Home » Themes » People » Exploration
Roald Amundsen Print Page 
The plaque commemorates Roald Amundsen who sent a telegram from the Hobart General Post Office notifying the world that he had become the first man to reach the South Pole. The plaque was unveiled in the centenary year of the event.
In 1911 and 1912, the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen and the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott raced against each other to be first to reach the geographic South Pole. Scott arrived at the South Pole in January 1912, to find the Norwegian had been there before him. Amundsen won the race by 35 days, using superior skills and equipment adapted from exploring the Northwest Passage in the remote northern wastes of the Arctic Ocean.
Amundsen returned to Hobart, Tasmania on March 7, 1912 and anchored his ship Fram in the Derwent River. He ordered his crew to remain aboard while he went ashore first, proceeding directly to the General Post Office to send a telegram to the young King Haakon VII of Norway.
Amundsen Article 1912Location
| Address: | Elizabeth & Macquarie Streets, Hobart G.P.O., Hobart, 7000 |
|---|---|
| State: | TAS |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -42.882581 Long: 147.330133 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Exploration |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1912 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 2012 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 11th March, 2012 |
|---|
ROALD AMUNDSEN AND RACE TO THE SOUTH POLE
Roald Amundsen reached the South Geographic Pole on 14 December 1911, the first human to do so. His first stop on the way home was in Hobart where he arrived on 7 March 1912 in his ship, the Fram. He sent a coded message to King Haakon VII of Norway from the Hobart General Post Office.
The telegram was sent by the Manager for Telegraphs, Hobart, Frank Bowden, who was sworn to secrecy until the official announcement was made in London.
