LIGHTS SHOW HELPS BREAK THE ICE

THERE has been a first sighting of the Aurora Australis from Australia’s newest icebreaker named after the spectacle.

Those onboard the Nuyina were treated to the display on Wednesday night.

The name Nuyina means southern lights in palawa kani, the language of Tasmania’s Indigenous. The $500m icebreaker is on a 24,000km journey from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to Hobart and is expected to arrive later this month.

The RSV Nuyina replaces the Aurora Australis after the older vessel was retired in mid-2020.

The new vessel can carry 32 crew and 117 expeditioners on board for trips lasting up to three months.