Journey to Antarctica

Roger Thiedeman takes wing to the most inaccessible continent on Earth

Shortly after 9 o'clock one Sunday morning a few weeks ago, my mother and I were two of nearly 400 passengers aboard a Qantas Boeing 747-400 jetliner that took off from Melbourne's Tullamarine International Airport. Later that evening, at around 8.15 p.m., we landed back at Tullamarine without touching down at any other airport in between. Those intervening eleven hours, far from proving tiring or tedious, provided us with one of the most memorable experiences of a lifetime - a sightseeing flight over the mighty continent of Antarctica.

Every year since 1994, Qantas have been operating a series of special charters like this in conjunction with Croydon Travel, a reputed Melbourne travel agency. Spanning the months from November to February, these ten flights take advantage of the 24 hours of continuous daylight that characterises the so-called 'austral' summer in Antarctica. From the safety and comfort of an aircraft cabin, passengers are afforded spectacular views of what must rank among the most inhospitable areas of the world. But breathtakingly beautiful too, for all its harsh ruggedness.

Nearly all our fellow-passengers that day were adults. Yet, even as the Qantas 'jumbo jet' thundered down the runway, using almost every available metre on its take-off run, a childlike excitement was palpable throughout the cabin. As we headed south over Port Phillip Bay, the coastline of Victoria receded in our wake. Time to get acquainted with some of the people who would fill our day with fascinating facts and figures about the polar region we were going to see.

Travelling on the 747 were four scientists, all with firsthand experience of living, working and studying in Antarctica. Possessing multiple degrees and doctorates between them, the group was disciplined in polar logistics, engineering, environmental management, veterinary science, zoology and meteorology. Apart from presenting short talks and video programmes of Antarctic interest (relayed over the aircraft entertainment system), this friendly bunch mixed freely with passengers, answering individual questions or chatting informally. Educational content aside, their presentations also prevented boredom during uneventful periods of the flight.

We were encouraged to try on various items of protective clothing used by workers in Antarctica. Cameras clicked and flashed as passengers took turns donning heavy jackets with fur-lined parka hoods, matching trousers, all coloured bright yellow for easy visibility, and heavy boots with two-inch-thick soles for tramping through ice and snow. A face mask with two tiny slits for the eyes, and a little beak of a flap over the nose, completed the ensemble. This strange, bird-like appearance caused much mirth!

About an hour after leaving Melbourne, we were directly overhead Hobart, capital city of Australia's island state Tasmania. Although shrouded by cloud, Hobart represented an important landmark on our trip. Here, the aircraft captain received his most up-to-date weather forecast for our journey towards the South Pole. Analysing the data, he would then select from 18 different flight paths at his disposal to give us the best possible viewing conditions during the four hours we would spend over Antarctica.

Now, as we left Australia behind us, it was time to enjoy a hearty brunch. At least three hours would elapse before we caught our first glimpse of the Antarctic region. An opportune time to contemplate some of the mind-boggling statistics generated by this incredible continent. For starters, the total expanse of Antarctica covers 12 million square kilometres, an area 1.5 times larger than the contiguous states of the USA - that part of America not including Alaska and Hawaii. If still unimpressed, consider that 98% of the terrain is continental ice sheet, with only 2% consisting of barren rock. And the average depth of those ice sheets is 2.8 kilometres, with thicknesses of nearly 5 kilometres not unknown.

Antarctica is, on average, the highest, coldest, driest and most inaccessible continent on this planet. While annual mean temperature here is minus 49 degrees Celsius, it holds the record for the lowest temperature ever noted anywhere in the world: minus 89.6 degrees Celsius, at the Russian Vostok research station in 1983.Yet during the austral summer, Antarctica receives more solar radiation than the equator. 

We weren't quite finished with Australia yet. Below us and slightly to left of track lay Macquarie Island, an Australian territory administered by the state of Tasmania. Home to large colonies of bird life, seals and penguins, like Antarctica it is an important area of scientific research. One of our on-board experts attempted radio contact with his wife, also a scientist, stationed there. Unfortunately, poor reception prevented their electronic reunion. We did, however, listen in to a conversation on a different radio frequency between another of the airborne scientists and a crew member of an Australian research ship battling tempestuous seas in its attempt to dock at Macquarie.

Pressing onwards over the vast Southern Ocean, our flight presently crossed the 60 degree line of latitude. Marking the official start of the Antarctic region, it is known as the 'Screaming Sixties' for its often stormy weather. But we cruised serenely aloft as a hum of anticipation began gathering momentum throughout the cabin. When would we have our first sighting of something Antarctic? Not much longer, as it turned out.

Around 30 minutes later, excitement shifted up another notch as we spotted a few scattered icebergs. Still some distance from the shores of Antarctica, these huge chunks had broken away from the ice shelf surrounding the continent and were slowly drifting northward, to finally melt away in warmer waters. Seen from 32,000 feet, the icebergs appeared deceptively small. Like silvery shards or slivers of glass glinting in vivid contrast against the deep blue of the ocean. Our view of the lonely 'bergs was not exactly unhindered. In fact, there was quite a bit of cloud cover, giving voice to tinges of disappointment. Would the rest of Antarctica be 'socked in' by a heavy overcast? Are cloudy skies going to spoil this trip of a lifetime?

The answers would have to wait. First we were going to fly over the South Magnetic Pole (SMP). Not to be confused with the Geographic South Pole, which marks the dead centre of the bottom of the world, the SMP is where compasses get their orientation from. Curiously, the SMP now lies well out to sea, several thousand kilometres from the Geographic Pole. In the previous sentence I used the word "now" because the SMP (as does its Northern counterpart) keeps shifting position with the passage of time. Indeed, some 4,000 years ago, the South Magnetic Pole lay in South America, in the middle of the Andes mountains! 

Far beyond the range of our Boeing 747, the true South Pole would elude us on this trip. But passing directly overhead the Magnetic Pole, we observed an interesting phenomenon. Compass needles began rotating lazily, seemingly confused by the magnetic forces acting vertically downwards at that point on earth, without horizontal magnetic components for the needles to align themselves with. 

That 'party trick' over, there was still worry about cloud cover. But our fears were soon dispelled. As the four powerful Rolls-Royce engines were throttled back to idle power, we began descending beneath layer upon layer of cottony cloud. Suddenly, we broke through the murk to be greeted by one of the most magnificent vistas it has been my privilege to set eyes upon. Below us lay a vast, dazzling expanse of ice and snow, as far as the eye could see. From our lofty viewpoint, albeit getting lower by the second, the desolate landscape appeared silent and still as it swept down to meet the frigid waters of the surrounding ocean.

Here, at last, was Antarctica. The white, brooding continent that has enthralled, attracted and claimed the lives of explorers and adventurers since the 1800s. But this was only a foretaste of greater wonders Antarctica held in 'cool' store! Our journey aboard this cosy, jet-propelled cocoon would encounter even more magnificent secrets of this awesome, spellbinding land. Towering mountain ranges, glaciers, icebergs, jagged coastal ranges and plateaus, they all awaited the next four hours of our exciting flight.

Continued next week

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