Cold Case Adventures and how to Survive Them

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Living in Antarctica 49 years ago was a special experience.
This account describes that experience from three different perspectives.
In August 2025 Phil met with Gil Barton and Neil MacDonald to revive memories of the year they spent at Mawson Base, Antarctica throughout 1976 and the summer of 1977.

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Around September to October as spring begins, life returns to the Antarctic continent.  Adelie Penguins appear on the islands, seal holes appear on the fast decaying sea ice.

The wildlife returns.

Phil discusses witnessing this annual transformation in 1976 with Peter Niblett. This experience inspired the production of a children’s book based around the Antarctic wildlife. The book, published in 2025, is described at the end of the video and is intended to be the first of a three part series.

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There is no doubt that a woman’s perspective of life in the Antarctic is unique.

An adventurous spirit adds extra colour to the Antarctic woman’s story.

Lyn Irvine is definitely such a woman. Listen to Lyn as she relates some of her remarkable Antarctic adventures and achievements during the years 1998 to 2002 at Mawson and Casey Australian Antarctic Bases.

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After 15 months in the Antarctic at Mawson Base and throughout the area called Enderby Land, Phil and his fellow expeditioners left for Australia on the Nella Dan in the summer of 1977 - a journey which spanned 13 days. This account describes one person’s experience of leaving such a unique environment to resume life in Australia.

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In the winter of 1976 at Mawson Antarctica, Phil and fellow Antarctic expeditioners travelling by Husky dog teams to Auster Emperor Penguin Rookery, three times.  Each journey was different, presenting its own difficulties and spectacular attractions.

This first part of an interview of Phil Wolter by Peter Niblett describes the arduous journey from Mawson when undertaking the first of three trips. It was the coldest time of year, taking three days to cover 56 Km.

We describe the experience of encountering thousands of the majestic Emperor Penguins during their nesting on t...

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In 1979 David Blaby returned to the Antarctic taking the position of Plant Inspector at Mawson. Circumstances led to him staying for two consecutive winters - very rare for the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE).  The years 1979-81 were still the era of the dogs on base. Hear how these dogs were actually flown to the summer field base to be used with survey work. This podcast follows David’s crazy escapades, details of his mechanical exploits, lifetime friendships and insights gained during the better part of a two year stint at the bas...

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Vonna Keller, Antarctic Veteran has spent time at all Australian Antarctic bases, including Macquarie Island from 2005 to 2014.

This podcast covers the years 2005-2008. Vonna relates a few of her amazing experiences, particularly as camp manager while building the first international runway near Casey Base in 2005. The airstrip was capable of handling aircraft as large as the Airbus.

Vonna has driven every manner of Antarctic vehicles, managed large camps as the sole female, witnessed the foiling of illegal poaching of southern waters and surfed icebergs (you read that right). Qualified...

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David Blaby, Antarctic veteran expeditioner, journeyed to Casey Base in 1969 one year after the Australian base was opened.  As an experienced Diesel Mechanic his job was to keep the base running.  David recounts how his Antarctic saga came about and the many adventures, some rather bizarre, that followed.

Of special interest to other veterans is his first-hand account of the origins of that famous Australian tradition called “Cook’s Resignation Day”.

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Australian Antarctic Bases have many and varied vehicles to: keep the base running; support summer survey and research programs; and for recreation.

Mawson base in 1976 was no exception.  This is account of huge variation, adventures and mis-adventures with the vehicles that year.  No expeditioner was harmed in creating the stories recorded in this podcast.

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First day in the Antarctic is different for all.  Phil’s first day arriving at Mawson was very different.

Here he explains to Peter Niblett what this experience, on Christmas Day 1975,  was like and why it was different in some surprising and somewhat bizarre  ways.

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The history of Casey Antarctic Base begins in 1965 with arrival of the first construction crew.   One of the team - Ron Wiggins - provides a first-hand account of the birth of Casey, the end of Wilkes 4 years later and the many adventures he had in the frozen continent. 

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Trapped, isolated in a fierce Antarctic blizzard on a mountain top.  The tent - their only shelter, begins to rip apart.  What do two young Australians do?

