AM will join Aurora Expeditions as a Special Guest on our Coastal Tasmania: Untamed Wilderness voyage, marking the inaugural maiden voyage of the Douglas Mawson.

Best known for his extraordinary re-creations of Sir Douglas Mawson’s and Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic journeys, Tim’s career spans climate advocacy, documentary filmmaking and groundbreaking field science. His work bridges the worlds of exploration and environmental action, inspiring people to see how adventure can drive meaningful change.

As we look ahead to this milestone voyage, Tim shares insights into the spirit of exploration, the power of storytelling, and what it means to follow in the footsteps of one of history’s greatest polar pioneers.

I’d done many expeditions in the modern way and was drawn to the idea of testing myself against the bar those early explorers had set. There are so many accounts of the trips of these people, their achievements are elevated way above the plain of mere mortals. 

I found myself being in awe of their amazing achievements, but also having a certain self-belief about my own ability. In the end there’s only one way to find out where the truth lies and that’s to try them for yourself.

Filmmaking plays a crucial role in helping people appreciate both the beauty and fragility of remote places, and in revealing the human footprint on them through issues such as climate-induced ice melt in Antarctica. This visual storytelling is important because humans often need tangible evidence to truly believe in something. Seeing is believing, after all. 

That’s one of the biggest challenges in communicating climate change: you can’t see 420 parts per million of CO₂ in the atmosphere, but you can see a melting glacier.

For starters, my expeditions are unsupported, and in the case of retracing Mawson and Shackleton’s Antarctic journeys, I used period equipment and clothing to experience conditions as they did. The way I document these journeys, whether on film or in writing, is designed to capture that realism and allow the reader or viewer to feel as though they’re there with us. 

I took this a step further with my immersive VR film Thin Ice, which transports viewers to Antarctica to follow in Sir Ernest Shackleton’s footsteps and witness what a century of glacier melt looks like in a very visceral way.

Yes and it’s one that has existed for thousands of years. Humans, whether as individuals or as a species, have always needed to explore to understand more about the world and their place within it. 

I believe this drive is as relevant today as it has ever been. Society relies on adventurous souls willing to take a few risks to move us forward. That same spirit of exploration fuels artistic expression, advances in science, medicine, and politics — in fact, every sphere you can think of. And if, for some, that spirit manifests as a desire to cross ice caps or climb mountains simply to discover what lies within themselves, then so be it.

Antarctica is like a litmus test for the impacts of human activity on our planet, particularly when it comes to climate change. With no industry and very few people, the environmental changes observed there reflect the broader effects of society’s consumption and fossil fuel use. Antarctica is one of the world’s four ‘Global Commons’ (areas owned by everyone and no one), alongside space, the oceans, and the atmosphere. The fact that humans can agree to share and protect these areas without exploitation offers an important lesson for how we might manage other commons on Earth.

I hope to be remembered as someone who wasn’t afraid to take on big challenges, with the resilience and endurance to see them through, and who made a real difference. Whether in leading major expeditions or advancing environmental protection.

Restoring nature is critical for many reasons beyond the obvious moral and philosophical to protect the species we share the planet with. Healthy ecosystems provide essential benefits to humans, including clean air, filtered water, waste breakdown, pollination, pharmaceutical resources, and fertile soil for crops. Nature also supports our physical and mental wellbeing and is vital for the healthy development of our children. 

Crucially, addressing climate change depends on nature, which serves as the only way to remove excess CO₂ from the atmosphere at scale, otherwise it would remain for around 200 years. The Southern Ocean, the world’s largest carbon sink, has absorbed 40% of all human-emitted CO₂ thanks to trillions of phytoplankton and krill. These organisms take in CO₂ as they grow, and when they die, their bodies sink to the depths of the ocean, carrying the carbon with them.

Citizen science is key to gathering the data needed to restore ecosystems effectively, but large-scale restoration also requires significant resources and community-led action.

Churchill famously said, “Deeds, not words,” and this principle is crucial. People are inspired when they see strategy and planning translated into tangible results. I like to think my expeditions and environmental projects are ambitious in scope, and successfully delivering them demonstrates that big results are possible when you aim high, assemble the right team, work hard, and show resilience. That’s what resonates with people.

It’s a great honour. Sir Douglas Mawson achieved extraordinary feats in exploration, geology, and science, and was an early advocate for environmental protection in Antarctica. In 1909, he completed the longest-ever sledge journey, reaching the South Magnetic Pole. He then led the 1911–1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, exploring vast new areas and undertaking an epic solo survival trek after the loss of his two companions on the Far Eastern Sledging Party — a remarkable display of mental and physical endurance. 

His British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) expeditions in the late 1920s and early 1930s were instrumental in securing 42% of Antarctica as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory. Notably, Sir Douglas also championed the protection of Macquarie Island in 1911, proposing it become a scientific reserve to safeguard its wildlife, a vision that ultimately led to its Heritage listing. 

I was proud to serve as Ambassador for the campaign that secured protection for 93% of the ocean around Macquarie as a Marine Sanctuary in 2023, a fitting continuation of the work Sir Douglas Mawson began.

I’m looking forward to sharing the voyage with others on board, celebrating Sir Douglas Mawson’s legacy, and exploring some incredible islands around Tasmania with their unique wildlife. I’m also looking forward to doing it on a ship like the Douglas Mawson rather than my replica of Shackleton’s James Caird...

I can give expeditioners first-hand insights into some of the most significant expeditions and environmental campaigns I’ve led, how they were achieved, and the lessons learned, including:

• Recreating Sir Douglas Mawson’s 1913 polar survival journey using the same gear, equipment, and rations he did. This expedition was documented in Mawson: Life and Death in Antarctica, the flagship of Film Australia’s Making History series, and featured in Channel 4’s acclaimed Edge of Endurance series (2007). Patrons included Australian Prime Minister the Hon. John Howard and Sir Ernest Shackleton’s granddaughter, the Hon. Alexandra Shackleton.

• Authentically retracing Sir Ernest Shackleton’s “double” journey, sailing a replica James Caird boat 1,500 km across the Southern Ocean from Antarctica to South Georgia, then crossing South Georgia’s mountainous interior using the same equipment as Shackleton. This was the first authentic recreation of what many regard as the world’s greatest survival journey.

• Leading campaigns to secure marine sanctuaries around Macquarie Island and Heard & McDonald Islands in 2023 and 2024.

All of these experiences are complemented with images and film footage, giving expeditioners a chance to truly immerse themselves in the stories and challenges of these incredible journeys.

My current projects include leading an expedition to Antarctica in January 2026 with a team of scientists and explorers to East Antarctica’s remote Queen Maud Land. The landscape there serves as an analogue for space, and instruments capable of detecting life here will help inform how we design tools to search for life on exoplanets, such as Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. Incredibly exciting work.

Another major project is The Forktree Project, which involves rewilding a former pastoral property in South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula. The goal is to restore native habitat for wildlife while sequestering tens of thousands of tonnes of CO₂ to help combat climate change. Forktree is designed as a showcase project to inspire tens of thousands of small rural properties across Australia to participate in habitat restoration. 

And then there’s space, a frontier that continues to completely captivate me.

Join Dr Tim Jarvis AM aboard the Douglas Mawson on her maiden voyage, Coastal Tasmania: Untamed Wilderness, and be part of a new chapter in exploration history. 

Or, follow in Mawson’s footsteps on one of our Antarctic or Subantarctic expeditions, where adventure meets purpose and every journey connects you more deeply with the natural world.