Tragedy and Triumph: The Story of Polar Exploration

Presented by Mark Cottle

PART 1: Robert Scott, Roald Amundsen and the Race to the South Pole.
With the help of the evocative photographs of Scott’s photographer, Herbert Ponting, and some of Edward Wilson’s watercolours, this session focuses on the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration, in particular, the journeys by Scott and his rival, Amundsen to be first at the South Pole.

PART 2: Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition.
We focus on one of the most dramatic escapes from disaster in polar history. Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, got trapped and eventually crushed in the pack ice. With the help of the expedition’s photographs by Frank Hurley, we follow a saga of survival against the odds.

Dates and Locations

Monday 24 August 2026 Newcastle (NSW)

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