Mawson Station is the oldest continuously occupied Australian Antarctic station, as well as Australia’s first permanent base south of the Antarctic Circle.
This site has been integral to Australia’s contribution to international scientific research within the polar region. It demonstrates the evolution of building methods in Antarctica, and provides insight into early (pre-1980s) station life. The evolution of the station fabric and layout in particular captures the station’s transformation from the prefabricated system (usually Post-tensioned Box or PTB construction) to the Australian Antarctic Building System (AANBUS).
Mawson Station continues to play a vital role in Australia’s presence and activity in the region. In accordance with the Commonwealth Heritage listing, this management plan incorporates the entire Mawson Station site. The primary purpose of this plan is therefore to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit, to all generations, the heritage values of Mawson Station. As the listing has a focus on a concentration of historic buildings within what is referred to within this plan as the ‘central precinct’, so too does this plan pay particular attention to these structures. Additionally, and in line with the original listing, the heritage value of the historic buildings lies primarily on the external structures and their arrangement, not the internal configurations within the buildings.
Mawson Station was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 2001 and transferred to the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004 due to its retention of the most complete surviving collection of buildings demonstrating the evolution of Australia’s early approach to polar construction methodology.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) requires that a Heritage Management Plan is prepared to provide for the protection and management of the heritage values of listed sites. The Mawson Station Heritage Management Plan 2025 has been prepared in accordance with the requirements for managing Commonwealth Heritage places (Division 3A of the EPBC Act) and is structured in accordance with the Working Together Managing Commonwealth Heritage Places, A guide for Commonwealth Agencies (Commonwealth of Australia 2019).
As required under the EPBC Act and the EPBC Regulations, the public must be consulted on the replacement of management plans prepared for National and Commonwealth Heritage places, and the Minister must also seek and consider comments from the Australian Heritage Council.
An invitation for public comment on the review of the Mawson Station Heritage Management Plan 2014–2019 was held between 17 April 2020 – 14 May 2020. A second invitation for public comment on the draft management plan was subsequently held between 15 December 2023 – 15 February 2024. Two formal submissions were received during this period.
The overarching objectives of this plan are three-fold: to comply with the relevant legislative requirements for listed Commonwealth Heritage places as defined under the EPBC Act; to fulfil the Department’s broader commitments to heritage as defined within the Corporate Plan 2023–24, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW 2023); and to align with Australia’s national interests as articulated within the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan Update (AAD 2022).
In relation to the first objective, management plans for Commonwealth Heritage places are prepared to assist Commonwealth agencies manage their heritage sites appropriately, and to guide future works and developments. This includes the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission of the Commonwealth Heritage values. This management plan fulfils those requirements for Mawson Station as described under Division 3A, Section 341S of the EPBC Act. Schedule 7A of the EPBC Regulations sets out the matters to be addressed within a heritage management plan, and Appendix A identifies the relevant parts of this plan that comply with the schedule.
In relation to the second objective, this management plan contributes to the fulfillment of one of the four outcomes of the Department’s Corporate Plan. This outcome aims to ‘protect and sustainably manage Australia’s natural, historic and Indigenous heritage places for future generations’ (DCCEEW 2023, 44).
Lastly, in relation to the third objective, this management plan aligns with two of Australia’s national interests in the region as described in the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan Update. In managing the Commonwealth Heritage values of Mawson Station site effectively, Australia is:
promoting the rules and norms of environmental protection within the Antarctic Treaty system, under which historic values are protected (AAD 2022, 11)
demonstrating its best practice leadership in environmental stewardship by undertaking appropriate management, visitation and conservation of its heritage sites (AAD 2022, 16).
Figure 2: Aerial view of Mawson Station
Source: Christopher Wilson, 2011
The juxtaposition of the old station buildings with the new station buildings, against the backdrop of the natural landscape of the ice cap and mountains, is one of the listed heritage values, under criterion (e) for Mawson Station as a Commonwealth Heritage place.
Mawson Station (67°36'S, 62°53'E) lies approximately 5200 km south-south-west of Perth, Australia. It occupies an ice-free, rock outcrop of 900 by 700 m on the south-eastern shore of Horseshoe Harbour, in Holme Bay, Mac. Robertson Land (Figure 2). The Station site rises to 33 m above sea level, with steep ice cliffs to the east and west of the site.
Figure 3: Australian station locations in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic
Source: Australian Antarctic Data Centre, 2011
The local geology that surrounds Mawson Station comprises ice-polished, moraine-mantled granite (charnockite) known as Mawson Rock. There are few flat areas, and rocky outcrops (roche moutonnées) formed by past northward movement of ice have produced a micro-topography of smooth southern slopes and step-like cliff-lets on the northern aspect.
Around 35 km inland of Mawson Station, the surface of the ice sheet rises to around 1000 m above sea level. From about 15 to 50 km south and south-west, four parallel narrow chains of rocky peaks (nunataks) collectively known as the Framnes Mountains (Mount Henderson and the Masson, David and Casey Ranges) project 300 to 400 m above the ice sheet and from 900 to 1500 m above sea level.
Figure 4: Aerial view of the Framnes Mountain range located south and south-west of Mawson Station
Source: Justin Chambers, 2013
The area’s terrestrial vegetation is limited to algae, mosses and lichens. Mosses (Bryum pseudo-triquetrum, Grimmia lawiana and Grimmia antarctici) typically form cushions, turfs or hummocks in gravels with northerly aspects and in the path of melt water. Twenty-one species of lichen have been recorded in the area, the most common of which are Buellia frigida and Xanthoria elegans.
Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) occur on sea ice near the station, on coastal islands and at tide cracks in the sea ice during late spring and early summer. Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) and crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus) are occasionally present on sea ice close to shore. Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazelle), elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossi) are present in the wider region.
Although the site is not considered a significant breeding area or access route for birds, Wilson’s storm petrels (Oceanites oceanicus) and snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) breed at the site within or adjacent to the station. Antarctic petrels (Thalassoica antarctica), Cape petrels (Daption capense), Southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus), Antarctic fulmars (Fulmarus glacialoides) and Antarctic skuas (Catharacta maccormickii) can sometimes be seen flying around the station. Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) and all the above flying species except the Antarctic petrel and southern fulmar breed on nearby islands. Adélie penguins, and occasionally emperor penguins (Aptenodytes fosteri), moult near the station.
Mean monthly maximum temperatures at Mawson Station range from 2.5°C in January to -15.2°C in August. Mean monthly minimums range between -2.7°C in January to -21.4°C in August with extremes of +10.6°C (9 January 1974) and -36.0°C (17 July 1985). The mean annual wind speed is 40 km per hour with frequent prolonged periods of strong south-easterly katabatic winds from the ice cap up to gusts exceeding 140 knots. The region is characterised by very low absolute humidity and low precipitation. It frequently has periods of intensified winds, blizzards and low visibility associated with the passage of major low-pressure systems. Katabatic winds also occur during high pressure systems and are intensified as they are funnelled off the plateau through the nearby mountain ranges.
This plan focuses on the management of the heritage values protected by the Commonwealth Heritage listing and represented by the associated buildings and structures, half of which are located within the central precinct and half of which are found in the broader station area. The juxtaposition of these old station structures and their village layout, with the modern station buildings and distant ice caps and mountains is included in the heritage values of Mawson Station.
The following map (Map 1) shows the placement of the buildings that contribute to the heritage values of the site (orange), relative to the other station buildings (grey) and the surrounding environment.
Map 1: Mawson Station Heritage
Source: AAD, 2023
Pre-1970s: The post-tensioned box series
Mark I and Mark II buildings
As Australia’s first Antarctic station, Mawson Station was, by default, a test site for an evolving prefabricated panel system of building construction – the post-tensioned box (PTB) design. This system allowed for rapid assembly in harsh wind conditions, a necessity in the challenging Antarctic environment. The first two versions, Mark I and Mark II, were developed for and installed in the early 1950s on Heard Island and Macquarie Island.
The PTB building types were readily transportable by ship and small unloading craft, quickly erected by unskilled labourers (i.e. scientific parties), and easy to heat and maintain. The remaining examples of Mark I (Weddell – Figure 5) and Mark II (Magnetic Absolute Hut – Figure 12) buildings found at Mawson Station were moved there in 1954 from Heard Island after several years of service.
Mark III buildings
The Mark III building method was employed from 1954 and evolved as the Australian Antarctic program gained familiarity with Antarctic conditions. Although aspects of the building style remained the same as its predecessors, various alterations and improvements were made. Key amongst these was a change in the method of fixing the panels to the building frame. Instead of bolting (Mark I) or using external brackets to join the panels together (Mark II), the panels were attached using horizontal clamping rods which ran through each panel. These rods were then tightened from the outside of the building to compress rubber seals, and the exterior and interior surfaces were then covered with a latex-based sealant. The effect of the clamping rods was to sandwich the several layers of cladding together, sealing the panels against moisture and water vapour.
Mark III buildings featured
improved insulation, including double-glazed perspex box windows and heavy ‘cold room’ doors with clamp handles
addition of coke-stove heating and exhaust fan ventilation, and purpose-designed furnishings
improved access through a roof hatch
reduced exterior maintenance by using aluminium sheeting to protect against snow blast
a simple box appearance rather than pitched rooves and gabled ends.
The first building constructed at Mawson Station using this method was the Works Hut (later the Electricians’ Workshop, Figure 8).
Mark IV buildings
Mark IV building design began in 1955 and was structurally very similar to the Mark III design. As faults in the PTB series became evident, the preferred cladding material changed from bare plywood to aluminium, asbestos cement sheeting and finally zincanneal steel (used exclusively from 1959 on). The original stone base foundations gave way to timber sleepers, wooden chocks, steel scaffolding (from 1960 onwards) and eventually concrete. Structural details such as door and window types also changed over time, as did internal building materials. Onazote insulation, which was not fire retardant, was replaced by polystyrene foam and asbestos cement.
