Vodka in a Vegemite Jar

About

Vodka in a Vegemite Jar with Trevor Hamley

An Australian on a Soviet Antarctic Expedition

Trevor Hamley's tale is equal parts adventure and camaraderie, and begins in 1983 when he joined Vladamir Papitashvili, a Sovet Trek leader, on a journey across the Antarctic ice to Dome C, near the South Geomagnetic Pole, some 1,500km away - a return distance roughly the same as Sydney to Perth, albeit much, much colder. And less chance of a decent coffee along the way. If you prefer your measurements in fruit, that's approximately 15 to 16.7 million bananas laid end-to-end.

On this epic trek memories were most certainly made. But here's the thing about grand adventures: it's rarely the destination that sticks with you, it's the things that go spectacularly wrong along the way. And in Trevor's case, there were plenty.

• Mechanical equipment gave up. Like a bad-tempered mule.
• A tractor caught fire and had to be abandoned.
• Scientific gear followed suit. (See above, re: no mechanics.)
• An appendectomy was performed 1,000 kilometres from the nearest permanent station, the sort of thing that concentrates the mind wonderfully.

This isn't a catalogue of near-disasters, it is a tale that delves into the intricacies of challenging human experiences, Soviet culture, language and history, cross-cultural friendship, Glaciology and the profound issue of our time, Climate Change.

For anyone who's ever wondered what it's like to stand at the bottom of the world and realise you're not alone.