Day 13: Grytviken: Exploring an old whaling town now reclaimed by seals

Tanya's Diary

In the morning we wake up excited to explore the crisp shoreline of South Georgia and to respectfully observe the colony of King penguins that roam about. Unfortunately, we open the curtains to a turn in the weather – grey skies and ominous clouds greet us. Over the tannoy we hear the sad news – we won’t be able to visit the King penguins! The seas are too choppy, making it unsafe to disembark and unload ourselves into the Zodiac. Safety is a priority so we are all very understanding about the situation and the Captain steers us towards a different area – Grytviken bay, which is sheltered from the weather, where we are able to head to shore for a different experience.

Grytviken Bay was established in the early 1900s by Captain Carl Anton Larsen and was, sadly, the site of the largest baleen whale massacres of the 20th century. Now, the whaling station acts as a living museum and the whole bay hosts hundreds of Antarctic fur seal pups, elephant seals and a variety of birds.

On shore, we see the ancient relics strewed across the land, rusted by the turning of time. These are the remnants of Larsen’s dismantled house and machinery. There is beauty in these ancient artefacts and we utilise our surroundings to tell more of the story of the destructive role that whaling has played in the ecosystems of the great Southern Ocean, with the amazing Bia, and another recorded lesson on nurturing seal pups with Pat, a marine biologist.

Further along is a small cemetery, where the body of one of the most famous explorers on Earth resides – Ernest Shackleton. We pay our respects and have a moment’s silence while we listen to Jeff give a speech about Shackleton’s life.

The weather begins to turn again and so we head back to the ship and to the warmth of the lecture rooms where we learn about the history of diet and scurvy in past expeditions from Linda, the Aurora Expeditions medic on board.

As high winds and strong gusts approached in the north Scotia Sea, it was time to batten down the hatches and find shelter for the night in a secluded cove before heading further north in the morning.

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My Account

Exploring Grytviken

Grytviken, situated on the eastern coast of South Georgia Island, was once a bustling whaling station founded in 1904 by Norwegian Carl Anton Larsen. For several decades, it played a significant role in the whaling industry, leading to the widespread hunting and killing of thousands of whales in the Southern Ocean. The whaling operations at Grytviken contributed to the severe decline in whale populations and had devastating effects on the ecosystem. Today, the abandoned whaling station serves as a haunting reminder of the destructive consequences of human exploitation of natural resources. Visitors to Grytviken can witness the rusting remains of the whaling infrastructure and reflect on the importance of conservation and sustainable practices for the future of our planet.

We walked through the eerily quiet old town ...

... abandoned boats and ships everywhere

Old machines and equipment used for whaling now lie rusting and silent 

Wildlife have taken over some of the town

Fur seals have reclaimed parts of the town and now rule supreme as if to emphasise the resilience of nature over a shameful past. South Georgia pintails also amber along the grass by the water's edge. Now there is life where there, before, was nothing but death.

On the ship later

Misty mountains passing us by

Filming a lesson in the rain

More dedication on display.

Original, single photos

• Original, single photos

Weekend in Newnes

I went to Newnes this weekend and was blown away by this amazing place.  About three hours drive north west of Sydney, Newnes is set in the beautiful Wolgan valley, bordered by towering sandstone cliffs. It used to be the site of a major shale mine which was abandoned in 1932 and has since become a dilapidated ghost town, reclaimed my nature. 

Highlights of the weekend included:

• Driving down on Friday evening with Srini, arriving after 10 pm when everyone else was fast asleep in their tents.
• Exploring the abandoned mine early on Saturday morning. I absolutely love old, crumbling places overtaken by nature like this; reminds me of of the impermanence of all things.  The mine reminded me of my adventure in the Glen Davis shale mine.
• A steep climb up the Pipe Track to enjoy the spectacular view from Echo Point over the Wolgan Valley.
• A refreshing swim in the Wolgan River after our climb back down into the valley.
• Camping next to the old hotel, the last remaining intact building from the mining period.  Actually, it was more "glamping" than camping with showers and an outside kitchen.  We're not used to such luxuries!
• A delicious spread of food on Saturday night.
• Beautiful kangaroos coming down to graze at dusk.
• Srini and Elna doing yoga pose-offs and surprising them with my ability to do a headstand!
• A plank-off between Elna, Srini and me.  Elna won without even putting on a sweat.
• Jonno's excruciatingly drawn out joke around the camp site that made us all groan a bit!
• On Sunday, a lovely walk to the famous glow worm tunnel.  The tunnel was 400 metres long and very dark in the middle, with a spectacular display of thousands upon thousands of glow worms, looking like constellations of stars in the dark.  
• A lovely swim in the river to cool down, before driving back to Sydney.
• Howard and Srini setting up some really fun photos.
• Howard posing for the camera in many different settings, doing his famous "pondering pose."

The old hotel

We camped next to the old hotel.  The hotel is the last remaining building from the mining period. It was moved to its present site after flooding in 1986. It is now de-licensed, but still trades as a kiosk at weekends.  

Walk to the abandoned shale mine

Rahima crossing the river.

Coke ovens that were used in the mining.

On the left, a huge retaining wall that was very impressive indeed.

An old building, reclaimed by nature.

Here's how the mine used to look. It was an enormous complex.

Hike to Echo Point

Crazy Srini at it again

Flowers along the way

What a stunning view from Echo Point!

Doing our usual leaps.

The perfect spot for lunch.

Rahima, Kirsten, Jonno, Srini, me.  Thanks for the photo, Elna

Back down on the valley floor.  Me, Elna, Kirsten, Rahima.  Thanks for the photo, Elna

Having a refreshing swim after the hike.

Camping life

Elna and Srini doing yoga pose-offs 

Ha ha!  Both Srini and Elna, the two yoga masters, struggled to do a handstand.  Then I surprised them by doing one myself.  Some things you learn in childhood never leave you.

Gorgeous wallabies at dusk

More wildlife around the camp site.

Hike to the glow worm tunnel

Gorgeously coloured sandstone cliffs.

Having a well earned break on our way up the valley.

A gorgeous fern glen near the entrance of The Glow Worm Tunnel. More photos here.

Scenes from inside the The Glow Worm Tunnel.  The tunnel is 400 metres in length, curving through almost 180 degrees and is consequently very dark. It is home to thousands of glow worms. These worms are the larval stage of a fly which develops from eggs planted on the cave wall. The larvae drop sticky threads that trap small insects drawn by the light which the worms create.

Here are some photos of the railway that was built to create the glow-worm tunnel.  It was built in 1906-07 as part of the 50-km railway line joining the works at Newnes to the outside world. 

A lake on the other end of the tunnell.

Samira and Howard posing by the lake.

Having a fun swim after the hike.  Srini's famous Mexican hat came out, as you can see.

Stopping off for a view and some fun on the steep drive out of the valley.

Pondering Howard

Howard has a famous pondering pose and it was fun capturing it on camera.