The PTB series was followed by a style known as the ‘Gimesey’ until deficiencies – primarily in the complex shipping and construction requirements, and failures of insulation – led to its abandonment.
By the late 1960s, more than 50 buildings had been erected at Mawson Station, with a closely spaced group of 27 core domestic and storage buildings (the central precinct).
A summary of the different types of pre-Australian Antarctic Building System (AANBUS) buildings is provided at Table 1.
Table 1: Summary of significant pre-AANBUS building types
Building types (adapted from the 1996 Mawson Station Heritage Assessment) | Description | Remaining structures* |
PTB Mark I | plywood panels on sleepers and bedrock foundations—transferred from Heard Island and associated with the foundation of the station | Weddell |
PTB Mark II | pitched-roof, insulated plywood panels, on sleepers and guyed to bedrock—transferred from Heard Island and associated with the foundation of the station | Magnetic Absolute Hut |
PTB Mark III | aluminium panelled, flat roofed buildings built on railway sleepers and bedrock | Electrical Store Electricians’ Workshop Dovers Cosray |
PTB Mark IV | flat-roofed insulated aluminium-clad panelled structures on a wooden frame—erected in 1957 and associated with the growth of the station | Shackleton Wilkins |
Gimesey | asbestos-clad insulated panels—precursors to the redevelopment of the station | Transmitter Building Wombat |
*Biscoe, the Hangar, the Cemetery and the Dog Platform and Hut are not included in this table as they do not fall into these broader building methodology categories. |
Post-1970s: The Australian Antarctic Building System
From the late 1970s, a new generation of larger buildings with a modular design and construction was progressively introduced to Australia’s Antarctic stations.
Known as the Australian Antarctic Building System (AANBUS), the buildings are steel-framed and insulated steel panel-walled structures that sit on concrete foundations. They integrate multiple functions under one roof and are linked by sophisticated service systems. Whereas the earlier buildings were designed to be put together by unskilled expedition teams, the AANBUS buildings were prefabricated in Australia and erected by large teams of trades personnel in Antarctica.
The first AANBUS prototype was erected as a pump house in 1977, and remaining AANBUS buildings include the Red Shed (the living quarters, sleeping and medical quarters, and Australia’s first two-storey building in Antarctica), the Operations Building, Workshop, Emergency Vehicle Shelter, Tank House, Water Supply Building, Magnetic Variometer Building, Main Power House, Emergency Power House, Balloon Building, Waste Treatment Plant, Store, Aeronomy, Carpenters Workshop, ANARESAT Building (satellite equipment) and Ring Main Units (small service buildings). From 1977, this style of prefabrication ultimately led to the older buildings falling into disrepair.
More recently, the AANBUS buildings have been supplemented by two buildings assembled from modified 20 ft shipping containers mounted on concrete footings – the Field Store in 2007, and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Building in 2013 (which houses equipment to monitor international compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty).
The following sections provide description and detail of each of the historic structures from both periods, and located within and outside of the station’s central precinct.
Weddell (1950)
Figure 5: Weddell (building in foreground)
Source: Rebecca Jeffcoat, 2022
Weddell is a 7.3 x 3.6 m pitched-roof PTB Mark I building originally erected on Heard Island in 1950 (Figure 5). It has four windows and built-in work benches. It was shipped to Mawson in 1955 for use as sleeping quarters. It sits on sleeper and bedrock foundations and is made of plywood-skinned panels attached to a pre-cut timber frame. The annex joining it to Biscoe once contained a laundry and an alcove in which timber was stored on racks. For many years husky pups were born and housed there. Weddell has also been used as a sleeping hut, recreation hut (from 1961) and hobby shop (from 1984). It is currently used as a hobby hut.
Biscoe (1954)
Figure 6: Biscoe (repairs completed)
Source: Mike Staples, 2008
Biscoe is a 7.9 x 7.9 m pitched-roof hut made by the Norsk Polar Institute (Figure 6). It was acquired by the Australian Government and shipped to Mawson Station in 1954. It is made of pre-cut timber, sheeted with external timber boards and lined with Masonite. It was later connected to Weddell by a 5 m annex which remains. Biscoe has also been used or known as the drying room, brewery, workshop, store, dog hospital, sewing room, laundry and carpenter’s shop. It is currently in use as a music room and recreation space.
Electrical Store (1954)
Figure 7: Electrical Store
Source: Strategic Infrastructure Team, AAD, 2019
The Electrical Store is a 7.3 x 3.6 m plywood PTB Mark III building with a pitched-roof (Figure 7). It was constructed in 1954 and is the only remaining of a row of five huts originally running from the Radio Hut to the sea. The foundations comprise a stone base and timber sleepers. The building is painted yellow and orange. The Electrical Store has also been known or used as Stores Hut #1 and the medical store. It is currently not in use due to its poor condition, particularly the lack of sealing that could lead to blizzard ingress.
Electricians’ Workshop (1954)
Figure 8: Electricians’ Workshop
Source: Mike Staples, 2008
The Electricians’ Workshop was built in 1954. It is a 7.3 x 3.6 m aluminium panelled, flat-roofed PTB Mark III building constructed on railway sleepers on bedrock (Figure 8). The building has four small rooms including a cold porch (a double-door airlock), office, workshop and store. The building’s internal fixtures include wooden platforms along two walls and metal brackets for internal support. Its triple-glazed Perspex windows have been blocked from opening. The Electrician’s Workshop has also been used or known as the works hut, radio office, post office and storeroom. It is currently not in use due to its poor condition, particularly its lack of sealing.
Shackleton (1957)
Figure 9: Shackleton
Source: Robert Jones, 2013
Shackleton is an 8.2 x 4.5 m PTB Mark IV flat-roofed building of insulated aluminium clad panels attached to a wooden frame (Figure 9). It was erected in 1957 and is ratcheted to wooden joists on railway sleeper stacks, and guyed from the roof and one joist. The building was used for accommodation and internally contains a cold porch, corridor and five ‘dongas’ (a makeshift or temporary dwelling) with beds, wardrobes and other fittings, and a lounge. It is currently not in use due to its inability to meet minimum requirements for expeditioner accommodation (security, fire safety, access/egress, acoustic separation, privacy and ablutions).
Wilkins (1957)
Figure 10: Wilkins
Source: Robert Jones, 2013
Wilkins is an 8.2 x 4.5 m PTB Mark IV building erected in 1957 (Figure 10). Wilkins is flat-roofed, insulated aluminium clad and set on a wooden frame. The building has eight rooms and fixtures including a cold porch, corridor and shower recess, and six dongas with beds, wardrobes and expeditioner-made furniture. The building’s foundations comprise a stone base and timber sleepers. It is currently not in use due to its poor condition, particularly lifting of foundations and major blizzard ingress.
Dovers (1969)
Figure 11: Dovers
Source: Strategic Infrastructure Team, AAD, 2019
Dovers is a 9.7 x 5.4 PTB Mark III building (Figure 11). It was erected in 1969 on pipe-scaffold foundations and is clad in zincanneal steel. Dovers has five sleeping cubicles, washing facilities and the ‘OICery’ (OIC’s bedroom and office). It is currently not in use due to the presence of asbestos in internal cladding, as well as its poor condition, particularly blizzard ingress resulting from deteriorated sealings.
Magnetic Absolute Hut (1952)
Figure 12: Magnetic Absolute Hut
Source: Strategic Infrastructure Team, AAD, 2019
The Magnetic Absolute Hut is a pitched-roof PTB Mark II building, 3.9 x 3.6 m (Figure 12). It was erected on Heard Island in 1952 and re-erected at Mawson Station in 1955. The hut is clad in onazote-insulated plywood-skinned panels, rests on sleepers and is guyed to bedrock. The hut has seven large rectangular windows and four skylights. Its internal fixtures include a wooden pier to support magnetometers and other instruments. Small observation windows align to reference markers on nearby rocks and islands. Due to its use in magnetic observation, all the building’s fittings are nonmagnetic (e.g. brass door handles). The hut continues to be used for magnetic absolute observations that calibrate the continuous electronic observations in the nearby Magnetic Variometer Hut.
Hangar (1956)
Figure 13: Hangar
Source: Mike Staples, 2008
The Hangar is a 19.5 x 19.5 m prefabricated building erected in 1956 to store Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) planes (Figure 13). It is built directly on bedrock with an open web joist steel frame clad with corrugated and galvanised steel. It has a full width vertical folding door and is partially floored with wooden packing cases stamped ‘RAAF Antarctica, DAK’. In addition to housing planes, the Hangar has been used as a geophysics building, a plumbers’ storage/workshop and for storage. It is currently not in use as it is no longer fit for storage due to rusted and compromised cladding.
Cemetery (1963)
Figure 14: West Arm memorial site
Source: Cat Humphries, 2023
Three graves are located on West Arm within the Extended Station Limits (Figure 14). The graves are rock-covered coffins with brass plaques and white wooden crosses. The graves are those of Robert White (d. 1963), Kenneth Wilson (d. 1972) and Geoffrey Cameron (d. 1974). Alongside the graves is a fourth more recently built cairn containing the ashes of Nel Law (d. 1990) and Dr Phillip Law (d. 2010) which were buried in 2011.
Cosray (1972)
Figure 15: Cosray
Source: Strategic Infrastructure Team, AAD, 2019
Cosray is a 16.4 x 7.3 m PTB Mark III pitched-roof construction built from zincanneal steel panels with double-thick (15 cm) insulation and set upon pipe-scaffold foundations (Figure 15). It was finished in 1972 and designed to house Geiger counters recording cosmic rays, among other instruments that detect particles coming from space and hitting the earth. A unique feature of this building is an 11 m shaft lined with timber sourced from a demolished riometer aerial. The shaft leads to an underground observatory area housing cosmic ray telescopes and a seismic observatory. The seismic observatory contributes to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty monitoring network. Cosray housed Geiger counters until they were replaced in 1982 with proportional counter telescopes designed to record cosmic rays. It continues to be used as a research facility.
