Tuesday Feb 13 marks 70 years since a small group of Australian expeditioners established a research station named in honour of renowned explorer Sir Douglas Mawson.
Established in 1954, Mawson is the longest continuously operating station south of the Antarctic Circle. It is the most westerly of Australia’s 3 continental stations. It is situated about 5,200 km south-west of Perth.
Research activities at Mawson include cosmic ray, space and atmospheric physics, studies in space weather, geophysics, glaciology, ecology of seabirds and marine mammals, meteorology and polar medicine. Many of the instruments supporting physical research operate remotely and automatically send data back to scientists in Australia.
Click here for the fascinating story by the ABC and watch the below video on a story about the last huskies Of Antarctica.
When attached to a harness huskies are able to haul 50-90 kilograms each. Huskies were also a valued source of companionship for the people working in the isolated and lonely conditions of the Antarctic bases.