Mawson's sledge made by L. Hagen & Co., Christiania, Norway, in 1911. Collection, Powerhouse Museum
Several of my most favourite objects at the Powerhouse Museum are the five sledges used on Mawson’s and Scott’s Antarctic expeditions in the early 20th century.
Hardly anyone knows we’ve got them. Ever since I saw the old black and white movie Scott of the Antarctic I’ve been fascinated with Antarctic exploration so to get a chance recently to research and document our sledges, which have been in the collection for over 50 years, was fantastic.
The sledge I found the most interesting was this one used on Sir Douglas Mawson’s 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition. I found descriptions of the sledges and what they carried in Mawson’s account of the expedition in The Home of the Blizzard which was reprinted in 1996. Our sledge is still fitted with two storage boxes added by the expeditioners while waiting out the winter in Mawson’s famous hut.
Looking at our sledge and reading the book’s description was a bit like a checklist: box for the instruments at rear, check; box for the primus at front, check; tray for kerosene, check; deck of plywood on which to place the load, check; and leather straps for securing the load, check! Further research solved the mystery of the little chocks of wood attached in a semi-circle to the primus box. They held the Nansen cooker in place. Photos of sledges taken by Frank Hurley also provided great in-context images.
Instrument box on the sledge. Collection, Powerhouse Museum
The primus box and chocks for the Nansen cooker. Collection, Powerhouse Museum
I have to add something about this amazing sledge, which i have almost fallen in love with since Margaret introduced me to it. I assisted in having it photographed, incidentally the Australian Wikipedia crew got to see it in the studio http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/dmsblog/index.php/2009/04/02/working-with-wikipedia-backstage-pass-at-the-powerhouse-museum/, and was shocked by how thin those wooden boxes are. How on earth did it survive its journey to end up in our collection, still in excellent condition!
Wow. I had no idea this and the other sledges were at the PHM.
There’s a good photo of Mawson with a sledge like it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/2880721814/
Thanks Bob. The image is great and shows some of the Antarctic clothing worn by the expeditioners. We also have some in the collection including a harness.
Thanks. I see.
I am not quite sure how to communicate the level of ‘wow’ i felt at discovering the Powerhouse holds Mawson’s sleds… simply incredible!
I have been fascinated by Mawson since I saw Tim Jarvis’ ‘Mawson: Life and Death in Antarctica’ film on ABC.
Was it displayed as part of International Polar Year 07/08?
Ames, the sledge’s been out and about a bit but not specifically for the International Polar Year 07/08. Apparently it was the star attraction at the launch of the book Mawson’s Huts – the birthplace of Australia’s Antartic Heritage last year. Back in 2003 it went down to ScreenSound for an exhibition on Frank Hurley’s photos called The Savage Sweep of Splendour and before that was at the Australian National Maritime Museum for their exhibition Antarctic Heroes: Triumph and Tragedy.
I loved the ABC show too, but I’ve heard that the repro sledges made for the film have been causing confusion. Some people think they’re the real thing.
I think sleds are heaps cool and i have been learning about them from Antarctica the race to the pole