In week two Matt takes us around the base on Macquarie Island where we find out that the people who are staying on the base need to have supplies of energy and food for 12 months and longer in case the supply ships cannot get through the ice.All materials that they use that can be recycled are put into containers and shipped back to Australia where they are recycled.

There used to be sealers on Macquarie Island who used to use seals and penguins as fuel. They brought horses to the island to help them cart around heavy metal containers which they used. They left these horses on the island and when they returned after 10 years they were amazed to see that the horses had survived the cold and inhospitable climate and had actually increased in numbers.

For more information go to the Australian Antarctic Division website.