Small museum our coolest

ONE of Tasmania’s smallest museums is also its most popular — the Mawson’s Huts replica on Hobart waterfront has come up trumps in the ratings by the users of travel website TripAdvisor.

The tiny Baltic pine hut was also rated one of the top 25 museums in the Pacific region.

Mawson’s Huts Foundation chairman David Jensen said reviews from visitors ranked the hut replica ahead of 18 other museums in Tasmania with 4 ½ stars out of a possible five — even besting Mona, which rated 4.

Among the reviews on the website are visitors describing the hut replica as “a trove of history and experience” and “a real taste of the spirit of adventure undertaken by these young pioneers”.

Mr Jensen said the recognition was a great thrill for the staff and volunteers who ran the museum.

“It is a wonderful honour and also helps to endorse Hobart’s historical links with the Antarctic,” he said.

“We celebrated the museum’s fourth birthday last Saturday and the 106th anniversary of Mawson’s departure from Hobart, and being included in list of top 25 museums is a lovely present.”

A faithful replica of the hut erected by Douglas Mawson and the men of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1912, the museum helps raise funds for the ongoing conservation effort of Mawson’s Huts at Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica.

Mr Jensen said the story of Australia’s early Antarctic explorers still resonated strongly with visitors.