Dog Platform and Hut (1976)
Figure 16: Dog Platform and Hut (middle structure)
Source: Rebecca Jeffcoat, 2022
The Dog Platform was built in 1976 and is made up of a wooden platform on wooden joists set on a galvanised scaffold drilled into bedrock (Figure 16). The asbestos cement panel Dog Hut was moved to the platform in 1976 where it was used to thaw seal meat for consumption by the dogs. The other two structures are the Glacio Hut (left) and a ‘PID’, a colloquial expression for a bed, field hut (right). The Dog Platform and Hut are not currently in use due to severe weathering and deflection.
Transmitter Building (1976)
Figure 17: Transmitter Building (south east corner)
Source: Mike Staples, 2008
The Transmitter Building is an asbestos-clad 9.4 x 7.3m structure erected in 1976 (Figure 17). The building has a workshop and a room that houses banks of high frequency radio transmitters. Historically, this structure supported transmissions back to the Australian mainland. The foundations are made of steel scaffolding. It is currently being used to house radio equipment.
Wombat (1976)
Figure 18: Wombat
Source: Mike Staples, 2008
Wombat is 9.4 x 9.4 m and was erected in 1976 (Figure 18). It has five rooms/workshops, a corridor and cold porch. It was an experiment using Hardiflex asbestos-clad insulated panel with insulated scaffold tube stumps and a rectangular hollow section steel framed insulated panel. Wombat has a pitched roof and is bolted via steel girders to galvanised steep scaffold pipes set into bedrock. The exterior is coated in yellow/brown resin and the building is accessed via metal steps and platforms. It is not currently in use due to the presence and state of hazardous materials.
Early exploration
Sir Douglas Mawson first sighted the coast, where Mawson Station is now located, during the first British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Expedition to the continent (BANZARE 1929–31), aboard the HMS Discovery. During this expedition, Mawson made a reconnaissance flight over the region and named the coast after Macpherson Robertson – a chocolate manufacturer who was also a keen patron of Australian Antarctic exploration.
Mawson’s extensive exploration of East Antarctica supported the formalisation in 1933 of the two sectors of the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT). Mawson cited evidence of other nations’ interests in the Australian sector when convincing the Australian Government to establish a station on the continent. Initial Australian efforts to establish a permanent base on the continent failed due to the lack of a ship suited to heavy ice conditions. The first Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) in 1947 was successful in establishing stations in the sub-Antarctic on Heard Island and Macquarie Island. A station on the continent was still the goal and in 1953 Dr Phillip Law, the first Head of the AAD, used American photographs and Norwegian charts to propose Horseshoe Harbour as a priority site to assess and establish a year-round station on the bedrock.
Dr Law obtained approval to mount a small expedition to East Antarctica in early 1954 aboard the Danish ice-strengthened ship MV Kista Dan. The ship collected men and dogs from Heard Island, and on arrival confirmed that the Horseshoe Harbour site was suitable for a station. On 13 February 1954, a party led by Law arrived with aircraft, supplies and six huts and raised the Australian flag. In a formal ceremony, in the name of Queen Elizabeth II and the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, Law named the fledgling station in honour of Sir Douglas Mawson. Australia became the fourth nation to have a permanent presence on the continent after Britain, Argentina and Chile.
The expeditioners shared two ‘barge caravans’ (Figure 19) until the living quarters were erected. The caravans were mounted on steel-sheeted runners and designed to float. They were designed by the first officer-in-charge (OIC)/station leader Bob Dovers, and were based on sleds used by the French in Adélie Land – France’s territorial claim ‘wedged’ between the two sectors of the AAT. These structures are no longer represented at the station.
Figure 19: Barge caravans used during the establishment of Mawson Station
Source: Hugh Thompson, 1954
The first three permanent buildings – the Electricians’ Workshop (used by the OIC, the meteorologist and radio operator), the Electrical Store, and the Field Store (now removed) – were finished in the 10 days prior to the ship’s departure. These Australian-designed aluminium-clad panel buildings could be erected in a day and were to become the preferred construction method throughout Antarctica.
The first wintering party of 10 members erected three other buildings. The living quarters, or Biscoe hut, is the only building which remains and is still in use today. Biscoe was initially manufactured in Norway for the Norwegian-Swedish-British Antarctic Expedition (1949–52). However, when it was not able to be transported to their Antarctic base, Maudheim, it was left in Cape Town where it was subsequently acquired for use at Mawson Station. Biscoe is the only timber frame and timber board clad structure to be erected on an Australian station.
During this first season, makeshift maintenance was constantly required, equipment was trialled with varying degrees of success, and the long winter was punctuated by arduous field excursions. As Australia’s interests in Antarctica matured, the station came to be viewed as permanent, rather than an annual prospect. Ten more huts were erected during the hand-over to the OIC of the 1955 Mawson party, John Béchervaise.
From 1957, the station hub centred on ‘Coronation St’ comprised six buildings: Weddell hut, Shackleton hut, the Mess, Wilkins hut, Ross hut and Law hut. Within five years the station began to exhibit a village-like footprint with ‘Coronation Street’ representing the central village ‘hub’ (Figure 20).
Figure 20: Coronation Street sign marking the ‘station hub’
Source: Jenny Wressell, 2016
Since its establishment in 1954, Mawson Station has supported research in the fields of cosmic ray physics, space physics, atmospheric physics, geophysics, glaciology, meteorology, ecology of seabirds and marine mammals, and polar medicine. It remains the western-most focal point for Australian Antarctic science. Activities conducted at Mawson Station – including by Geoscience Australia (GA), the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), and the ARPANSA – also enabled Australia to contribute to international obligations under the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CAMLR) Convention Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP), the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBTO).
Cosmic ray data collected at Mawson Station dates back to 1955 and represents one of Australia’s longest standing scientific endeavours. Underground and surface cosmic ray telescopes provide information on the influence of the interplanetary and geomagnetic fields on the propagation of galactic and solar cosmic rays, as well as the occurrence of large solar events that potentially pose a radiation hazard to aviation and space operations.
Several space physics research and monitoring instruments, including an ionosonde and riometer, are operated at Mawson Station (Figure 21). The continuous automated measurements of geomagnetic variations ionospheric opacity and structure are used in various operational and research activities that support better detection and understanding of the space environment. Such information also contributes to GA’s observation system.
Figure 21: Cosray laboratory stairwell
Source: Wayne Papps, 1999
Meteorological measurements made at Mawson Station provide one of the longest continuous records of weather and climate in East Antarctica and contribute to BOM’s forecasting and monitoring. In addition to daily surface and upper air sounds, clean air samples are periodically obtained for trace gas analysis. An underground seismometer and a radionuclide atmospheric sampler contribute to monitoring associated with CTBTO and ARPANSA.
Two long-running investigations on populations and demographics of penguins are supported from Mawson Station. An Emperor Penguin colony at Taylor Glacier has been studied intermittently from 1959 to 1987, and continuously since 1988. An Adélie Penguin population at Bèchervaise Island has been systematically studied since 1987 and Adelie penguin populations in the broader Holme Bay region have also been studied since 2005. In recent years, additional studies on some of the flying seabird species (Cape Petrels, Snow Petrels, Wilson’s Storm-petrels, and Southern Giant Petrels) have been conducted in the region and contribute to ACAP monitoring efforts. This program has also contributed to the work carried out in the area to inform CEMP.
More recently, research at Mawson Station has focussed on the impacts of climate change, monitoring the southern atmosphere, as well as sustainable fisheries. Social science projects including team cohesion, collaboration and effectiveness have also been conducted.
Despite adaptions to the historic buildings as necessitated by station operations, the central precinct continues to represent the heritage values as identified.
Management of Mawson Station’s heritage values should complement the operational objectives of the Department. To this end, it is desirable for the historic buildings and structures to play an important role in the operational life of the contemporary station where possible, including continued use, on-site conservation, effective record-keeping and development of a heritage interpretation program.
The provisions in this management plan seek to provide for the protection of Mawson Station’s Commonwealth Heritage values while providing for the ongoing support of science in Antarctica within the context of the station’s remoteness, and the environmental, financial, operational, and logistic constraints that the remoteness entails.
The inclusion of the historic buildings and structures in the active life of the station, whether through continued use or adaptive re-use, will be encouraged. The re-use and adaptation of buildings is in line with past practices whereby individual buildings have been relocated and refitted as expeditioner numbers, science programs and similar instances have dictated a need.
Like other Antarctic national programs, Australia is in the process of assessing its existing station designs to understand how facilities might be modernised and remediated to meet current operational and environmental standards. Such activities are integral to ensuring that Australia’s stations remain safe for expeditioners, have minimal impact on the environment, and are essential to enhancing Australia’s ability to lead world‐class science and environmental stewardship across East Antarctica. A key consideration will be to ensure that the aspects of these stations that make them historically significant are recognised and valued, and in the case of Mawson Station, where Commonwealth Heritage listed elements are present, these are taken into account as the station continues evolve.
Commonwealth Heritage is protected under the EPBC Act (Section 26 – Actions on Commonwealth Land). As such, any actions that could lead to a significant impact on the environment, including heritage, cannot be undertaken without written approval from the Minister for the Environment and must be referred to the Department for assessment (see Chapter 4 for relevant legislation). To determine whether a proposed action requires assessment and approval under the EPBC Act, a self-assessment, and potentially a Heritage Impact Assessment should be undertaken. Chapter 10 provides further details on the assessment processes for determining whether an action is likely to have a significant impact on a Commonwealth Heritage place.
The Department’s Significant Impact Guidelines 1.2 provide further guidance on determining significant impacts on the environment. More information about the referral process can be found on the Department’s EPBC Act Environment Assessment and Approvals webpage.
Responsibility for Mawson Station is vested in the Department, on behalf of the Australian Government. This responsibility includes ensuring that the heritage values of the site are preserved, and that these values are interpreted and presented to the Australian community. In practice, the AAD is responsible for the development of priorities, policies and procedures associated with managing Australia’s Antarctic heritage, for implementation by the appropriate personnel.
