Antarctica : Commonwealth Bay Voyage

This voyage is ideal for those with an interest in polar history, as well as for those who want to explore one of the lesser-visited areas of Antarctica. The East coast and Commonwealth Bay played a key part in Sir Douglas Mawson’s 1911-13 expedition, and his hut at Cape Denison stands testament to a story of polar survival.

Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition sailed from Hobart on 2nd December 1911, aiming to explore the Antarctic coastline directly south of Australia. Making landfall at Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay, the team unwittingly discovered the windiest place on earth and were forced to spend another winter here after missing the relief ship. A highlight of your voyage will be the chance to step inside Mawson’s Hut, and gain an insight into surviving an Antarctic winter.

The voyage also visits Port Martin, the site of 100 grounded icebergs, and the French base west of Commonwealth Bay near the spot where the French Explorer Dumont d’Urville landed in January 1840. This is also where the Oscar-winning documentary film 'March of the Penguins' was filmed, and the area is renowned for its abundant wildlife.