This is the question Peter Niblett asks Phil Wolter when this actually occurred in the summer of 1977 on Latham Peak, Antarctica

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Four Mawson Base adventurers decide to take two teams of Husky dogs to a feature called Low Tongue - a rocky outcrop protruding from the Antarctic coastal ice cliff.

It was intended to be a relaxing day trip.  The journey, completed in one day, had an unexpected twist.

Share the adventures along the way as told by Phil Wolter to Peter Niblett

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It’s no secret that the Antarctic Continent is a dangerous place and claimed the lives of many.

In his 15 month period manning Mawson Base Phil experienced his own brushes with death.  One involved the birth of an iceberg and another came about when Phil decided to climb this same berg a few months later, alone, and got into strife.  On another occasion he was in an open snow track vehicle as it slid down the ice slope towards the edge of the massive coastal ice cliff.
Phil, to his grea...

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At the Antarctic base, Mawson, an important safety feature was the Nightwatch.  In the 70’s each wintering expeditioner was required to undertake this vital function as the Nightwatchman.

A seemingly mundane task to mitigate the significant fire risk, it nevertheless seemed to attract some rather bizarre experiences.  This was certainly so for Phil the Geophysicist  in 1976 as he encountered blizzards, office snow storms, unique hair styling and near explosive events.

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In the years when Australian Antarctic programs were centred around the area west of Mawson Base it was customary to receive an invitation from the Russians to visit there large Antarctic base called Molodezhnaya, situated on the western edge of Australian Antarctic Territory. 

Phil, as one of the summer participants, was lucky enough to be included as a visitor representing A.N.A.R.E. (Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions).

Learn how the Russians dealt with the extreme climate and their relationship with us Auzzies in the years when t...

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Each year at Mawson base new huskies were needed to replace the elderly.  The 1976 breeding program created over a dozen pups.  The youngest of these was named Nancy.  She was a cute, good-looking and sweet natured pup.  But Nancy grew up.  The male dogs noticed and Nancy quickly came to enjoy her canine popularity.

Peter Niblett’s probing questions uncover a near disaster for Phil and his travelling companions during one adventurous husky trip, resulting from that loveable fiend - Nancy.

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After arriving in the Antarctic on December 25 1975, Phil Wolter was shown the ropes of the Geophysical Observatory and settled into the routine to keep the records continuous and of high quality.

Pete interviews Phil on what that routine was and the type of instruments used to run both the seismic and geomagnetic observatories.

Of course, over the following year many things can go wrong. One of these was when Phil became trapped outside while trying to change the records during the most powerful blizzard of the year.  Then the h...

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In late January of an Antarctic summer.  Survey work to the west of Mawson Base was well underway and Mawson was manned by a mixture of 1975 and1976 personnel.  One of the old guard felt an itch for one last trip with the dogs and asked two newbies, one being Phil Wolter, to come with him. Naturally Phil and Neil agreed. In the absence of sea ice the only alternative was an inland trip, with the chosen destination being Rumdoodle. We document the misadventures getting there and back, the experiences at Rumdoodle as we le...

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At the edge of the Shackelton Ice shelf lies an extinct Antarctic volcano named Gaussberg. In early 1977 Phil was one of the few passengers of the Nella Dan to visit this ancient geological wonder. His task was to obtain updated measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field.

As a geophysicist Phil had a unique historic link this place dating back to 1912 - the historic era of  pioneers such as Sir Douglas Mawson, Frank Hurley the famous photographer and a young geophysicist named Eric Webb.

In this podcast Peter Niblett int...

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On Christmas Day, 1975 about fifteen trained personnel had crossed the Southern Ocean and arrived at the Antarctic sea-ice edge to begin the coming year at Australia’s Mawson Base.

The account of the trip down in the Nella Dan, the magic of the ice edge, violent storms, the strange events on arrival and the initial settling in to our new routine are here related as Phil Wolter answers searching questions by Peter Niblett

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Mawson Station, Antarctica - in the spring of 1976 three expeditioners saddled up a team of Huskies and set off in search of a hollow iceberg, rumoured to exist somewhere in the vicinity of Mawson.

Peter Niblett interviews Philip Wolter to obtain a first hand account of the adventure, along with other interesting facts about life at an Australian Antarctic base in the mid-seventies.