What happens when a dusty photograph sparks a decades-old story waiting to be told? In South with the Seabirds, Jess McGeachin uncovers the extraordinary journey of four trailblazing women who defied expectations to conduct vital scientific research in one of the world’s most remote locations—Antarctica. We spoke to Jess about his inspirations, the impact of growing up surrounded by museum specimens and natural history illustrations, and how he weaves scientific accuracy with rich, detailed storytelling to captivate young readers and celebrate the power of persistence.


Jess, your books often explore hidden or lesser-known worlds—what drew you to tell the story of the first women to join an Australian research expedition in South with the Seabirds?

Sometimes dusty old photographs have the best stories to tell, and this was certainly the case for South with the Seabirds. I came across a photo of the four scientists in the story, Mary Gillham, Hope Macpherson, Susan Ingham, Isobel Bennett, standing in front of a gleaming ice-breaking ship at the Melbourne docks. As I dug deeper I found out just how hard they'd had to fight to join the expedition, and how important their research was (and still is). We know lots about the male 'heroes' that had adventures in Antarctica, but I'm still amazed at how little known the story of these four scientists is.


You grew up surrounded by natural history illustrations and spent time, and worked in museums - how have those early experiences shaped the way you approach storytelling and illustration today?

My Mum worked as a scientific illustrator so I grew up visiting the basement of the old Melbourne Museum, surrounded by strange specimens in glass jars. I'm sure this helped me to appreciate all types of nature, not just the cute and cuddly animals but the strange and weird ones too. Museums are all about asking questions and finding the right person with an answer, and I think this can be a very helpful approach when researching a book idea.


South with the Seabirds celebrates both nature and the courage of pioneering women - how did you balance scientific accuracy with artistic expression in bringing their story to life?

Balancing accuracy with a little bit of creative licence is a hugely important part of writing non-fiction books. I was lucky in that I found a huge trove of photographs, letters, documents and books from the original expedition. I even found menus from the ship which told me what the scientists ate for breakfast! As an illustrator, it was so useful to have the original photographs as reference, as well as my own images and sketches that I took on Macquarie Island.


Many of your books, like Deep and The Tree at Number 43, focus on environmental themes. Why is it important to you to introduce young readers to the wonders (and challenges) of the natural world?

The more you learn about the natural world, the more you realise just how weird and wonderful it is - and how much we still don't know! That's why I create books that ask more questions than they answer. It's also easy to forget how amazing the plants and animals in your own backyard can be - you don't need to travel to the heart of the Amazon to find amazing examples, try watching the snails in the veggie patch.


Your illustrations are rich with tiny details for readers to keep discovering—what do you hope young readers (and their adults!) take away from revisiting your books again and again?

When I was growing up, my favourite books were the ones that had tiny details to find. I still remember trying to find all of the hidden mice in Graeme Base's The Eleventh Hour with my Grandma. I hope that by including all of those little details readers will want to come back to them again and again. It's a bit like nature, there's always something new to discover.


Finally, what message do you hope young readers—particularly girls interested in science—take away from reading South with the Seabirds and learning about these inspiring women?

Thankfully there's many more opportunities for budding scientists, including girls, to thrive in STEM pathways than there were at the time South with the Seabirds is set. However I think that this story is a reminder that if there's a goal that you feel passionately about sometimes you need to fight for it - don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Most importantly, we need the creative minds and skills of young people to help better understand and heal our natural world - we don’t have a moment to lose.


South with the Seabirds is shortlisted for the 2025 CBCA Eve Pownell Award.


Jess McGeachin features in Story Tools - Series 2.