The Australian Heritage Council advises the Minister responsible for heritage matters on identification, assessment, conservation and monitoring of heritage. In particular, the Council provides comment to the Minister on plans of management for listed sites.
Three key pieces of Australian legislation apply to the management of Mawson Station’s heritage values – the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations, the Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980 (ATEP Act) and the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986.
The EPBC Act requires the responsible government agency to ‘make a plan’ to protect and manage the Commonwealth Heritage values of places that it owns or controls. Plans are binding on the Commonwealth and Commonwealth agencies. Mawson Station is listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List, and this plan is prepared under Section 341S of the EPBC Act.
The EPBC Regulations specify the Commonwealth Heritage criteria (10.03A); instructions for preparing Management plans for Commonwealth Heritage places (Schedule 7A); and the Commonwealth Heritage management principles (Schedule 7B). The EPBC Regulations should be consulted when preparing a management plan for a Commonwealth Heritage place. Appendix A identifies the parts of this plan that comply with Schedule 7A.
If any action on Commonwealth land is likely to have a significant impact on the environment, it must be referred to the Department for approval. Notably, the EPBC Act definition of ‘environment’ includes ‘the heritage values of places’ (Section 528). Accordingly, any actions that are likely to cause a significant impact on the heritage values at Mawson Station will need to be referred to the Minister for the provision of advice on, and approval of, on-site activities under the EPBC Act. This decision-making authority does not sit within the AAD.
It is important to note that section 341ZC of the EPBC Act requires adverse impacts on heritage values to be minimised. It prescribes that a Commonwealth Agency ‘must not take an action that has, will have or is likely to have an adverse impact on the National Heritage values of a National Heritage place or the Commonwealth Heritage values of a Commonwealth Heritage place, unless:
- there is no feasible and prudent alternative to taking the action; and
- all measures that can reasonably be taken to mitigate the impact of the action on those values are taken.’
As a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty 1959 and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty 1991 (Environmental Protocol), Australia is bound by provisions on cultural and natural heritage under these instruments. These are given effect through the ATEP Act.
The ATEP Act requires that Australian activities in the Antarctic undergo prior environmental impact assessment. If the Minister considers that the environmental impact is likely to be no more than minor or transitory, the Minister must grant written authorisation to carry on an activity. The Minister may choose to impose conditions to protect the environment and take into account other relevant considerations. More detailed assessments (Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) or Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation (CEE)) are required for activities likely to involve higher levels of impact.
The Minister is responsible for the provision of advice on, and approval of, on-site activities under the ATEP Act.
The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 regulates the export of Australia's significant cultural heritage objects. This Act may cover artefacts that are at, or are associated with, the Mawson Station site.
Prior to its inclusion in the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004, Mawson Station was assessed on two separate occasions for its heritage value.
Between 1992 and 1993, the heritage significance of the station was formally assessed by the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Tasmania (Wishart and Clarke 1993). They concluded that the historical buildings preserved the visual character of the old station and reflected a diversity of building styles and functions, and that the surrounding landscape and station as a whole were also culturally significant.
Between 1995 and 1996, heritage specialists prepared a series of reports for the AAD which reaffirmed the presence of heritage values (Rando and Davies 1995; Rando 1996). Their primary conservation recommendations encouraged retention of the core area of the central precinct, otherwise known as the old station ‘village’, for its ‘picturesque nature’, and preservation of the range of construction technologies and building materials that the structures exhibited.
These assessments formed the basis of Mawson Station’s listings on the Register of the National Estate in 2001 (now a non-statutory archive) and the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004 as they determined that the site was a place of significant heritage value (Division 10.5, s 10.03A, EPBC Regulations). A place’s heritage value is defined by legislation as ‘including the place’s natural and cultural environment having aesthetic, historic, scientific, or social significance or other significance, for current and future generations of Australians’ (Division 2, s 528, EPBC Act). Overall, the Commonwealth Heritage listing provides the foundation for conservation policies to be developed (according to The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance) and for heritage management to be undertaken at Mawson Station.
A review of the heritage values associated with Mawson Station confirmed that the values are still extant. A comprehensive review should be undertaken during the life of this plan to ensure any changes to the identified values are captured accordingly.
In 2004, the Australian Heritage Council found that the site’s heritage values met six of nine Commonwealth Heritage criteria. Based on this advice, the responsible Minister made a decision to include the site on the Commonwealth Heritage List. The full statement is at Appendix B.
The reasons for listing are summarised in the entry’s Summary Statement of Significance:
Mawson Station, established in 1954, is the oldest continuously occupied scientific station in Antarctica and the first permanent station south of the Antarctic Circle. It was Australia's first continental station, reflecting the post-World War Two revival of Australia's scientific research and territorial interests in Antarctica (Criterion A.4).
The establishment and early operations of the station were closely associated with several people of significance in Australia's Antarctic history, whose associations are reflected in planning and design decisions preserved in the surviving buildings. These include Phillip Law, John Bechervaise and Robert Dovers. The Station was named by Law after Sir Douglas Mawson (Criterion H.1).
Mawson Station retains the most complete surviving collection of buildings demonstrating the evolution of Antarctic building design used by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE). These buildings demonstrate experimentation with different construction methods, cladding materials and foundation systems and innovation to deal with polar conditions. These designs are now entirely superseded by the modern Australian Antarctic Building System (AANBUS) modular system (Criterion F.1).
The Mawson Station building collection, a remnant of its former village layout, is an intact representation of the characteristics of Antarctic stations and the way of life of expeditioners, as they existed for the first forty years of Australia's permanent involvement on the continent (Criterion D.2).
The modern stations are entirely different in their scale, planning and construction and the lifestyle of expeditioners has changed dramatically. The original station design and lifestyle are no longer practiced and the demonstration of them to the degree seen in the Mawson buildings and landscape is now very rare (Criterion B.2).
The village arrangement of Mawson Station's old buildings backed by the newer station and the more distant views of ice cap and mountains is highly regarded as a striking and unusual landscape (Criterion E.1).
This summary is based on an assessment of the site’s values against the Commonwealth Heritage criteria, as set out in Table 2.
Table 2: Official Values as identified within the Commonwealth Heritage listing
Commonwealth Heritage criteria (Division 10.5 of the EPBC Regulations) | Associated site value | Associated site attributes |
A – Processes: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history | Mawson Station, established in 1954, is the oldest continuously occupied scientific station in Antarctica and the first permanent station south of the Antarctic Circle. It was Australia's first continental station, reflecting the post-World War Two revival of Australia's scientific research and territorial interests in Antarctica. | The whole of the station, but particularly fabric and site layout that dates from the earlier establishment phase. |
B – Rarity: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history | The modern stations are entirely different in their scale, planning and construction and the lifestyle of expeditioners has changed dramatically. The original station design and lifestyle are no longer practiced and the demonstration of them to the degree seen in the Mawson buildings and landscape is now very rare. | The original station design evidenced in the scale, planning and construction of the facility. |
* C – Research: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history | This criterion was not identified for the listing. | This criterion was not identified for the listing. |
D – Characteristic values: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of: a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments | The Mawson Station building collection, a remnant of its former village layout, is an intact representation of the characteristics of Antarctic stations and the way of life of expeditioners, as they existed for the first forty years of Australia's permanent involvement on the continent. | The Mawson Station building collection as a remnant of its former village layout. |
E – Aesthetic characteristics: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group | The village arrangement of Mawson Station's old buildings backed by the newer station and the more distant views of ice cap and mountains is highly regarded as a striking and unusual landscape. | The whole of the station, in particular the planning, layout and design of the buildings and their setting in the polar landscape. |
F – Technical achievement: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period | Mawson Station retains the most complete surviving collection of buildings demonstrating the evolution of Antarctic building design used by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE). These buildings demonstrate experimentation with different construction methods, cladding materials and foundation systems and innovation to deal with polar conditions. These designs are now entirely superseded by the modern Australian Antarctic Building System (AANBUS) modular system. | The surviving collection of buildings used by ANARE. |
* G – Social: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons | This criterion was not identified for the listing. | This criterion was not identified for the listing. |
H – Significant people: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history | The establishment and early operations of the station were closely associated with several people of significance in Australia's Antarctic history, whose associations are reflected in planning and design decisions preserved in the surviving buildings. These include Phillip Law, John Bechervaise and Robert Dovers. The Station was named by Law after Sir Douglas Mawson. | The planning, layout and design of the buildings. |
* I – Indigenous tradition: the place has significant heritage value because of the place’s importance as part of indigenous tradition | This criterion was not identified for the listing. | This criterion was not identified for the listing. |
*Criteria not identified for the Commonwealth Heritage listing of Mawson Station.
By nature of its Antarctic location, the historic fabric of the Mawson Station buildings is subject to extreme weather conditions. Without a high degree of regular maintenance, they will deteriorate rapidly. Maintenance of these historic structures has focussed on preserving the heritage values of those still serving an operational role. While obvious damage to vacated buildings has been repaired, work on these structures has been directed at ensuring they are maintained at a safe standard.
A summary of the condition of the historic fabric of the historic buildings and structures is provided at Table 3, and the impact that the condition of these physical attributes has on the integrity of the Official Values is demonstrated in Table 4.
The external cladding of the historic buildings is in various stages of disrepair, and some contain asbestos which poses a varying degree of risk based on disturbance potential and stability. Abrasion from wind, seasonal freezing and thawing has caused the external skin to delaminate, paint to flake, and tie rods to rust and corrode, resulting in a loss of external integrity of some PTB buildings.
The internal spaces and fixtures of many of the buildings and structures have been altered to accommodate new functions, while preserving the heritage value they embody. The degree of internal modification varies from little or no internal alteration, to a comprehensive refit to accommodate a different purpose. As such, the primary focus of this plan is on the external structures and their layout given their demonstration of the Commonwealth Heritage criteria. This is in keeping with the 1995 heritage assessment which identified that few historic structures were entirely unaltered, and that the changing, replacing or rearranging of building parts was a regular activity of station operations. Acknowledging this, the assessment recommended that ‘there is no management imperative to restore buildings to their original conditions … [but that] damaged or worn building components should be replaced with similar materials if possible’ (Rando and Davies 1995, 117).
