Not quite the Antarctic, in fact halfway there from Australia or New Zealand, but at 50 degrees south latitude - the Furious Fifties - close enough and chilly enough for most of us.

Macquarie Island is uniquely situated on a boundary between tectonic plates, exposing rocks from beneath the earth's crust. Administratively the island forms part of Tasmania, although the Australian Antarctic research station is now the only human habitation. In the early 19th century the island attracted bands of predatory whalers and sealers who quickly depleted Macquarie's natural resources.

Access to this World Heritage Area is now strictly controlled, and for the ordinary traveller becomes feasible only by joining an expedition cruise such as those operated by Heritage Expeditions. Tasmanian Park rangers escort all visitors, who can only land at two locations.

Most of these images were captured with Nikon D300 using RAW format.