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Abstract

Tasmania is often represented in travel accounts as a remote place at the edge of the world. For Antarctic travellers, however, Tasmania is not only an end but also a means: a way-station rather than a destination, a point from which to commence the last leg of an expedition or a haven to return to at its conclusion, and sometimes a place to recuperate between multiple visits. This article examines representations of Tasmania – and particularly its capital city and main port, Hobart – produced by explorers and other travellers on their way to (or from) more southerly destinations. Antarctic travel texts compare and contrast Tasmania to higher latitudes, contextualising it not just as a far southern margin of the familiar world, but also as a northern limit of a lesser-known region of the globe. Both Antarctic travellers’ journeys and their narratives produce a connectedness between Tasmania and other circumpolar places, which in turn embeds the island within a new geographical imaginary: a southern rim surrounding a polar centre. These travel narratives reinforce the image of Hobart as a “gateway” but also put pressure on this term, suggesting a relationship with the far south that includes but goes beyond that of an exit or entry point.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Leane, E
Keywords:	polar gateway, exploration, travel, Tasmania, Hobart, Antarctica
Journal or Publication Title:	Studies in Travel Writing
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
ISSN:	1364-5145
DOI / ID Number:	https://doi.org/10.1080/13645145.2015.1131513
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

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