Assessment of the condition of the fabric
The condition of the historic fabric is an important factor in determining the condition of the heritage values, and can also be assessed according to terms consistent with the guidelines:
Poor: There are signs of damage from water penetration, rot, instability or structural failure of buildings, or erosion or major disturbance of sites. Might include the loss of a roof, fire damage, wall collapse or subsidence, major rising or falling damp damage, or major disturbance or damage to a site. Internally, walls, floors or joinery are missing, or in dilapidated condition. Loss of significant fabric, including landscape elements, movable objects, archaeological deposits, etc.
Fair: A site retains its important features, including (where relevant) landscape elements, vegetation, associated movable objects etc, but is in need of conservation action and maintenance. A building is structurally sound, but has had inadequate maintenance and is in need of minor repair. Internally, walls, floors and joinery are in need or minor repair, painting etc.
Good: A site has its important features well-maintained. A building is structurally sound, weathertight, and with no significant repair needed. Internally, walls, floor and joinery are well maintained.
An assessment of the historic fabric at Mawson Station based on reports from station personnel collected in 2011 and 2021 is provided at Table 3. While interim inspections have taken place, the following assessment represents a snapshot of the state of the site one decade apart.
Table 3: Condition of the historic fabric at Mawson Station
Fabric | Year assessed | Condition |
Weddell Criteria: A, B, D, E, F, H | 2011 | Poor (but weatherproof) |
2021 | Poor (but weatherproof; Laundry/Linkway is in derelict condition) |
Biscoe Criteria: B, D, E, G, H | 2011 | Fair |
2021 | Fair |
Electrical Store Criteria: A, B, D, E | 2011 | Poor |
2021 | Poor |
Electricians’ Workshop Criteria: A, B, D, F, H | 2011 | Poor |
2021 | Poor - Fair |
Shackleton Criteria: A, D, F | 2011 | Poor |
2021 | Poor |
Wilkins Criteria: A, B, D, F | 2011 | Fair (structurally sound, the floor panels are in poor condition) |
2021 | Fair (structurally sound, the floor panels are in poor condition, requires new door fixings and seals) |
Dovers Criteria: A, B, D, F | 2011 | Fair |
2021 | Fair |
Magnetic Absolute Hut Criteria: A, B, D, E, F, H | 2011 | Fair (the building remains fully functional and essentially weatherproof) |
2021 | Fair (the building remains fully functional and essentially weatherproof) |
Hangar Criteria: A, B, D, F, H | 2011 | Fair |
2021 | Fair (rust and holes allow internal snow and ice build-up) |
Cemetery Criteria: G | 2011 | Fair |
2021 | Fair |
Cosray Criteria: A, B, E, H | 2011 | Good |
2021 | Good |
Dog Platform and Hut Criteria: A, B, D, H | 2011 | Fair |
2021 | Poor - Fair (cladding panel broken) |
Transmitter Building Criteria: A, B, D, E | 2011 | Fair (remains structurally sound and weather tight) |
2021 | Fair (remains structurally sound and weather tight) |
Wombat Criteria: A, B, D, F | 2011 | Fair (building remains functional) |
2021 | Fair (protective paint flaking, cladding bowed, windows cracked) |
Assessment of the integrity of the heritage values
Table 4 sets out the integrity of the heritage values of the site, assessed in 2024 according to the 2011 State of the Environment guidelines for evaluating the integrity of heritage places. The guidelines determine the following categories:
Low: A site has had important features (such as structures, machinery, archaeological deposits etc) removed, or a new structure covers the site. A building has major elements that would contribute substantially to its heritage values, removed or extensively altered. Original cladding of walls or roof may have been replaced with newer materials or removed entirely, interiors may have been removed or destroyed, or re-arranged with the insertion of a new interior.
Where the values of the place do not relate directly to fabric (such as in a place valued for association with an historic event, community associations or use), judgement must be made on the impact of changes in diminishing the ability of the viewer to understand the associations of the place.
Medium: There has been some loss of important elements, but the site or building still retains sufficient significant fabric for its values to be understood and interpreted. Intrusions are not substantial.
High: The features that contribute to the value of the place are largely intact and not compromised by significant removals, modification or additions.
Table 4: Integrity of the heritage values at Mawson Station
Heritage value | Description | Fabric | Integrity |
The oldest continuously occupied scientific station, as well as the first continental station in Australian history Criteria: A | Mawson Station is one of Australia’s three active research stations, and remains the oldest continuously occupied scientific station in Antarctica (in addition to the first permanent station south of the Antarctic Circle). The ongoing operation of the station also supports Australia’s continuing commitment, as an actively engaged Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party, to peace and science within the region since the mid-twentieth century. | The historic structures retain sufficient significant fabric to demonstrate past and ongoing occupation. The majority of buildings are in fair condition, with three in poor condition and only one in good condition (see Table 3). The deteriorating condition of many of the buildings presents a risk to the condition and integrity of the heritage values. | Low |
The rarity of the original station design and technicality of construction methods Criteria: B, F, H | Mawson Station retains a unique demonstration of the evolution of Antarctic building design not represented at Australia’s other two continental research stations; Davis and Casey. Pre-AANBUS structures at Davis have been largely removed, while buildings at Casey were constructed after this period of construction. The retention of the historic structures in the central precinct of the station in particular demonstrates the original station design, and preserves the planning and design decisions made by significant individuals. | The collection of historic buildings remain at the site and retain sufficient significant fabric to demonstrate the unique building design and methods, however, the deteriorating condition of many of the buildings presents a risk to the condition and integrity of the heritage values. | Low |
The demonstration of the unique lifestyle of past expeditioners and characteristics of the former village layout Criteria: B, D, H | The remaining historic structures within the central precinct represent the former village layout, and their adaptive reuse allows for an appreciation of the way of life of the members of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) who first inhabited them. | A lack of adaptive reuse has diminished understanding and interpretation of the characteristics of the former station and the way of life of expeditioners, as they existed for the first forty years of Australia's permanent involvement on the continent. | Low |
The juxtaposition of historic structures against contemporary station buildings backed by the backdrop of the ice cap and mountains Criteria: B, E | The striking juxtaposition of the historic structures in the former village layout against the newer station buildings backed by the ice cap and mountains can still be observed (see front cover image). | No new structures have been erected in between the central precinct and Horseshoe Harbour (i.e. the foreground) that obscure this imagery. | Medium |
The association of the site with people of significance in Australia's Antarctic history Criteria: H | The memory of the individuals who made significant contributions to the establishment and early operation of Mawson Station continue to be honoured. Phillip Law is commemorated at the West Arm memorial site where his and his wife’s (Nel Law) ashes are buried; Bechervaise Island two km from Mawson Station was named after John Bechervaise; the Dovers building was named after Robert Dovers; and the station itself was named after Sir Doulas Mawson. | Structures that these individuals planned and designed remain on site, and are in fair condition (Cemetery and Dovers). | Medium |
The Commonwealth Heritage values at Mawson Station will be subject to multiple pressures in the coming decade. While some of these can be forecast, there are a range of complexities associated with the ongoing maintenance and management of the site that compound the predictability and subsequent response to pressures in the region. These pressures can be broadly defined as operational, environmental, financial, procedural and inadvertent.
Mawson Station is approximately 5,000 km from many of the services typically available to other Australian communities, and of the three Australian Antarctic stations, it is the furthest station from mainland Australia. This complicates the movement of people and resources for tasks such as a heritage monitoring and maintenance.
Mawson Station is also a working and aging station that requires infrastructure upgrades to maintain operational safety and efficiency standards. As highlighted in Chapter 3, the AAD is in the process of modernising and remediating its research stations. Accordingly, any such actions that could have a significant impact on the heritage values of Mawson Station would be referred under the EPBC Act prior to commencement (see Chapter 4 for relevant legislation, and Chapter 10 for the associated decision-making process).
The Antarctic environment is extremely harsh on buildings and other structures.
Climate change
The risks to heritage sites across the Antarctic from the effects of a changing climate are numerous and increasing in intensity. They include, but are not limited to, the following environmental factors which have been identified by Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (Information Paper no.88, ATCM 46, 2024:
- changes in moisture levels that increases the exposure of historic fabrics to humidity, precipitation, wetting and flooding events
- decreased sea ice extent and greater coastal erosion that can encroach on historic fabrics
- warmer weather that increases the frequency of ice-free conditions and changes freeze-thaw cycles of historic fabrics
- increased storm activity that can increase affects such as damaging wind abrasion to historic fabrics
- increased marine acidification that causes adverse chemical reactions with historic fabrics;
- increased UV-levels that deteriorate historic fabrics
- increased microbial activity that affects organic historic fabrics.
All of these factors apply to the Mawson Station, and are likely to change how the environmental pressures described below affect the site in the coming decade.
Wind
The winds at Mawson are particularly challenging. They can gust between 90 – 180 km per hour and cause abrasion from wind-driven snow and ice (‘corrosion’), presenting a significant threat to wooden structures.
Furthermore, the winds drive snow drift up and into buildings, causing minute particles to penetrate weaknesses in the skin of buildings, and gradually freezing the walls and interior. Freezing and thawing processes have significant impacts including de-lamination of the skins of buildings, and internal damage to paintwork and fittings. Ice build-up underneath buildings can also cause floors to warp and lift.
Strong wind can also delay work on buildings for days through to an entire summer season. Exposure to wind chill work can be physically difficult for expeditioners which presents a challenge for the planning and tasking of heritage-related maintenance projects on-site.
Snow
Over the winter months, access to many buildings in the central precinct is blocked by snow drift, which presents challenges for their continued year-round monitoring and maintenance.
