AUSTRALIAN: 1911 cover to the Bank of Tasmania at Hobart with Tasmanian 1d Pictorial tied by a superb strike of the 'LOOSE SHIPS LETTER/POSTED AT/MACQUARIE ISLAND/[penguin]/S.Y. AURORA/A.A.E.' cachet, 'HOBART/21DE11/TASMANIA' cds alongside, endorsed on the flap in the same hand "Memento of 1st/Australian Antarctic Expedn", light overall soiling. The "Aurora" departed Hobart on 2.12.1911. It was accompanied as far as Macquarie Island by the supply ship SS 'Toroa', on which this cover was carried back to Hobart.
AUSTRALIAN: 1912 Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911 PPC of 'SY Aurora' to British Columbia with a very fine strike of the 'LOOSE SHIPS LETTER/POSTED IN/ANTARCTICA/[penguin]/S.Y. AURORA/A.A.E.' cachet, Tasmanian 1d Pictorial tied by 'HOBART/12MR12/TASMANIA' cds at U/L, minor blemishes mostly on the view-side. The message states "SY Aurora/Lat 66.37 S/Long 144.00 E/7.1.12/Greetings from Antarctica! We are in sight of land and expect to land in a day or so when the snow clears off. Have been 5 weeks at sea - rough weather & pack ice/Yours Cecil". [Marjorie Wharton states in her book about Antarctic postcards: "The very few examples of this card...seen have all been used on the Expedition"]
The writer was Cecil Thomas Madigan who, at the age of only 22, was the Expedition's meteorologist. He also lead several exploration sorties into uncharted parts of Adelie Land & King George V Land. During WWI, he served on the Western Front. During the 1930s he undertook numerous aerial surveys in central Australia & named the Simpson Desert, across which he lead the first major land expedition in 1939.
AUSTRALIAN: 1913 commercial cover to Melbourne with a superlative strike of the rare 'LOOSE SHIPS LETTER/ [penguin]/S.Y. AURORA/A.A.E.' cachet (recut, with 'POSTED IN/ANTARCTICA' removed from above the Penguin) at lower-left & 1d Kangaroo cancelled on arrival with 'PT ADELAIDE/26FE13/STH AUSTRALIA' cds, vertical fold, some creasing & the flap removed. One of the great AAT covers, and a marvellous usage item for the Kangaroo collector. [After being forced to spend an extra winter on the ice shelf, Douglas Mawson & his six companions were finally rescued on 2.2.1913. The 'Aurora' sailed directly to Adelaide where mail was cancelled on the 26th or 27th February. Only 3 other covers & 2 pieces bearing this recut cachet have been recorded. This strike is probably the finest known, and the cover is far superior to Kevin Dwyer's brown cover with cds of 27FE13 that sold at our auction of 7.2.2009 for $5590]
