Reverse engineering…
The impressive Antarctic Snow Cruiser was meant to lead the way in the Antarctic expedition of Rear Admiral Richard Byrd in 1940. However when it came time to put in the work the cruiser was left spinning its wheels (quite literally). The Antarctic Snow Cruiser provides an interesting example of hubris on the ice,…
Film flippers: our 5 favourite penguin movies
Be it dancing or surfing, plodding or plotting, one thing’s for sure – penguins have plenty of star power on the silver screen. Here are our five favourite penguin movies. What are yours? 5) Surf’s Up. Released within a year of number 4) below, it could be said this film is Happy Feet, but with…
What a pile of…
The not-so-pretty preparation for climate change We weren’t sure what to believe when we first heard it, but it appears to be true – penguin poop is helping to change Antarctica’s ecosystem. Yes, according to this fascinating National Geographic story, the local gentoo penguins have delivered millions of pounds of “nutrient rich guano”…
Advance Antarctica Fair? A game-changing name-change
With new penguins arriving at the Centre we know just how important it is to get a name right. Which is why we appreciate the ‘journey’ the continent took before finally settling on a name in the late 19th century. To put it simply, Antarctica used to be called Australia. Then, in 1824, today’s Australia took…
Class act: Welcome Miranda Satterthwaite, our new Education Manager
Our new Education Manager has arrived and we’re thrilled to have her on board leading the class. We put a short list of questions in front of Miranda, expecting a few words or so in response. The depth of her answers speaks to the expertise and passion she is bringing to the role. Why…
World record Baby, it’s cold outside
Last month we brought you five interesting world records set in Antarctica. Since then we’ve been reminded of another… Eleven babies have been born in Antarctica, and none of them died as infants. Antarctica therefore has the lowest infant mortality rate of any continent: 0%. What’s crazier is why the babies were born there in the…
An epic adventure – the race across Antarctica
At the end of 2018 two men made an incredible journey into the record books, each individually following the path that original explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton had planned on his journey to the south pole and across the continent. In this day and age you could be forgiven for thinking most travel-related ‘firsts’ have been…
Flippering fantastic – Tubby turns 21!
In the wild the average lifespan for the Little Blue Penguin is 6.5 years. In truly exceptional cases these penguins have been recorded as living up to 25 years of age in captivity. That’s why we were so excited to celebrate Tubby’s 21st birthday on the 20th of January. It was a fantastic day…
Good on you, mates. The pride of the (very) south is back there.
The Antarctic Heritage Trust has recently returned a reconstructed beer barrel to Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds. The barrel was donated in 1907 by the Speights brewery to Shackleton, making the journey south before being consumed, in all likelihood on the trip down. From there the barrel was probably repurposed and used outside the…
Indisputable. Unequivocal. Climate change is here.
As advocates for Antarctica our ears always prick up when news arrives of what’s happening in this important environment. A study published on January 14 this year highlights that ice is melting more than six times faster than it did in the 1980s. Using aerial photographs, satellite measurements and computer models scientists have tracked 176…
World leading – 5 records you didn’t know were set in Antarctica
Many people may know that Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest place on the planet. However there are some other interesting records it also holds. 1) Enter Sand Iceman Metallica made it into the 2015 Guiness World Records when they became the first musical act to perform a concert on every continent. The…
Depth charge: How penguins ‘fly’
The regular footage showing penguins seemingly flying out of the water and onto nearby ice floes is always exciting to watch, particularly if they’re doing so with a hungry seal or orca close behind. But just how do they get the speed to do so? Because of their widdly-waddly body shape penguins can’t exactly grapple…