Antarctic and Cruise Hub at Macquarie Wharf No 2 - Tourism Industry Briefing

Source: http://www.tict.com.au/_blog/Tourism_Industry_News/post/Antarctic_and_Cruise_Hub_at_Macquarie_Wharf_No_2_-_Tourism_Industry_Briefing

Concept design plans for the $7 million redevelopment of Macquarie Wharf No 2 Shed as a dedicated Cruise and Antarctic facility have been released.The designs were part of the development application submitted to Hobart City Council on December 6th following months of customer and stakeholder consultation conducted by Tasports to understand the requirements of the facility.


Tourism Industry Briefing
Tasports would like to extend an invitation to the tourism industry to attend a dedicated and interactive briefing to view the designs and ask any questions you may have regarding the redevelopment. 


Friday, 16th December
Mawson’s Pavilion
2pm – 3pm


Read more

Antarctic medical evacuation update

From: http://www.antarctica.gov.au/media/news/2011/antarctic-medical-evacuation-update

An Antarctic expeditioner injured at a remote field camp has been airlifted to Australia’s Davis station where she is receiving medical treatment.

The 21-year-old scientist received injuries, including deep lacerations and bruising, when she slipped on a snow slope in the Prince Charles Mountains, about 770 kilometres inland of Davis station.

Read more

Whale reporting

Southern right and humpback whales are migrating north from Antarctica during July and
August. Any whale sightings can be reported to the Whale Hotline 0427 942 537.

Centenary Twitter

Get involved in Mawson’s Antarctic voyage and expedition - replayed from 100 years ago - by following @DouglasMawson on twitter!

Antarctic Centennial Year Events

5 July, 2011
The Royal Society of Tasmania lecture on ‘Tasmania: the southern hemisphere’s hub for marine and Antarctic research’, by Prof. Mike Coffin. TMAG Davey St. entrance 8-10pm

31 July 2011
The Phillip Law Lecture will be given by Prof. Tom Griffiths and held at CCAMLR headquarters, Macquarie St, Hobart.


1-2 August 2011
The Third International Forum of the Sub-Antarctic will be held at CCAMLR

Antarctic Centennial Year

Help shape a safe maritime industry

A new national system for commercial vessel safety is currently under development by
the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. The Australian Government, in partnership
with State and Territory Governments, invites you to attend consultation days to obtain
further information and share your ideas. Hobart’s consultation open day will be on July
25, 2011, 1pm-7pm at the Hobart Function and Conference Centre, 1 Elizabeth St Pier,
Hobart. For more information on other open days see www.amsa.gov.au.

SMS for Southern lights

If you are interested to know when an Aurora Australis is likely in the night sky, sign up for an SMS alert at http://www.ips.gov.au/Products_and_Services/4/2 or for an email alert at http://www.ips.gov.au/mailman/listinfo/ips-aurora-alert.

Tasports' Antarctic update

Photo courtesy Derek Hagstrom, Tasports Security Supervisor, Security Operations Centre, Hobart

Tasports is prioritising customers under a new strategic direction which centres on infrastructure and business development programs being informed by industry needs.

Tasports’ Marketing Segment Manager, Karen Rees, said that Hobart’s working port operations would continue to grow to support key Antarctic and Cruise operations.

“From the development of Macquarie Wharf 1 and 2 sheds, together with our wharf condition assessments and maintenance plans, Tasports’ strategy is fixed on meeting the needs of our customers in the Antarctic and Cruise sectors, as well as being sympathetic to the State Government’s Sullivan’s Cove Master Plan and supporting public space on our waterfront,” she said.

Antarctica in Canada

The Canadian Museum of Nature is holding a multi-media polar exhibition until April 10, 2011. ‘Ends of the Earth’ is geared specifically to children, to enable them to gain a better understanding climate change and the significance of both the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Hut plans lodged

The Hobart City Council has given in-principle approval for the Mawson’s Huts Foundation to make a full-scale replica of Mawson’s Hut near Constitution Dock on Hobart’s waterfront. The proposal has now been submitted to the Sullivan’s Cove Waterfront Authority. The hut would sit on concrete block footings, avoiding any excavation, and the site would be restored after two years. With a floor area of 143 sq m, the hut would duplicate the one used by Sir Douglas Mawson as a base for his 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition. Completion of the replica is expected by December 2 this year, the centenary of Mawson’s departure for Antarctica. A model of Mawson’s Hut is already part of TMAG’s ‘Islands to Ice’ Exhibition.

