Mawson goes regional
THE name Sir Douglas Mawson will soon be ingrained in the vocabulary of each and every Tasmanian.
Mawson led Australia’s first Antarctic research expedition between 1911-14, when he and his team built five now heritage-listed huts at Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay. The expedition charted much of the East Antarctic coast.
However, Mawson returned the information alone as the harsh conditions took the lives of his fellow expeditioners.
And now, to honour his legacy, the Federal Government is funding the Mawson’s Huts Foundation’s mobile classroom — which comes in the form of a Toyota bus.
It will bring displays, exhibits and expert talks about the huts to schools and communities around Tasmania, NSW and Victoria.
The interior will be fitted out with satellite communications, viewing screens and a virtual-reality tour of the historic huts.
Mawson’s Huts Foundation chairman David Jenson said the exterior of the classroom would promote the museum in Hobart as well as the conservation of the historic huts in East Antarctica.
“It will be the first facility of its kind in Australia and allow the foundation to take the story of Mawson and Australia work in the Antarctic to regional areas,” he said.
The bus was gifted by Charles Lindall who has visited Mawson’s Huts on three occasions and is a supporter of the foundation.