Biographical entry Borchgrevink, Carsten Egeberg (1864 - 1934)

Summary

Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink was an Antarctic explorer, whose group was the first to winter on the continental mainland. Although he was not a properly trained scientist his pioneering work in the Antarctic was valuable to later, more elaborate, scientific expeditions.

Details

Born Christiania, Norway, 1 December 1864. Died Oslo, 21 April 1934. Studied natural science, Royal College, Tharandt, Saxony. Migrated to Australia 1888. Worked on survey teams in Queensland and New South Wales 1892-94; taught languages and natural science, Cooerwull Academy, Bowenfels, New South Wales; deck-hand and scientific work, Antarctic whaling expedition in the "Antarctic"; raised money for a scientific expedition in the "Southern Cross" 1898 (first men to spend a winter on the continental mainland, and made a sledge journey to the highest southern latitude reached in the Antarctic to that date); scientific expedition for the National Geographic Society to the West Indies to study the effects of recent volcanic eruptions 1902. Silver medal, Royal Scottish Geographical Society 1904; Patron's Medal, Royal Geographical Society 1930.

Published resources

Books

• Baughman, T.H., Before the Heroes Came: Antarctica in the 1890s, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1994, 171 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Swan, R. A., 'Borchgrevink, Carsten Egeberg (1864-1934), Antarctic explorer', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 7, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1979, p. 348. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070353b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Borchgrevink, C E', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-794561. Details