From penguin costumes on Macquarie Island to an icy plunge through sea ice in Antarctica, Australian expeditioners have marked Midwinter with one of the most enduring traditions of life at the bottom of the world.
The celebrations were coordinated through the Australian Antarctic Division, which is headquartered in Kingston and manages Australia’s year-round operations in Antarctica and the subantarctic.
More than 100 Australians are currently spending the winter months at Antarctic research stations and on Macquarie Island, where Midwinter marks the shortest day of the year and the halfway point of the long polar winter.
At Mawson Research Station, expeditioners spent hours preparing a swim hole through about 1.5 metres of sea ice ahead of the annual plunge.
Footage released by the division shows large blocks of ice being cut and lifted from the frozen surface before swimmers entered the dark seawater below.
Station leader Dave Buller said the water beneath the ice was around minus 2 degrees Celsius.
“We’re actually getting ready for our winter solstice celebrations on the 21st of June, our Midwinter celebrations,” he said.
The annual Midwinter swim is a longstanding Antarctic tradition, giving expeditioners a chance to reflect on their achievements, celebrate the return of longer daylight hours and recognise those who have wintered on the continent before them.
While some expeditioners braved the freezing water at Casey and Mawson research stations, others on Macquarie Island embraced the occasion in colourful costumes, including penguin outfits that blended in surprisingly well with some of the island’s real residents.
One expeditioner questioned the group’s decision to voluntarily enter minus 2-degree water on a day when air temperatures hovered around minus 20 degrees.
For those spending winter thousands of kilometres from home, Midwinter is both a celebration and a reminder that the darkest part of the Antarctic year has passed.
