whaling – IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY………..

THE FIRST WHALING STATION IN ANTARCTIC WATERS

We landed at Grytviken on a cold but bright morning. It is the largest settlement on the island and was formerly a whaling station and is now declared an ‘Area of Special Tourist Interest’ (ASTI). Located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay it is considered the best harbour on the island. Today there is a small group of people who live there, mostly scientists and Museum conservators, and they tend to stay on six month secondments. The British Antarctic Survey applied fisheries research station is here as well as the Marine Officer, the Government’s sole representative. The Marine Officer’s duties include those of Harbor Master, Customs and Immigration, Fisheries Officer and sub-Postmaster. Quite a busy role for the incumbent especially at the height of the tourism season. Previously, however, it was the hub of whaling in Antarctic waters and was founded by Norwegian Carl Anton Larsen in 1904. Conditions were harsh and there are countless tales and fascinating insights into life at that time now displayed in the Museum.

We reached the shore by zodiac – again after the mandatory decontamination session as per the IAATO regulations. The beach was rocky and we were greeted by huge seals basking on the rough stones and who appeared to be unconcerned by the arrival of aliens on their shore!

A couple of rusty old whaling ships lying at the edge of the shore reminded us of what this place was once.

Then it was a short hike up to the cemetery which tells the story of the brave men who lived and died here. Most famous was, of course, Ernest Shackleton who died at Grytviken on January 5th 1922 and is buried here facing the bay. We had had lectures and a film about Shackleton’s life and being here brought it all to life.

Shackleton planned to cross Antarctica from a base on the Weddell Sea to McMurdo Sound via the South Pole, but the expedition ship – the Endurance – was trapped in the ice off the Caird coast and drifted for 10 months before being crushed in pack ice. The members of the expedition then drifted on the ice floes for another 5 months and finally escaped in boats to Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands, where they survived on seal meat, penguins, and their dogs. Shackleton and five others sailed 1,300 km (800 miles) to South Georgia in a whale boat, which took 16 days before landing on the southern side of the island. The crew then made the first crossing of the island to seek help and after four months, Shackleton succeeded in rescuing his crew from Elephant Island – and not one of the crew of Endurance died. A remarkable feat in unbelievable circumstances. In 1921, Shackleton attempted a fourth expedition with the goal of circumnavigating the continent. He died here in Grytviken at the outset of the journey, and it is believed the strain of the expeditions themselves and the exertion in raising funds wore out his strength, and he died of a heart attack.

Along the side of the cemetery was a large sheet of snow and ice and here a few King Penguins were having a leisurely wallow dipping their feet into the stream alongside.

Then we walked a short distance to the Museum to learn more about this fascinating little settlement. I talked with one of the conservators who was a young girl from Shetland, in Scotland. This was her fourth stay on the island and she was delighted because it was summer (November) here but winter in Scotland and she had timed her secondments to be such and thereby had missed two winters in a row! All the same, it can’t be easy to stay in a such a remote place for six months at a stretch with a bunch of strangers for company. Ultimately some would become lifelong friends, I am sure.

There is a shop and a Post Office and we were able to buy postcards and mail them from here thus having a unique postmark! The shop sold souvenirs as well as woollen clothing and books. We were told they would accept cash or credit cards and so went with cash but were unlucky – that day they only took credit cards! So no souvenirs for me just a lot of memories and heaps of photos of a rather large baby seal blocking the doorway of the shop – so we had to walk around the back!

What a magical day! We immersed ourselves in history, mingled with the wildlife, met some locals and drank in the scenery. More adventures awaited us and we have learnt that no two days are the same!

No visit to Port Lincoln is complete without a trip to Coffin Bay and a tasting of the famous oysters. We set off for lunch at a newly opened restaurant but first we took a detour to the beautiful Whaler’s Way and Theakstone’s Crevasse which is some 32 km from Port Lincoln.

Located on private property – owned by the same family since 1860 and old friends of the Ferry family – we obtained the key from Bob Theakstone and navigated the sandy, winding road first to Cape Wiles which was named after the botanist James Wiles who sailed with Flinders in 1802. This is part of an area known as Whaler’s Way and an old whaling station can still be seen at Fishery Bay. The Whalers made a living off Southern Right Whale blubber and today these massive whales once again pass through the waters annually during the winter months.

Cape Wiles is truly spectacular and dozens of fur seals are often seen splashing around the base of the golden sandstone islands just off the point.

It was blustery but a beautiful day – so the clan gathered for a photo opportunity! Then we drove on to Cape Carnot which is at the southwesterly tip of the Eyre Peninsula and named by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin in 1802. The waves are often freakish and have claimed lives. The full force of the Southern Ocean meets some of the oldest rock formations on the planet and, well known to geologists, these rocks are some 2460 million years old. We didn’t have time to climb down to them but the view was pretty spectacular.

Finally we came to Theakstone’s Crevasse, which I first visited in 1969 and it hasn’t changed! It is a deep fissure along a fault line formed over millions of years and is 1-2m wide and 13m deep. The walls are said to be 9m high. The crevasse has been scoured by the sea and extends some 30m underground.

Time was beating us so we made our way out of the property and on to Coffin Bay where we had booked lunch at 1802 – a new restaurant on the foreshore of the pretty village.

Matthew Flinders named the bay in February 1802 in honour of his friend Sir Thomas Coffin who was Naval Commissioner at Sheerness where the “Investigator” was fitted out. The waters are calm and ideal for oyster farming which has grown over the years. Surrounded by National and Conservation Parks, this is an ideal family holiday location with lots of fishing, kayaking, walking, water sports and fabulous scenery. We were there primarily for the oysters and they didn’t disappoint!

Then it was back to Port Lincoln and a visit to the local winery – Boston Bay Wines which is located on the shores of Boston Bay.

Love the name of the Sav Blanc – this is the home of The Great White after all! We didn’t have the time nor the inclination to swim with the sharks but hundreds do!

Makybe Diva – the famous racehorse, winner of the Melbourne Cup and owned by Port Lincoln identities. The statue is on the foreshore and this was taken early in the morning on our walk to our breakfast spot.

Farewell to Port Lincoln – you have turned on the best weather and showcased the full beauty of the region which we have managed to explore in just three days but we all vowed we will return.