TASMANIA!!!! #7

from Tim Page

on the Australian Icebreaker "Aurora Australis", off the south coast of

Tasmania

January 20, 2000 5pm

Hi there everybody at Winthrop, Doyon & Block Island Schools

PRESENT POSITION: 43 degrees South Latitude, 145 degrees East Longitude

DIRECTION HEADING: 46 degrees

SHIP SPEED: 12 knots

DISTANCE TO HOBART, TASMANIA: 99 nautical miles

DISTANCE FROM MAWSON STATION, ANTARCTICA: 3132 nautical miles

AIR TEMPERATURE: + 15 degrees Celsius

WATER TEMPERATURE: + 15.5 degrees Celsius

WIND SPEED: 35 knots

HUMIDITY: 77%

How do? This is just a quick one to let you know that we've just seen land!

We are just off the south coast of Tasmania, which is the large island off

the south coast of the mainland of Australia. Almost home! Tasmania is

where the famous Australian Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson left from. He

even sailed in a ship also called the "Aurora". Actually Tasmania is also

where the Norwegian Antarctic explorer Roald Amundsen first announced that

he had made it all the way to the South Pole.

We are right near an island called Maatsuyker, which some of you may

recognise is a Dutch name. The first Europeans to sail around this part of

the world were the Dutch (well, that's not strictly true since the

Portuguese were here first). A chap called Abel Tasman sailed all around

New Zealand and also discovered "Tasmania". He named this small island

which is near us now after an official from the Dutch East India company

named Jan Maatsuyker. The Dutch were particularly interested in this part

of the world because of the huge fortunes that could be made from spices,

like nutmeg, which grew only in the islands north of Australia.

You probably already know that the Dutch were also very active in North

America in the 1600's. In fact New York used to be a Dutch town called "New

Amsterdam". In the end the Dutch let the English have the town in exchange

for the English giving up an island in the Spice Islands where nutmeg grew.

I think the English got the better deal!!

You may have noticed that I put the word "discovered" inside quotation marks

when I said Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania. This is, of course, because

the Aboriginal people of Tasmania discovered this place THOUSANDS of years

before the Europeans turned up. They have been in Tasmania so long than

when they first came here, it wasn't an island but was attached to the rest

of Australia. Around ten thousand years ago or so one of the ice ages

ended, and lots of ice from Antarctica and the Arctic melted and the sea

level rose up, trapping people on Tasmania. Antarctica strikes again! And

to think some people don't think Antarctica is important, the fools.

Of course there is a similar story when you talk about who discovered

America. Some say the Vikings, some say Irish monks, or Egyptians, or even

good old Christopher Columbus. Of course the truth is that the Amerindian

people discovered it many thousands of years ago! New York may have once

been New Amsterdam, but it was Indian land before that. I'm afraid I don't

know which Indian people owned it, may be you can find out? Which Indian

peoples live (or lived) near where you are?

Guess what I missed seeing yesterday? About 60 whales. Darn it!! I was

asleep. You see the Antarctic makes your body very confused about what the

time is, because it's always light. Now we are further north, it's getting

dark at night but my body hasn't adjusted yet. I'll tell you what the

others saw, about 60 Pilot Whales. These are long black, sleek whales.

They look like very big dolphins or torpedoes. There were 3 different pods

(groups), and lots of small calves. There were also Bottlenose Dolphins and

piles of birds, albatrosses, petrels, prions, and gannets, flying around.

There must have been lots to eat in that patch of ocean. You'd think

somebody would've woken me up to see it, wouldn't you??

Anyway, I've got to go now. I will be in Australia for a week, then Japan

for a week, and then back to England to see my patient wife and get back

into the "real" world for a while. I will send another email in the next

couple weeks with a list of all the animals we've seen on this voyage.

Have fun.

Tim