A WOMAN has told how she travelled thousands of miles to work at the world's most remote museum in a South Atlantic ghost town.
Helen Balfour, 23, now educates visitors from around the world about South Georgia Island – as its heritage runs through her veins.
She wasn't phased by the mammoth commute from her home in Shetland due to her family ties to the secluded and snowy spot.
The island sits above Antarctica – meaning volatile weather and sub-zero temperatures are an everyday occurrence.
But Helen's desire to walk in the footsteps of her ancestors outweighed her grumbles about the freezing weather.
Even in the summer temperatures struggle to hit 9C (48.2F).
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However, the lack of fresh food, unreliable internet connection and winds powerful enough to flip helicopters didn't put her off.
She bagged a job as an assistant at the former whaling station turned museum in Grytviken to walk in the footsteps of her ancestors.
Both of her grandfathers were esteemed whalers in South Georgia who navigated the snowy mountains nearly a century ago.
Now a home for the island's rich heritage has taken the spot where the men processed their hauls from their landmark whale hunts.
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History fanatic Helen explained she had seen an article about South Georgia which inspired her to apply for a job there.
She told BBC Radio Shetland: "Because of family connections to South Georgia, I just found it very interesting.
"My great-grandfather was here in the early 30s, and his sons – including my grandad – worked here. My other grandad was also here."
She embarked on an epic three-week journey across land, air and sea after receiving the news that her application was successful.
Helen hopped on a ferry from Shetland to Aberdeen, jumped on a train to Oxford and then flew from Brize Norton to the Falklands.
After a few days of rest bite, a gruelling five-day boat journey to South Georgia followed.
The 23-year-old said last year: "I left home on October 2 and we got here about the 22nd, it took me a while to get here.
"It's really special to be able to come here."
Helen's grandfather Jimmy Balfour first landed in South Georgia in the 1950s, marking the start of his decade-long career whaling.
He worked on one of the last whale catcher vessels which worked out of Grytviken.
Jimmy's dad, Thomas Balfour, was also a whaler 20 years before.
Helen's other grandad, Alan Leask, started whaling as a 16-year-old and completed two seasons.
South Georgia became a British island in the 18th Century after being claimed by Captain James Cook – meaning King Charles is the head of state and the flag features the Union Jack.
Grytviken is the largest settlement and boasts a population of just 8 people, although tourists from across the globe flock to its museum.
It was named by Swedish explorers in the early 20th Century, before Norwegians opened a whaling station there in 1904.
It processed the whales' meat, blubber and bones and was occasionally inhabited by the island's whalers.
More than 175,000 whales were killed in South Georgia over the next 60 years, which were processed at the site and other stations dotted along the shore.
The industry ground to a halt by the 1960s, as there were no longer any whales in the water to catch, seeing Grytviken abandoned.
But a relatively grand villa that was 1914 still stood tall – and British Antarctic scientist David Wynn-Williams saw its potential.
He suggested it should be turned into a museum, which Brit marine mammal specialist Nigel Bonner followed through with and eventually opened the doors to in 1992.
It originally focused on whaling, but now incorporates every aspect of the island's diverse history.
The South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT), based in Dundee, now operates the museum which is free to enter.
Exhibitions include discovery, sealing, whaling, surveying and expeditions, social history, maritime and military history.
The on-site team is mostly made up of Brits and Scots with a penchant for the past who don't mind the numbing conditions.
Helen, a museum assistant, helps run the shop and guides tours.
She added: "We're expecting thousands of visitors. I think it's going to be lovely."
And a year after making the move, she has fallen in love with her new home away from home and its extraordinary wildlife.
She counts penguins and elephant seals as her new neighbours, as the human population of South Georgia is still scarce.
Helen added: "It's quite amusing. There's been a lot of nights where we've all just been standing looking out the window looking at all the drama that goes on when the mums leave their pups behind.
"We all carry broom handles just in case one of them gets a bit too close, they can be quite territorial.
"They're a bit different from the seals that you would see in Shetland."
She is currently working with the South Georgia Heritage Trust on the Whalers’ Memory Bank Project, a digital time capsule celebrating veterans of the whaling industry.
Around 15,000 visitors typically descend on the island during the tourist season – although there is nowhere for them to stay.
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We previously told how a post office on the island of South Georgia was on the lookout for two new members of staff.
A pair of posties are needed for a six-month contract on the island in the British Overseas Territory.
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