Then and Now pg3


1911: The original hut built by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911, was partially sheltered from the strong prevailing westerly winds by a rocky outcrop.	2003: Station buildings now surround the rocky outcrop, and there is no trace left of the original hut.

1911: A waterfall down one of the steep cliffs on the east coast.	2003: Notice how the top of the cliff on the left has slumped due to erosion; and a 'step' has been created by a rock-fall below the double section of the waterfall.

1911: Looking south down the spine of the island from Mt Elder	2003: The same glorious view today. Notice that the linear patterns of 'feldmark' in the left foreground are still almost identical. These are tenacious mosses, the only plants that grow in the stony ground, but are forced into lines parallel to the prevailing winds.

1911: The huge Royal Penguin colony at Hurd Point, on the south coast. It contains about half a million breeding pairs during October to March.	2003. This shot was taken earlier in the season, in early October, before all the penguins had arrived. This colony has expanded a little in 90 years; as shown by the fragmentation of the tussock area in the centre as more nesting sites have been established.