The Australia & New Zealand Chapter of the Explorers Club (ANZEC) is delighted to announce the upcoming 'ANZEC Evening of Adventure' in Melbourne.
Join us at the beautiful Sun Theatre in Yarraville at 6:30pm on Friday, October 4th, 2024.
This exciting evening is open to both members and non-members and will feature presentations from extreme trekker Louie Philippe Loncke and pioneering technical diver John Dalla-Zuanna. You will also have the opportunity to meet and converse with other adventurous individuals on the night.
Louis-Philippe Loncke will be presenting "From Backpacker to World-Class Explorer: How Australia Changed My Life in 20 Years"
LouPhi was named the 2016 European Adventurer of the Year. He first visited Australia 20 years ago and New Zealand in 2002 as a backpacker, where he explored both countries by scuba diving and hiking. He returned to Australia in 2006 for a year and completed his first 3 expeditions, including an epic traverse of the Wilderness Area of Tasmania. This traverse was unsupported for 49 days and involved climbing 19 mountains, including Federation Peak.
In 2018, LouPhi gained international attention after completing the world's first-second crossing of Tasmania. During this expedition, he traversed the entire state from Penguin to the South Coast, resupplying in winter and starting with a backpack weighing 62 kg. You can watch the ABC television news coverage of his journey on his YouTube channel. Since then, he has been referred to as "The Mad Belgian."
During tonight's presentation, Louis-Philippe Loncke will discuss how his journey evolved from being a tourist in Australia in 2004 to returning 5 more times over the last 20 years to complete 7 expeditions, including 5 world firsts.
John Dalla-Zuanna presents “Plumbing the Depths of the Pearse Resurgence”
An active cave diver since 1973, John has been able to follow his passion in many caves throughout the world.
A Hall of Fame & Life member inductee, John has 50 years with the Cave Divers Association of Australia and has served on its various management committees.
John is still an active diving Instructor, and rewarded by Latrobe University, Victoria, and also, the Technical Diving Organisation, OZTek, for his - “Outstanding Services Award to Scuba Diving” and lifetime achievements. John became a member of the Explorers Club in 2019.
As a member on numerous cave diving explorations, including two National Geographic expeditions, John has lent his experience & resources in providing specialised equipment & dive support to his fellow Wetmules and friends.
The Pearse Resurgence in New Zealand has been more than a decade long fascination of the Wetmules.
John will recount the issues & obstacles encountered over the years to prepare for dives now reaching 245m depth with nearly a kilometre penetration in 6 degree water.
Collecting data on the fly, mapping, heating systems, habitats and now hydrogen breathing mixtures – techniques developed to explore this underwater cave safely.
The question “why ?” centres around the close proximity of two cave systems, one dry and one wet, when combined will result in through cave depth of 1000m - the deepest in the southern hemisphere.
An Evening Not To Be Missed!
The ANZEC Evening of Adventure promises to be as informative and entertaining as it will be inspirational – one that’s open to everyone with a taste for excitement and adventure. Bookings for this ticketed event are essential and cost just $40 for ANZEC members and $50 for non-members (including a Canapé’s, beers/wines and soft drinks).
Please RSVP and PAY using our online ticketing system, by clicking here… and forward this invitation to any like-minded friends and family.
Sun Theatre
The ANZEC Club House in Melbourne
8 Ballarat St, Yarraville VIC 3013