Atmosphere
The dry environment also creates fire risks, to which timber buildings are especially vulnerable.
Australia has a large footprint in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. Maintenance, modernisation and remediation of Antarctic stations is becoming increasingly costly. The Department is required to balance the needs of supporting and conducting scientific research, with its obligations to preserve the heritage values of Mawson station, as well as other sites of significance including Mawson’s Huts Historic Site at Commonwealth Bay.
The modifications needed to facilitate the compliance of historic structures with contemporary work health and safety standards and procedures may have significant and unavoidable impacts on their fabric. For example, the removal of interior and exterior asbestos cement sheeting may be required to be removed for safety reasons, and action would need to be referred to the Department for assessment.
Notably, where historic fabrics pose a threat to safety – and where no alternative course of action will ensure safety – modification or removal will be permissible consistent with Section 341ZC of the EPBC Act.
Emergency interventions may pose risks to other fabric or the visual integrity of the site. These actions may include moving snow or diverting melt water to prevent accumulation under and around buildings; maintenance to address structural deficiencies; and conservation works needed to, for example, reconstruct fittings broken by ice loads.
Conservation work and the removal of snow and ice from the buildings and structures may also displace objects of potential heritage value from their context.
The principles and policies set out in Chapter 7 provide further guidance for such activities.
The Commonwealth Heritage management principles, defined by Schedule 7B of the EPBC Regulations, outline the overarching objective for managing Commonwealth Heritage places, that is: ‘to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit, to all generations, their Commonwealth Heritage values’. These principles also describe the approach to management: taking into account the best available knowledge; ensuring its use is consistent with the conservation of the identified heritage values; making provisions for community involvement; and providing for regular monitoring, review and reporting on the identified heritage values.
The policies and guidance within this management plan acknowledge and incorporate this objective and approach.
Schedule 7A of the EPBC Regulations require Heritage Management Plans to include policies and guidance on the protection of heritage values and proposed activities on site.
This management plan sets out four policy areas that support the protection of Mawson Station’s heritage values:
- Management and Conservation
- Use and Access
- Documentation and Observation
- Communication and Interpretation
Table 5 provides details on the four policy areas that support the protection of Mawson Station’s heritage values.
Table 5: Policy areas that support the protection of Mawson Station’s heritage values
1. MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION |
1 a) Decision-making must be informed by legislative requirements, accepted guidelines, and scientific data | All management decisions with the potential to affect the heritage values of the place, must be founded on a clear understanding of those values as defined by the Commonwealth Heritage criteria. Expert guidance documents should be consulted in the decision-making process. These include Australia ICOMOS’ The Burra Charter and the Antarctic Archaeology Guidelines published by the ICOMOS International Polar Heritage Committee. This is worth noting that particular actions must be determined through the analysis of data relevant to the site, building, or object. For example, where there is cotemporary knowledge and observations of the site, this should also be considered within management decisions. |
1 b) Consultation and use of appropriate expertise | All management decisions will be founded on the principles of Best Practice and where appropriate, advice obtained through consultation with, or employment of, qualified professionals with specialist technical expertise. The particular expertise needed will be dictated by the task required. The participation of stakeholders is essential to ensuring commitment and cooperation in the conservation of Antarctic heritage. Key stakeholders will be consulted on any changes to the management direction proposed in this plan. Stakeholders include former expeditioners and the ANARE Club; international polar organisations and forums such as the International Polar Heritage Scientific Committee of ICOMOS; and Australian collections agencies and heritage organisations such as the National Museum of Australia. Construction works will be carried out by licensed and appropriately specialised tradespersons. It is the responsibility of the AAD to ensure that all contractors and consultants working on historic fabric are aware of the site’s heritage values, the management plan for the site, relevant AAD procedures relating to unexpected finds (including both historical archaeology and skeletal remains), and AAD protocol concerning objects of potential heritage value. As asbestos has been identified in a number of the old buildings and structures, any activities that have the potential to disturb this material will be managed to prevent fibres from becoming airborne and creating an inhalation hazard. The management of asbestos containing material will be undertaken in accordance with the relevant legislation. |
1 c) Conservation works must be undertaken in accordance with accepted guidelines and policies | Conservation works must be undertaken with reference to the principles of The Burra Charter, and with consideration of other relevant guidance material such as the International Polar Heritage Committee Antarctic Archaeology Guidelines. Asbestos-related activities must be undertaken, where relevant, in accordance with the AAD’s Asbestos Management Plan. |
1 d) Conservation works will be sympathetic to heritage values | The repair of original fabric will take preference over replacement with new material. Missing fabric may be reconstructed to protect significant elements or for operational requirements, but materials used to replace or repair building components should be, where possible, similar in form, material and appearance to the existing fabric. The visual impact of new materials should be assessed prior to their introduction. Conjectural reconstruction of missing elements is not supported. |
1 e) Conservation works will be prioritised according to heritage value and risk level | The conservation of historic structures that: - best demonstrate the Official Values of the site (e.g. are the best or only example of a heritage value, listed or otherwise), - and/or are most at risk (e.g. in the poorest condition, or are threatened by imminent damage or destruction) will be prioritised. |
1 f) Historic structures should be kept in situ | Conservation of historic structures should be conserved in situ where possible. |
1 g) Any actions proposed that could impact the historic fabric, including removal, will comply with legislative obligations | Any works that could have a significant impact on the historic fabric require careful consideration. To help determine whether an action is likely to have a significant impact under the EPBC Act, a self-assessment and a Heritage Impact Assessment should be undertaken. Refer to the Department’s Significant Impact Guidelines 1.2 for guidance on determining significant impacts on the environment. |
1 h) Heritage impact assessments should be undertaken | Heritage impact assessments should be undertaken prior to works beyond routine maintenance or those not actioned within the Implementation Plan, for example, works undertaken to urgently stabilise structures. |
1 i) A precautionary approach is required where historic fabrics pose an immediate health and/or safety threat | Consistent with Section 341ZC of the EPBC Act, where historic fabrics pose an immediate threat to the safety of personnel within their vicinity, a precautionary approach will be adopted to minimise adverse impacts on heritage values. Such an approach will support the modification of historic fabrics where ‘there is no feasible and prudent alternative to taking the action; and all measures that can be reasonably taken to mitigate the impact of the action on those values are taken’. Examples include the removal of insecure asbestos or effective prioritisation of station operations and resourcing more generally to ensure personnel safety. |
1 j) Collection management | As the AAD is not a collections institute and does not have the expertise or resources to properly manage artefacts, the returning to Australia of objects identified to have heritage value, for management by an institute that does have the relevant expertise and experience in collections management, is preferable. Importantly, objects must not be disturbed or transported unless prior approval has been granted according to relevant AAD protocol to ensure heritage values are not adversely impacted. |
1 k) Heritage research may be permitted | Requests to undertake research will be considered and prioritised alongside other projects that require resourcing. The associated data and reports must be lodged with the Australian Antarctic Data Centre and library. |
2. USE AND ACCESS |
2 a) Site usage can be adapted and developed, but must continue to protect the heritage values of the place | Commonwealth Heritage places can be adapted for a new use so long as this does not have a significant impact on the heritage values. Although the preferred option is for building interiors to remain unaltered, adaptations required to accommodate new and compatible uses are permissible. This is particularly important to note in the context of a remote, working and aging station that must be altered and updated to maintain operational safety and efficiency standards. For example, station modernisation and remediation efforts in the coming decade will require future proposed works to consider the tangible existence of the central precinct. Such proposed actions would require further consideration under the EPBC Act and may include alternative methods to support the ongoing protection of the heritage values of the site. |
2 b) Site access may be permitted | Access to the historic buildings and structures by expeditioners for their current intended use is permitted. Access to the historic buildings and structures by heritage practitioners to carry out essential conservations works should be permitted. Access by tourists and other visitors not engaged in inspections under the Antarctic Treaty may be authorised at the discretion of the AAD. Any decision to allow visitors into the historic buildings or structures should ensure all reasonable measures to avoid degradation of the condition and integrity of the heritage values are taken. |
2 c) Environmental approvals | All activities in the Antarctic region must be granted environmental approval and authorisation before commencing activities. Australian activities in Antarctica are administered and regulated by the AAD, in accordance with the ATEP Act. Australian citizens, organisations and expeditioners must apply to the AAD for environmental approval before conducting scientific, operational, recreational or any other activities in the Antarctic region. |
2 d) Environmental impacts should be avoided or minimised | Conservation and management actions should have regard to their broader environmental impact and should be planned to avoid or minimise adverse impact to either the built or natural environment. Proposed actions should be developed in consultation with relevant environmental procedures, policies, and/or managers. This approach is in line with Australia’s broader environmental commitments under the ATEP Act. |
3. DOCUMENTATION AND OBSERVATION |
3 a) Recording should precede and follow conservation works | Records of the site’s management should be maintained. Archival recording should be carried out prior to and on completion of any conservation work. Such recording should reference measured drawings of buildings and structures, photographic recording and ‘as-built’ records of buildings and structures indicating the location and detail of changes. Condition reports and works plans are also helpful tools for documentation of management activities undertaken. No protocol for the management of sensitive information is required. |
3 b) Cultural heritage objects will be registered and conserved | Identified cultural heritage objects will be registered on a publicly accessible database and managed according to relevant AAD protocol to ensure any corresponding heritage values are not impacted. This includes any removal for ex situ conservation, display or exhibition. |
3 c) Monitoring, evaluation, and review should be targeted and regular | Changes in the physical condition of buildings will be monitored to inform the evaluation of the effectiveness of the management plan and its implementation. Condition reports will also help to inform the development of annual maintenance schedules, budgets, review cycles, and any environmental remediation efforts. |
4. COMMUNICATION AND INTERPRETATION |
4 a) The heritage values should be communicated, transmitted and presented | The AAD will endeavour to make interpretation materials available to the public. Development of web-focussed interpretative materials can promote a richer understanding of the site, including for related management decision-making and the broader community. This approach takes advantage of developing technologies and the growing capability to transmit heritage values to a broader audience. It alleviates the reliance on vulnerable fabrics in a remote and inhospitable environment to represent the heritage values. There is potential for artefacts to be made available for exhibition, as long as the heritage values are not impacted. |
4 b) Methods of digitisation should be explored | Effective protection of heritage values at Mawson Station can transcend the physical existence of the historic buildings themselves. Although it is important to maintain the integrity of the historic buildings in use, there are other means to supplement the protection of heritage values including methods of digitisation. |
4 c) Personnel on site should be supported | Tools and/or training will help to enhance expeditioners’ appreciation of, and respect for, the site’s heritage values. |
Monitoring of the condition of the heritage values of Mawson Station will occur throughout the life of this plan with routine monitoring and reporting incorporated into station operational plans, including taskings, where appropriate, for works to be undertaken. The Implementation Plan will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that the policies and overarching objectives of this plan are being fulfilled. For further detail on monitoring efforts, refer to the Implementation Plan (Chapter 9).
