Eclipse Island Basket

The Eclipse Island Basket tells a fascinating story of ingenuity and adaptation. Located on the rugged Southern Ocean, Eclipse Island lacked a suitable harbor for receiving supplies and passengers. To overcome this, baskets played a crucial role in transferring goods and people from the island to waiting vessels.

Initially, a sturdy 90cm square wicker basket was used. However, it posed challenges due to its instability on the small dinghy. An alternative was to lower a ladder down the rock face, but the unpredictable ocean swells made this method dangerous, sometimes damaging the boats.

By 1952, passengers clung to a rope supporting a cargo net, a precarious experience made even riskier by the rolling seas. A collapsible canvas basket followed, but its sides could unexpectedly flip, startling those inside.

The final solution, now on display, is a canvas basket with a door and rough cut cork blocks inside. These cork blocks provided buoyancy, ensuring the basket wouldn’t sink if it fell into the water. This clever design marked the end of a series of daring and inventive transportation methods on Eclipse Island.