PODCAST

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica

Matthew Alan McArthur

A history of human activity in Antarctica

history natural sciences

All Episodes

01:00:12

162_Peninsula_Measuring_Contest

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2026/03/25

Part two of my coverage of the British, Argentine, and Chilean attempts to bolster national pride in and international recognition of their various efforts on the Antarctic Peninsula. This episode drills down on goings on in Hope Bay and Anvers Island and features an interruption from Kettle catching the largest flathead I've seen in a good few years, which I left in in its entirety as an aural reminder of the best day I spent at work in over two decades.

37:11

161_Graham_O_Higgins_Martin_Land_part_1

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2026/03/11

The first half hour of a lengthy and bumpy adventure in trying to recount what happened around the Antarctic Peninsula in the first half of the 1950s. And Craig.

01:08:19

160_Two_Years_at_Mawson_Station

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2025/10/18

Bob Dovers does sterling OIC work setting the rhythm and mode of Mawson Station winters, though at considerable cost to his health. John Bechervaise continues in the grooves established by Dovers, cementing Australia's toehold in the cold and the meson telescopes in place. Phillip Law goes in to bat against bureaucrats cratting for all their bureau's worth and manages to keep the focus on science, though some of his ideas about what to do with an Australian territorial claim once his efforts have

58:21

159_Interviews_from_the_Australian_Antarctic_Festival_20...

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2025/06/02

I recorded these interviews at the Australian Antarctic Festival in August 2024. I release them now in lieu of historical narrative episodes I should have ready but don't because reasons.

58:21

159_Interviews_From_AAF_2024

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2025/05/31

I recorded these interviews at the Australian Antarctic Festival in August 2024. I release them now in lieu of historical narrative episodes I should have ready but don't because reasons.

01:10:36

158_Mawson_Station

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2025/03/06

Ali Gordon and Solan Jensen: go die in a fire for helping cover up for Hadleigh.

22:48

157_The_Final_Experiment

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2025/02/21

What do you get if you cross religion with flat Earthers and Antarctica? A cross podcaster and little else.

31:59

157_Libertarians_on_ice

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2024/09/10

Coming back at yer, six months late and barely on topic, episode 157 addresses the increasingly loud and dunderheaded online chatter about escaping society and trying to establish society, only with more ice and surprise cannibalism. Libertarians probably don't listen to my output, but any that do can dig a well, actually, and throw themselves down it before getting in touch to try to correct me on where I got their politics, reading preferences, and predictions about their Antarctic ventures

59:01

155_TAE_and_IGY_foreshadowing

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2024/03/10

You don't just throw a Trans-Antarctic Expedition or an International Geophysical Year together. These things take planning. Here's some background on the planners and introductions to some of the doers.

39:17

154_Macquarie_Island_catch_up

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/12/17

Several years of Macquarie Island winters receive attention as I chill out under a Casuarina after several fraught months.

39:15

153_A_furtive_summiting_And_The_Frontier_Below

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/12/15

I give voice to another almost but not quite lost snippet from "Big Dead Place" and I give the microphone to Adam Fitzgerald who voices the introduction to Jeff Maynard's new book, "The Frontier Below."

01:00:12

152_Vodka_in_a_Vegemite_Jar

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/12/01

In 1983 Australian glaciologist Trevor Hamley joined a Soviet traverse from the Russian coastal station, Mirny, to Dome Charlie, high atop the Antarctic plateau. Bouncing about in the back of a T-55 tank converted into a living quarters/galley/dining space/lab, recording locations on audio cassette tape, wielding a hammer, and ignoring the ideological and political drivers of the cold war in the name of survival, camaraderie, and science, Trevor experienced Antarctica in a unique context at a unique

01:11:50

151_Jeff_Wilson_interview

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/11/27

Australian Antarctic Division alumnus, Jeff Wilson, recounts his experiences at Australian stations and in the Ross Sea. Road trip with our eldest. Good company at Anglesea. Good food. Good audio. One of the best days 2023 offered up.

52:01

150_Shepherds_of_Heard_Island

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/11/20

The ANARE presence at Heard Island runs to 1955 and switches focus to continental Antarctica. The Island taught Australians to work on glaciers and to run dog teams, saw John Bechervaise cut his Antarctic teeth and lead the first ascent of Big Ben, and claimed the lives of two winterers. "Ice Coffee" leaves Heard Island alone for a bit having documented its reputation as a very difficult place to operate boats, keep sheep, and traverse safely. Don't think Heard Island counts as proper Antarctic

01:02:49

149_Heard_Island_Appendices

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/11/09

ANARE occupation at Heard Island ran short but intense, and sometimes in tents. In addition to large quantities of wind and sleet the island provided a training ground for Antarctic travelers and their dogs. Challenging maritime approaches led to innovative approaches by maritime challengers, and everyone got home safely, this episode.

01:50:57

148_The_Hope_Bay_Hype

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/08/12

Argentina and Britain needle each other over what huts go where around the Antarctica Peninsula and notes of protest change hands at a fevered pace. Hot heads at low temperatures lead to a low ebb in high latitudes camaraderie ashore at Hope Bayhia Esperanza. And Chile was there, too.

01:26:11

147_Dr_Hillary_Sebeny

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/05/20

Yet another amazing interview through which to inform you and by which to relieve myself of the burden to write and record a chronological narrative episode this month. "Ice Coffee": where me goofing off and being lazy still results in audio gold.

01:43:03

146 An interview with Professor Nash, another with...

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/04/01

Professor Meredith Nash spent two years studying and reporting on the culture within the Australian Antarctic Division. Their findings, released late in 2022, may prove a turning point in the history of Australia's presence in Antarctica. Professor Nash spoke to me about their research and their experiences in Antarctica as part of the inaugural Homeward Bound voyage. Michael Marshall knows more about the flat Earth movement than anyone who doesn't believe the Earth is flat, and many of those who

31:17

145_Josh_Jensen_Hercules_Maintainer

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/03/13

Josh Jensen spent an austral summer keeping LC-130 Ski Hercules operational out of McMurdo. I spoke to him about the challenges that throws up and found out the days of boiling a pot of oil over the stove and pouring it into the sump ended with the last big roundy engines to depart the continent in the 1970s. Cheers to Josh for putting aside time to discuss the confluence of my two of my favourite things: Antarctica and aviation.

51:27

144_Russia_has_re-entered_the_chat

Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica ·

2023/03/12

Some historical and political context for the Russian return south in Soviet Union form. Bolsheviks: form soviets and roll out.

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Ice Coffee: the history of human activity in Antarctica

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