OUR STORY
National Heritage
The physical remains: Introduction
The Mawson's Huts Historic Site consists of four huts, memorials and plaques and scattered relics located on Cape Denison.
Aerial view looking north showing Boat Harbour, Cape Denison and Commonwealth Bay. Photo: Robert Reeves. © AAD, Copyright Commonwealth of Australia.
The Main Hut (originally two separate huts) is in the centre of the valley which leads from Boat Harbour, the Transit Hut 30 m to the east and the Magnetograph House and Absolute Magnetic Hut are on the northern end of the eastern ridge. There is a memorial cross and plaque on the summit of Azimuth Hill, masts from the wireless station to the north and south of Main Hut, various survey and sighting marks within the valley and the ridges, and meteorological instruments on a rock shelf between the Main Hut and Transit Hut, and on the eastern ridge on a knoll known as Proclamation Hill (the site of the Proclamation Pole and plaque).
AAE structures. From AAE Scientific Report Series A Vol 1." />
The Main Base locality, Cape Denison, showing AAE structures. From AAE Scientific Report Series A Vol 1. © Australian ANtarctic Division
There are also seal and penguin caches and various other scattered artefacts within the Historic Site area. It is thought that the first aircraft taken to Antarctica remains buried in the snow and ice a few metres to the north of the Main Hut.