This Heritage Management Plan will be reviewed every five years in accordance with Section 341X
(Commonwealth Heritage places) of the EPBC Act.
A review will also be undertaken if any of the following occur:
the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place change
important previously unforeseen management issues present a potential impact on the heritage values of the place
or the policies contained in the plan do not achieve the stated management objectives.
The plan will remain in force until such time as a new plan is adopted or it is subject to sunsetting.
In the preparation of this plan, a review of the previous Heritage Management Plan, Mawson Station Heritage Management Plan 2014-2019, was conducted. The review found that although the previous plan was consistent with the Commonwealth Heritage Management Principles and provided a framework for the protection and conservation of the site's Commonwealth Heritage values, there was a need to better:
align some actions with relevant legislative requirements;
structure the plan to reflect a best practice approach; and
commit to more effective implementation.
These findings have been considered and are reflected in this plan.
Table 6 outlines the actions and timeframes to implement the four policy areas and management principles as described in Chapter 7.
Table 6: Actions and timeframes to implement the four policy areas
Policy area | Phase | Action | Timing |
1) Management and Conservation | Heritage Assessment | Undertake a Heritage Assessment of the site to assess the integrity of the Official Values, the condition of all historic fabric, identify any necessary updates to the listing, including corrections to the Summary Statement of Significance and consideration of the significance of interior spaces and heritage values not listed in the Official Values. | As soon as practicable – no later than 2026/27 season |
Priority conservation | Conservation works will be prioritised for historic structures and fabric that best demonstrate the Official Values of the site (e.g. are the best or only example of a heritage value, listed or otherwise), and/or are most at risk (e.g. in the poorest condition, or are threatened by imminent damage or destruction). | Within 5 years |
Routine maintenance | Repairs and maintenance to, as a minimum, reduce or prevent snow and melt water ingress and ice accumulation. | Ongoing |
Refurbishment/adaptation | Modifications as necessary to accommodate alternate uses. | Within 5 years |
Resource development | Prepare guidance material to assist with the classification and management of heritage on-site – for example, climate change vulnerability assessment tool, decision-making flow-charts and station leader briefings. | Within 5 years |
Personnel support | Support on-site heritage management by station staff where advantageous. For example, work with station leader to determine how expeditioners might assist with photographing or recording the condition of structures. | Ongoing |
Authorisation | Acquire permissions in accordance with the ATEP Act and refer significant proposed actions for approval in accordance with EPBC Act requirements. | As required |
Site remediation | Remediate site within 2 years of building removal. | As required |
Research facilitation | Develop and/or review proposals to undertake heritage research at the station, and facilitate the conduct of priority heritage research. | As required |
2) Use and Access | Site usage | Brief station personnel and other relevant program leaders on the central precinct and the heritage values they embody to ensure these values are protected within immediate as well as intended future use of the buildings. | As required |
Site access | Review site access approaches every 5 years or as new information regarding the state of the site and environment becomes available. | As required, but at least every 5 years |
3) Documentation and Observation | Documentation | Document cultural heritage objects on the Australian Antarctic Heritage Register. | As required |
Assessment and conservation | Conserve cultural heritage objects and present them in situ where possible, and manage objects RTA in a manner consistent with AAD policies and guidelines. | As required |
Archival recording | Retain original documentation and undertake archival recording prior to and on completion of conservation works on the site. | As required |
Information management system | Ensure records from works programs are appropriately maintained. | As required |
Cataloguing and archiving | Catalogue and archive data sets (architectural drawings, building reports and photographic records) held by the AAD. | As required |
Routine monitoring and reporting | Include a requirement for details of checks, maintenance and conservation works undertaken in station leader reports. | Annually |
Condition assessments | Update condition reports on significant fabric at least every five years, using previous reports as a baseline and relevant guidance material for direction. | At least every 5 years |
Review | At least once every five years, review the management plan and its effectiveness to align with new or changed information from monitoring, community input and/or further research that may indicate changes required to the management plan or future activities. | At least every 5 years |
4) Communication and Interpretation | Resource development | Prepare interpretative material appropriate to the interests of site visitors and the broader public. | Within the life of this plan |
On-site signage | Install any signage needed to assist in the presentation of Mawson Station’s Commonwealth Heritage values. | Within the life of this plan |
Off-site delivery | Consider potential avenues for digitisation and investigate availability of resources and technologies. | Within the life of this plan |
To help determine whether an action could have a significant impact on a Commonwealth Heritage listed place the following steps should be taken:
- Conduct a self-assessment: This preliminary assessment should indicate if there is potential for a heritage value to be impacted; if a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) would be helpful in the impact; and whether referral is necessary.
Review the Department’s Working Together: Managing Commonwealth Heritage Places 2019 for guidance on managing Commonwealth Heritage Places.
Review the Department’s Significant impact guidelines 1.2 - Actions on, or impacting upon, Commonwealth land and Actions by Commonwealth Agencies when considering whether the proposed action could cause one or more of the heritage values to be lost, degraded or damaged, or notably altered, modified, obscured or diminished.
- Perform a Heritage Impact Assessment: Undertake an HIA if more detail is required to determine whether the proposed action might have a significant impact on the heritage value/s, and includes:
a detailed description of the site in question and any heritage places and values that are in the vicinity;
a detailed description of the proposed action;
an impact assessment (using the Significant Impact Guidelines 1.2); and
possible mitigation measures or recommendations.
- Submit an EPBC Act Referral: Review the Department’s EPBC Act referral form application template: Preparation guide 2023 when referring an action for further consideration by the Minister.
Several supplementary decision-support tools aimed at assisting with the assessment of the condition of Mawson Station’s heritage values and ongoing protection of the site are available, or in development at the time of writing this plan (Table 5). These tools are intended to provide managers, practitioners and station personnel with supplementary decision-making support both on and off the ice.
Table 7: Supplementary decision-support tools
Document | Author | Contribution | Access |
Working Together: Managing Commonwealth Heritage Places, 2019 | Department of the Environment and Energy | A guide for Commonwealth agencies when preparing heritage management plans for Commonwealth Heritage places | Available at the Department’s website |
The Burra Charter: the Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, 2013 | Australia International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) | Provides best practice advice for managing heritage places | Available at the Australia ICOMOS website |
Antarctic Archaeological Guidelines, 2022 | International Polar Heritage Committee (ICOMOS) | Provides best practice advice for managing heritage within Antarctica | Available at the ICOMOS website |
Revised Guidelines for the assessment and management of Heritage in Antarctica, 2022 | Antarctic Treaty Secretariat | Provides guidance on how to assess historic site or monuments for potential designation within the international Antarctic Treaty system | Available at the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat website |
Guidelines for handling of pre-1958 historic remains, 2001 | Antarctic Treaty Secretariat | Provides guidance on how to handle pre-1958 historic remains whose existence or present location is not known | Available at the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat website |
Supplementary information for the State of the Environment, 2011 report | Michael Pearson and Duncan Marshall | A study that provides guidance material for assessing the condition of heritage places | Available at the National Library of Australia |
The EPBC Act and the Commonwealth Heritage List Fact sheet, 2007 | Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts | A fact sheet on the basic premise of the Commonwealth Heritage List | Available at the Department’s website |
Updated Australian Heritage Strategy | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | This updated strategy will provide important context for managing Australia’s Antarctic heritage | An updated strategy is currently being prepared by the Heritage Division (the 2015 strategy is available at the Department’s website) |
New Australian Antarctic Division Heritage Strategy | Australian Antarctic Division | This internal strategy will provide heritage managers at the AAD with immediate support | Internal document currently under development |
New Cultural Heritage Acquisition Protocol | Australian Antarctic Division in collaboration with the National Museum of Australia | This internal framework will provide guidance for the identification and Return to Australia (RTA) of objects of heritage value found in the Australian Antarctic Territory | Internal document currently under development |
EPBC Regulations Schedule 7A
Regulation Reference | A management plan must: | HMP Chapter |
Schedule 7A (a) | Establish objectives for the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place; | Chapter 1 |
Schedule 7A (b) | Provide a management framework that includes reference to any statutory requirements and agency mechanisms for the protection of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place; | Chapter 4 |
Schedule 7A (c) | Provide a comprehensive description of the place, including information about its location, physical features, condition, historical context and current uses; | Chapter 2 Chapter 5 |
Schedule 7A (d) | Provide a description of the Commonwealth Heritage values and any other heritage values of the place; | Chapter 3 |
Schedule 7A (e) | Describe the condition of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place; | Chapter 3 |
Schedule 7A (f) | Describe the method used to assess the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place; | Chapter 3 |
Schedule 7A (g) | Describe the current management requirements and goals, including proposals for change and any potential pressures on the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place; | Chapter 6 |
Schedule 7A (h) | Has policies to manage the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place, and include in those policies guidance in relation to the following: | Chapter 7 |
(i) the management and conservation processes to be used; | Chapter 7 |
(ii) the access and security arrangements, including access to the area for Indigenous people to maintain cultural traditions; | Chapter 7 |
(iii) the stakeholder and community consultation and liaison arrangements; | Chapter 7 |
(iv) the policies and protocols to ensure that Indigenous people participate in the management process; | Chapter 7 |
(v) the protocols for the management of sensitive information; | Chapter 7 |
(vi) planning and managing of works, development, adaptive reuse and property divestment proposals; | Chapter 7 |
(vii) how unforeseen discoveries or disturbing heritage values are to be managed; | Chapter 7 |
(viii) how, and under what circumstances, heritage advice is to be obtained; | Chapter 7 |
(ix) how the condition of Commonwealth Heritage values is to be monitored and reported; | Chapter 7 |
(x) how the records of intervention and maintenance of a heritage place’s register are kept; | Chapter 7 |
(xi) research, training and resources needed to improve management; | Chapter 7 |
(xii) how heritage values are to be interpreted and promoted; | Chapter 7 |
Schedule 7A (i) | Include an implementation plan; | Chapter 9 |
Schedule 7A (j) | Show how the implementation of policies will be monitored; | Chapter 8 |
Schedule 7A (k) | Show how the management plan will be reviewed. | Chapter 8 |
EPBC Regulations Schedule 7B
Regulation reference | |
1 | The objective in managing Commonwealth Heritage places is to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit, to all generations, their Commonwealth Heritage values. |
2 | The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should use the best available knowledge, skills and standards for those places, and include ongoing technical and community input to decisions and actions that may have a significant impact on their Commonwealth Heritage values. |
3 | The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should respect all heritage values of the place and seek to integrate, where appropriate, any Commonwealth, State, Territory and local government responsibilities for those places. |
4 | The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should ensure that their use and presentation is consistent with the conservation of their Commonwealth Heritage values. |
5 | The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should make timely and appropriate provision for community involvement, especially by people who: (a) have a particular interest in, or associations with, the place; and (b) may be affected by the management of the place; |
6 | Indigenous people are the primary source of information on the value of their heritage and that the active participation of indigenous people in identification, assessment and management is integral to the effective protection of indigenous heritage values. |
7 | The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should provide for regular monitoring, review and reporting on the conservation of Commonwealth Heritage values. |
Category | Detail |
Place ID | 105444 |
Mawson Station | Mawson Station, EXT, Australia |
Photographs | None |
List | Commonwealth Heritage List |
Class | Historic |
Legal Status | Listed place (22/06/2004) |
Place ID | 105444 |
Place File No | 9/01/002/0006 |
Source: Commonwealth Heritage List (22 June 2004).
