Mawson’s Great-Granddaughter Joins Our Expedition

Aurora is privileged to have Emma McEwin as a special guest lecturer on our Icebergs & Emperors expedition to Commonwealth Bay in December 2008. After nearly 100 years since her great-grandfather, Sir Douglas Mawson’s epic 1911 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, Emma’s first book An Antarctic Affair offers a brave and balanced account of the life – and loves – of one of Australia’s greatest heroes.

Emma draws on the love letters that Paquitta and Douglas wrote to each other during their engagement, 1910-1914 and through stories passed down by her grandparents. Through her unique family perspective and our onboard historian Estelle Lazer’s firsthand knowledge of the artifacts left surrounding the huts, we’ll gain a new appreciation of Sir Douglas Mawson and his team’s extraordinary achievements.

Departing Hobart, our 27-day expedition to Commonwealth Bay onboard the ice-strengthened vessel Marina Svetaeva will be the only helicopter- equipped vessel venturing to Commonwealth Bay in 2008. From discovering massive penguin rookeries to taking adrenalin-charged helicopter rides over the polar plateaus, there is adventure at every turn on this incredible journey.