Have you ever wondered what it is like to live in the world’s highest, driest, coldest, and iciest continent? For once, did you ever get curious about how penguins survive an environment full of icebergs? Well, you need not travel miles away to find answers, because you can actually experience anything Antarctica in the comforts of Hobart. 

We’re thrilled to spread the word: the Australian Antarctic Festival is now finally back from its COVID hiatus in 2020!!! 

This biennial festival provides visitors with the opportunity to enjoy a fascinating program of Antarctic science and discovery, both historic and contemporary. This, too, serves as a celebration of the wealthy international connection of the Antarctic and Hobart as a major gateway city for the Asia-Pacific region. Apart from these, this festival is also a medium of appreciation for the incredible work of the Australian-Antarctic Community. 

Happening this 24-28 August 2022 around Hobart’s waterfront in Castray Esplanade, this five-day event is produced by the Mawson’s Huts Foundation. It will be featuring different entertaining and educational exhibitions, tours, displays, and lectures–almost completely free to the general public. 

Mr Greg Carter, the CEO of Mawson’s Huts Foundation, believes that this year’s celebration will be the biggest to date following its cancellation in 2020. “International participation in the 2022 Australian Antarctic Festival is set to reach record levels with several Antarctic Treaty Nations planning to attend and present an extensive range of exhibits,” Mr Carter claimed.

It’s true that a minor setback invites a major comeback! So, our Team at 4one4 Property Co. is just as excited as everyone to meet the scientists, researchers, explorers, specialists, and naturalists that make Antarctic exploration and tourism possible.

But considering that this is a five-day festival jam packed with different events, you might just find yourself lost in the middle. So, worry no more because we got this blog prepared for you! Grab your papers and pens as we’re about to reveal some of the many interesting things to check out at this year’s Antarctic Festival:

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Antarctic Expo

Schedule: 26 August (12:00n – 4:00 pm) |  27-28 August (10:00 am – 4:00 pm)
Venue: Princes Wharf No. 1

Get ready to witness a collection of artefacts and equipment from Australia’s history of exploration in Antarctica such as but not limited to sledges, Haaglund tracked vehicles, boats, and helicopters. This expo will also showcase numerous displays from companies and agencies that work in Antarctica including the Australian Defence Force, Elphinstone Engineering, and Chimu.

This exhibition is free to the public and on 27 & 28 August (11:00 am – 3:00 pm), a panel of experts will provide 30-minute presentations talking about the history, science, research, and travel as much as the Antarctic continent is concerned. 

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Authentic Origins

Schedule: 25-26 August (School Tours) | 28 August (10:00 am – 5:00 pm) – Family Day/Huskies Picnic
Venue: Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum

From its name itself, this is a re-creation of Douglas Mawson’s original expedition hut at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica. Located in one of the most remote and aggressively cold locations in the world, it can be remembered that the men of the 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition wintered over here.

The interior of the museum is a fully immersive experience, filled with authentic artefacts and equipment from this historic expedition. The lawns of the museum, on the other hand, is where the family day is hosted. There are also working sled dogs here and people can speak with the team members from Sled Dog Adventures Tasmania anything about the sled dogs.

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Penguin Rookeries

Schedule: 25-28 August (10: 00 am – 4:00 pm)
Venue: Mac 2 TasPorts Cruise Terminal

School children from around 150 schools are invited to participate in the popular penguin rookery display where the imagination and artistic skills of the students to decorate brightly coloured penguins will be tested. Outputs are set to be displayed in Macquarie Wharf 2 (TasPorts Cruise Terminal).

In 2018, over 8,000 hand-painted Adelie penguin cut-outs were collected and the organisers are hoping to receive entries more than that figure this year from Australian and international school children. 

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Expeditioners’ Exhibition: Cape Denison 2021-22

Schedule: 25 August – 4 September (10:00 am – 4:00 pm) – closed on Mondays
Venue: The Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery (TMAG)

If you are to compare them, life at Cape Denison in the 21st century looks far different to that during Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14 which we mentioned under ‘Authentic Origins’. While that showcases the historic experiences of expeditioners, this very exhibition flashes photos from the Mawson’s Huts Foundation’s most recent conservation expedition, taken by themselves firsthand. 

You’ll be able to differentiate their journey from the past to the present and witness how their strategies and equipment evolved through time. 

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Bonjour Expeditioner!

Schedule: 25 August – 4 September (10:00 am – 4:00 pm) – closed on Mondays
Venue: The Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery (TMAG)

A lot of children are curious about a lot of things that only the Antarctic expeditioners can answer. Bonjour Expeditioner! let these children voice out their questions. This project is a collaboration of the Tasmania Polar Network, the French Antarctic Program, Lansdowne Crescent Primary School, and Antarctic Tasmania. 

Here’s the catch: there are featured postcards exchanged between Tasmanian primary school children and expeditioners from the French Antarctic Program, which has been visiting Hobart for over 60 years now. The returned postcards and photos have answers to their probing questions which provide an exciting opportunity for the children to discover and learn more about the significant scientific work in Antarctica.

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The Call of Aurora

Schedule: 25-27 August (8:00 pm)
Venue: Salamanca Arts Centre (Peacock Theatre)

This is an Antarctic-inspired opera about love, death, and madness written by Tasmanian composer and librettist, Joe Bugden. It is based on Douglas Mawson’s 1911-1914 expedition to Antarctica which focuses on events in 1913 revolving around the expeditioners being stranded along with Mawson and his crew in the Antarctic Winter.

This intriguing chamber opera presents “how history can shine its eternal light on some people, whilst casting others into the shadows of obscurity and anonymity.” Prepare around $35 for the ticket which you can purchase here.

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Chilled: Antarctic Life, Inside and Out

Schedule: 8 July – 29 October (Mon to Fri: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm | Sat: 9:30 am – 2:00 pm)
Venue: Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts

We were talking about the Antarctic expeditioners a lot of times already but have you really wondered how they survive life on the frozen continent? Through this exhibition, you’ll discover the incredible resilience of the people who were chosen to be the explorers of the Antarctic. 

You can witness here some other creative things tackling the dangers, isolation, and responsibilities of living on the world’s iciest continent. Make sure to catch the Curator Talk on 25 August from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm where the curator, Bruce Kay, shares some valuable insights into the exhibition.

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Australian Antarctic Festival Gala Dinner

Schedule: 27 August (7:00 pm – 11:00 pm)
Venue: Hobart Function & Conference Centre

Another paid yet worthy event from the Antarctic Festival is the famous Gala Dinner. This serves as a celebration of all that is Antarctica. Expect iconic Australian speakers, exciting giveaways, and a charity auction–rolled into one Antarctic night! 

Tickets for this cost around $200 – $2000 which include pre-dinner drinks, a 3-course meal, and an unlimited Tasmanian beverage package. All proceeds from here will go towards the Mawson’s Huts Foundation which aims to educate and inspire the next generation of Antarctic explorers, as well as to preserve Australia’s unique Antarctic heritage.

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There you have it! What a feast of history, arts, science, and culture–all in one! This is one of the prides of Australians and to witness it in Hobart is nothing but priceless. No wonder, a lot of people are looking forward to this year’s Australian Antarctic Festival. Certainly, it would be a week filled with entertaining and educational information straight from the coldest continent on earth, Antarctica! 

Those listed above are just some of the MANY interesting events happening in the Festival. Make sure to take note of them and we’ll see you there! For the full list of scheduled events for the Australian Antarctic Festival 2022, kindly refer here.