South Coast Track, Tasmania - December 2017

Whilst not the first thing that springs to mind for polar training - Australia in December - the Expedition team set out to hike the South Coast Track, deep in the pristine Tasmanian wilderness.

A short flight to the isolated gravel airstrip at Melaleuca saw the team start their journey in the remote South West Wilderness region of the state. After a detour to view Bathurst Harbour - shrouded in the usual Tasmanian rain - the team set off towards the southern coastline, damp but in high spirits.

For the next seven days the team meandered along beaches and forests, uphill and down, scrambled over rock faces and slogged through mud, the jokes and lighthearted mood a distraction from the heavy packs.

Waiting for pick up (and chips and gravy) at Cockle Creek, it was clear, this trip was never about achieving an objective - it was just a bunch of now good mates having great fun.