Why Andrew Denton loves Antarctica

SATIRIST and presenter Andrew Denton tells Escape why Antarctica's wildness and desolation leave him feeling invigorated .

andrew denton escape antarctica

NO ONE slings satire like Andrew Denton. Married with one son, he has produced and hosted some of Australia's best television, including Enough Rope and, more recently, Randling on the ABC.

He's also faced with an agonising decision. Leave his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs (on the brink of rugby league finals glory) for a business trip to New York or stay home to cheer them on and quite possibly jinx them.

A fundraising trip with Chimu Adventures supporting the restoration of Mawson's Hut in 2014 will be his fifth trip to Antarctica, a destination he describes as the wildest place he knows. 

-- Why Antarctica?

It's a place where we're not in control. You get a sense of an unspoilt planet. I think it's the wildest place I know. People think of it as being just white, but there's the most amazing range of colours. There's a desolation and a silence there, which is quite something.

-- Any packing advice?

Layers. Lots of layers. 

-- Did anything go pear-shaped?

There was supposedly a thermal pool on a little southern Antarctic island; we hopped in, and it wasn't bloody thermal.

-- In the past few years the numbers of tourists visiting Antarctica have doubled. How do you feel about that?

It's part of the difficult balance, isn't it? When I talk about Antarctica, I'm aware I am doing two things. I'm making people aware of a place I think requires protection but equally, when you make people more interested, more of them want to go see it. I think it's possible to do both. 

-- Has your time spent in Antarctica changed you?

I had an experience once, just on a little Zodiac, sitting off the edge of a glacier and you could hear explosions inside the glacier. It was essentially new ice being formed. Whether it's changed me, I don't know. It is just like an enormous bath for the soul. There's a freshness to it, a wildness that takes you so far out of your normal life and I find that really addictive. 

-- What kind of souvenirs do you bring back?

I bring photos and I bring something that is irreplaceable, that incredible sense of place. 

-- How many holidays do you get to take a year?

I try to take one big holiday.

-- Where do you plan to take your next holiday?

I'm hoping to spin that one (2014 fundraising trip to Antarctica) out into Patagonia and into parts of Chile and Argentina, as well as Machu Picchu in Peru. 

-- Top of your travel bucket list?

The gorillas in Rwanda, I want to go trekking in Bhutan and one of my dreams is to go to the northern polar region and see the northern lights. 

-- Is there anything you can't you travel without?

I can't travel without access to a cup of tea. 

-- English breakfast?

Absolutely. None of this Earl Grey rubbish. If I have tea, all else is possible. 

-- Will South Sydney win the NRL competition this year?

You know what's bizarre? I had planned to go to New York this month. It had never occurred to me (laughs) that they might actually be in the grand final. I'm not sure I can go but I'm terrified that if I stay, we'll lose the grand final because I know if I go, we'll win. 

-- Visit chimuadventures.com for more information on the 2014 Mawson's Hut fundraising expedition to Antarctica.