As readers of ‘Aurora’ will know, Australia’s longest-servicing and only home-built icebreaker, the RSV Aurora…
Melanie Van Twest5 Sep 2021
The Aurora Australis Foundation works to preserve the legacy of Australia’s longest-serving and only locally built Antarctic icebreaker, Aurora Australis, which retired from service in 2020 after 30 years supporting the Australian Antarctic research program.
The Project
We are a registered charity and also now the proud owner of the Aurora Australis II (AAII). This boat was the ship’s tender, or support vessel, and travelled on nearly every voyage made by the Aurora Australis, usually strapped down onto the bigger ship’s foredeck.
The AAF aims to make the AAII the centrepiece of a display on Australia’s Antarctic ships to be placed on or near the Hobart waterfront. This display will be open to members of the public and visitors to learn more about Australia’s remarkable Antarctic achievements and the ships that made that possible.
We are working with a number of stakeholders including the Maritime Museum of Tasmania, the City of Hobart, TasPorts and the Australian Antarctic Division.