Discover the achievements of one of Australia’s most remarkable but little-known historical figures, Sir George Hubert Wilkins. Featuring Wilkin’s 1939 Chevrolet “Woody” and polar exploration sled, this exhibition recognises his incredible achievements as a South Australian-born polar explorer, aviator, war photographer, submariner, and all-round adventurer.

About Sir George Hubert Wilkins:

Born at Mt Bryan, South Australia, on 31 October 1888, Wilkins lived through the infamous Federation Drought, and its devastating effect on the family farm inspired him to develop a method for forecasting such events. His obsession with what is now called ‘climate science’ became an ambition for his life’s work, which took him to the far reaches of the Earth. 

Before completing his university studies in music and engineering, he stowed away on a ship destined for Sydney to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking.  His reputation as a talented cameraman, willing to take risks, took him to Europe. There, he became the first person to film flying from an airplane, and on assignment during the first Balkan conflict, he was the first to film a battle.  During the First World War, he was selected to join the AIF photographic Corps, receiving military honours. 

Wilkins is best known for his Polar exploration, especially his pioneering use of technology. In April 1928, with pilot Ben Eielson, Wilkins completed the first flight across the Arctic, from Alaska to Spitzbergen, for which he received a knighthood from King George V of England. Later that year, Wilkins and Eielson completed a 600-mile aerial reconnaissance of Antarctica, the first time a plane had flown on that continent.  In 1931, instead of soaring high above the ice, Wilkins dived below it in ‘Nautilus’ a surplus WWI submarine. The voyage demonstrated that submarines could function under the Arctic polar ice cap and be used for scientific research. 

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˟ Sir George Hubert Wilkins

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