EXCLUSIVE: Airbus A319 Antarctic landing video

Wilkins Runway in Antarctica has been unused this season because of unusually warm temperatures. The runway, which opened in 2008, sits on 700 m of ice, inland from Casey Station.

According to Rob Harman, SKM surveyor:

"The ambient temperature needs to be low enough (below -5 degrees C) so that the ice has as much friction as possible. The ground crew use a Casborer machine to create a fluffy icy surface on the blue ice. Aircraft land at Wilkins at around 7am which is hopefully the coldest time of day. The runway itself is approximately 2% uphill grade and 3.6km long. Pulling up isn't really the issue but the manoeuvring during taxiing at each end. A decent breeze will blow the aircraft sideways (and possibly off the runway) as the tyres will have very little traction if at all. During a landing, the tyres will leave a skid mark on the ice and the prepared surface is usually blown away too, due to the engine thrust."

The Airbus A319 has been flying to Christchurch, NZ and USA’s McMurdo Station when not able to land at Wilkins Runway.

Video courtesy Rob Harman, SKM

100 Years of Australian Antarctic Expeditions

One hundred years ago, Douglas Mawson began planning a new scientific expedition to the Antarctic coast south of Australia. On 2 December 1911, Mawson's plans came to fruition and the Australasian Antarctic Expedition left Hobart bound for Macquarie Island and East Antarctica. 

From 2011, Australia will celebrate the centenary of this expedition, marking 100 years of Australian Antarctic Expeditions. 

The Australian Antarctic Division has launched a website where centenary event organisers from around Australia can list and advertise their events and activities. 
Visit centenary.antarctica.gov.au for event information.

The site also provides information for event organisers on how to list your event on the site, and how to obtain the centenary logo for use.

Hobart's new maritime and Antarctic venues

Plans for the University of Tasmania's new Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies were revealed in September this year. The three-storey institute will replace the Princes Wharf No. 2 Shed on Hobart's waterfront. The ground floor will have a public exhibition area, with live video from Antarctica, and people will be able to check weather conditions at Antarctic station or track tagged seals and whales in real time.

The first stage of Prince's Wharf Shed No. 1's refurbishment was completed last month and ready for a series of events, including the Taste of Tasmania in December. Some of the stalls and trade tables for the Wooden Boat Festival in February next year will be housed in the Shed. The second redevelopment stage will occur from March to July, with a new fitout, outside decking and better facilities for other festivals.

If planning approval is granted, replicas of two of Mawson's Huts at Cape Denison, Antarctica, will be installed near Mawson Place in Hobart, in time for the centenary of the explorer's voyage to Antarctica late next year. Funding is being sought for the erection of the huts, which may remain in place for two years, before being relocated elsewhere on the waterfront. Chairman of the Mawson's Huts Foundation, David Jensen, considers the replicas to be an important tourist attraction and a reminder of the significance of Sir Douglas Mawson's contribution to Australia's territorial claims in Antarctica.

Voyage plans

In 2012, Don McIntyre, from Ocean Frontiers in Tasmania, is planning to recreate Ernest Shackleton's rescue mission in an open boat, across the Southern Ocean.  He recently completed Captain William Bligh's voyage across the Pacific in 1789.

Cool records

An ANARE oral history program is being trailed in Tasmania. Funding was secured from the ANARE Club national council to supply recording equipment, workshops to design appropriate question formats and record the histories effectively. If successful, the program will be extended throughout Australia.

Polar Legs

Australian ultramarathon runner, Pat Farmer, plans to run from Antarctica to the North Pole to raise $155 million for water projects in the world's driest regions. Starting in Antarctica in November 2010, Pat intends to run 30 km a day over ice and 80km a day on normal terrain. He expects to finish the 21,000 km trek in early 2012.

Eric Philips, of Hobart-based Icetrek Expeditions, will be guiding Pat Farmer on his Pole2PoleRun mission.

Ice radar

A helicopter radar system that measures the thickness of snow on polar sea ice has recently been developed by Tasmanian electrical engineer, Natalia Galin. Ms Galin won a Fullbright Scholarship to USA in 2008 and modified NASA radar installed in fixed-wings aircraft, to suit helicopters. Measurement of snow thickness is vital to understanding how the climate is changing. Ms Galin's system helps calibrate remote satellite sensing and estimates are checked with those from sleds on ice floes.