 Five—including Borchgrevink—were Norwegian, two were English, one Australian and the two dog experts Sami from northern Norway, sometimes described in expedition accounts as Lapps or "Finns".Among the scientists was the Tasmanian Louis Bernacchi, who had studied magnetism and meteorology at the Melbourne Observatory.He had been appointed to the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899, but had been unable to take up his post when the expedition's ship, the , had failed to call at Melbourne on its way south.