Australian Antarctic Festival 2024

Australian Antarctic Festival 2024

Islands & Ice Travel is proud to be sponsoring the Australian Antarctic Festival, celebrating the role of Islands & Ice Travel’s home town, Hobart, Tasmania as an Antarctic gateway city.

From 22-25 August 2024, Hobart, will play host to the Australian Antarctic Festival, a vibrant celebration that underscores the pivotal role of Hobart as a gateway to Antarctica. This biennial event not only honours Australia’s deep-rooted connections with Antarctica but also highlights Hobart’s unique position as a hub for Antarctic exploration and research.

Hobart’s geographical location at the southern tip of Australia makes it an ideal gateway to Antarctica. Positioned just 2,500 kilometres from the frozen continent, it stands as the closest major Australian city to the icy shores of Antarctica. This proximity has historically positioned Hobart as the base for numerous Antarctic expeditions, serving as a critical logistical and research hub.

The city’s connection to the Antarctic is deeply embedded in its history and infrastructure. Hobart has played host to famous Antarctic explorers including Australia’s own Sir Douglas Mawson and the famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen whose ship the Fram arrived in the Derwent in March 1912 following the famous race to the South Pole with Captain Robert Falcon Scott.  The establishment of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) in Hobart in 1954 cemented Hobart’s role as a centre for Antarctic research and operations.

The Australian Antarctic Festival, held every two years, offers a diverse range of activities, from educational workshops and public lectures to art exhibitions and interactive displays. One of the highlights of the festival is the opportunity for the public to engage directly with the latest Antarctic research through presentations by leading scientists. 

For families and visitors, interactive exhibits and hands-on activities provide a chance to get a feel for Antarctic life firsthand.  The sled dogs are always a favourite with the kids as are the penguin rookeries, thousands of Adelie penguin cut-outs hand-painted by school children from all over Australia and other Antarctica gateway cities.  

If you’re in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane and you’re looking for a long weekend away, you could do a lot worse than visiting Hobart to enjoy the festivities on Hobart’s historical waterfront and enjoy some fabulous restaurants, local whiskeys and cool climate wines.  

Click here to check out what’s on at the Australian Antarctic Festival 2024 Program.

If you’re interested in travelling to Antarctic with Islands & Ice Travel sign up to our newsletter to get the latest or email us at hello@islandsandice.com to hear more about our deep field trips out of Cape Town, another extraordinary beautiful gateway city and our plans to return to the Antarctic Peninsula following our sold out voyage earlier this year (check out some highlights here).

Image: Pre-dawn light over Constitution Dock, Hobart by David Sinclair.