Quest for the South Magnetic Pole: Keith reviews this exhibition the Maritime Museum in the Adelaide Coast region of South Australia

The vast frozen continent of Antarctica is one of the world's last frontiers. Scientists and explorers have scoured the inhospitable landscape determined to unravel its many mysteries. But despite their best efforts, there was one that managed to allude them for more than a century - the location of the South Magnetic Pole. It's difficult to locate because it moves!

Four hundred ago it was agreed the earth was a giant magnet and since then, sailors, explorers and scientists have been obsessed with understanding how the magnetic forces work and why the compass of their ships veered off true north.

The latest exhibition at the Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide, "Quest for the South Magnetic Pole" tells of the determined and very competitive attempts to solve the mystery. Curator Lindl Lawton says it helps if you understand the concept of the magnetic poles. Remember learning about the molten metal circulating in the earth's core?

Lindl Lawton, Curator: "The earth is a giant magnet and basically that magnetic field is generated by molten metals that move under the Earth's surface and because those molten metals are constantly shifting the magnetic poles are constantly shifting too."

In 1831 dashing polar explorer James Clark Ross made it to the North Magnetic Pole and the race was on to find the South Magnetic Pole. Easy - right? Well, not really - remember we're talking about a wild and inhospitable environment. One of South Australia's favourite sons, Sir Douglas Mawson learnt too well just how dangerous it was - losing two of his men and nearly his own life down here.

Lindl Lawton, Curator: "Cape Denison, where Mawson had his main base was one of the windiest places on earth. And they found that their standard instruments didn't stand up to those conditions. So they had to improvise and develop their own instruments."

The exhibition features a number of their instruments like the puffometer which was developed by Percy Corell to measure the wind gusts at Cape Dennison which were recorded as high as 300 kilometres an hour. The conditions were horrendous and the exhibition has vivid examples of survival - like the reindeer sleeping bags three grown men climbed into each night.

There's some priceless pieces too - like Douglas Mawson's 'dip circle' - a complex three dimensional compass he used when he tried to locate the allusive magnetic pole.

In 1909 Ernest Shackleton's expedition, which included Mawson, hoisted the British flag on what they thought was the South Magnetic Pole - but they got it wrong. It took almost a century for the prize to be claimed - and it was an Australian who did the honours. Charlie Barton had already been to the North Pole and in 2000 he got the double - locating the South Magnetic Pole off the coast.

It was a significant achievement - pulled off with little fanfare - but the Quest exhibition pays due respect to the dogged determination of all those men. "Quest for the South Magnetic Pole" is on at the Maritime Museum until October 18th. It's open daily in Lipson Street in Port Adelaide.

'Quest for the South Magnetic Pole'
Until 18 October 2009

Maritime Museum
126 Lipson Street
Port Adelaide.

Open daily 10am - 5pm

Published 9th August 2009