Summary Statement of Significance Mawson Station, established in 1954, is the oldest continuously occupied scientific station in Antarctica and the first permanent station south of the Antarctic Circle. It was Australia's first continental station, reflecting the post-World War Two revival of Australia's scientific research and territorial interests in Antarctica (Criterion A.4). The establishment and early operations of the station were closely associated with several people of significance in Australia's Antarctic history, whose associations are reflected in planning and design decisions preserved in the surviving buildings. These include Phillip Law, John Bechervaise and Robert Dovers. The Station was named by Law after Sir Douglas Mawson (Criterion H.1). Mawson Station retains the most complete surviving collection of buildings demonstrating the evolution of Antarctic building design used by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE). These buildings demonstrate experimentation with different construction methods, cladding materials and foundation systems and innovation to deal with polar conditions. These designs are now entirely superseded by the modern Australian Antarctic Building System (AANBUS) modular system (Criterion F.1). The Mawson Station building collection, a remnant of its former village layout, is an intact representation of the characteristics of Antarctic stations and the way of life of expeditioners, as they existed for the first forty years of Australia's permanent involvement on the continent (Criterion D.2). The modern stations are entirely different in their scale, planning and construction and the lifestyle of expeditioners has changed dramatically. The original station design and lifestyle are no longer practiced and the demonstration of them to the degree seen in the Mawson buildings and landscape is now very rare (Criterion B.2). The village arrangement of Mawson Station's old buildings backed by the newer station and the more distant views of ice cap and mountains is highly regarded as a striking and unusual landscape (Criterion E.1). Official Values Criterion A Processes Mawson Station, established in 1954, is the oldest continuously occupied scientific station in Antarctica and the first permanent station south of the Antarctic Circle. It was Australia's first continental station, reflecting the post-World War Two revival of Australia's scientific research and territorial interests in Antarctica. Attributes The whole of the station, but particularly fabric and site layout that dates from the earlier establishment phase. Criterion B Rarity The modern stations are entirely different in their scale, planning and construction and the lifestyle of expeditioners has changed dramatically. The original station design and lifestyle are no longer practiced and the demonstration of them to the degree seen in the Mawson buildings and landscape is now very rare. Attributes The original station design evidenced in the scale, planning and construction of the facility. Criterion D Characteristic values The Mawson Station building collection, a remnant of its former village layout, is an intact representation of the characteristics of Antarctic stations and the way of life of expeditioners, as they existed for the first forty years of Australia's permanent involvement on the continent. Attributes The Mawson Station building collection as a remnant of its former village layout. Criterion E Aesthetic characteristics The village arrangement of Mawson Station's old buildings backed by the newer station and the more distant views of ice cap and mountains is highly regarded as a striking and unusual landscape. Attributes The whole of the station, in particular the planning, layout and design of the buildings and their setting in the polar landscape. Criterion F Technical achievement Mawson Station retains the most complete surviving collection of buildings demonstrating the evolution of Antarctic building design used by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE). These buildings demonstrate experimentation with different construction methods, cladding materials and foundation systems and innovation to deal with polar conditions. These designs are now entirely superseded by the modern Australian Antarctic Building System (AANBUS) modular system. Attributes The surviving collection of buildings used by ANARE. Criterion H Significant people The establishment and early operations of the station were closely associated with several people of significance in Australia's Antarctic history, whose associations are reflected in planning and design decisions preserved in the surviving buildings. These include Phillip Law, John Bechervaise and Robert Dovers. The Station was named by Law after Sir Douglas Mawson. Attributes The planning, layout and design of the buildings. Description history Following World War Two, Australia renewed its interest in the Antarctic, continuing its territorial claims and the tradition of scientific, geographic and hydrographic research established by Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE 1911–14) and the British, Australian, New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE 1929–31). In 1947 three expeditions were organised by the Department of External Affairs, under the control of the newly created Australian National Antarctic Expedition (ANARE). The three expeditions were to establish research stations on Heard and Macquarie Islands and to seek out a base for a permanent station on the Antarctic continent, on King George V Land. Each station was to be staffed by fourteen people. The stations at Heard Island and Macquarie Island were successfully established in the summer of 1947–48, with transport being provided by the tank landing ship LST 3501 (later HMAS Labuan). The attempt to find a continental base from HMAS Wyatt Earp, however, was unsuccessful due to the inadequacy of the vessel in heavy ice conditions. The operation of the two island stations absorbed the efforts of the Antarctic Division, established in 1949 and the continental base was not established until 1954 when a suitable ice strengthened ship was found. Discussion over the location of the continental base lead to the decision proposed by Phillip Law, then Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, to seek a site in Mac Robertson Land rather than King George V Land, the area of Mawson's earlier AAE expedition. Mac Robertson Land was better situated in relation to the Auroral zone and the supply routes established to maintain Heard Island Station. The site for Mawson Station, on Horseshoe Harbour, was identified from a United States air-photographic survey of the region and from Norwegian maps. The expedition led by Phillip Law left Melbourne on the Kista Dan on 4 January 1954, they arrived at the chosen site and named the station Mawson and raised the Australian flag on 13 February 1954. A 10-man party, lead by Robert Dovers, was to winter on the site and establish the nucleus of the station to support a larger party the following year. The Kista Dan departed on 23 February 1954 by which time three huts had been completed. The first hut erected was a works hut now known as the Electricians’ Workshop (1) and initially used by the Officer in Charge, the meteorologist and radio operator. The two other buildings were for storage and are now referred to as the Electrical Store (2) and Field Store (now removed) (3). One other existing building was constructed in 1954, the Biscoe Hut (4). It was manufactured in Norway for Norwegian, British, Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1950–52) for use at the Maudheim Station. It was subsequently purchased by the Australian Antarctic Division for use at Mawson Station for the living quarters. It is a unique hut of timber frame and weatherboard construction. Mawson Station continued to expand over the years with buildings being erected in many years. Three of the buildings assessed for listing in the Register of the National Estate were built in 1954 (out of five completed that year), two were built in 1955, one in 1956 and two in 1957. Of the twenty-six buildings erected by the end of the 1957 season, eight survivors are listed. Mawson was the first permanent station established outside the Antarctic Peninsula, where Britain, Chile and Argentina were operating in support of their conflicting territorial claims. With the exception of a weather station on the South Orkney Islands, all Antarctic bases before World War Two had been occupied for only a few years, in support of exploration expeditions. From the outset the building designs used at Mawson Station differed from those used at other Antarctic stations. At earlier stations timber frame and weatherboard construction was common, as noted the Biscoe Hut (4) is one of this type. In contrast the buildings designed for ANARE and erected at Mawson Station were built with prefabricated panels, a system later widely adopted by other nations in the Antarctic. Mawson Station has examples of nearly all of the building types developed by Australia for its Antarctic stations from 1954 to the 1960s and beyond. Mawson Station, being the earliest established Australian station by default, experienced climatic extremes and was a test site for most of the new versions of building types. As a result, almost all building types developed by Australia for use in Antarctica before the current rebuilding programme are represented there, except the bio lab at Davis Stations. The prefabricated panel system evolved over time. The main system, the Post-tensioned Box construction (PTB), is represented by four main versions, termed PTB Mark I to IV. In these the design of the basic structures evolved and the cladding material changed from bare plywood to aluminium sheeting and finally to zinc anneal sheeting and asbestos cement sheeting. At the same time foundation systems evolved from stone bases with timber sleepers to wooden chocks, then to steel scaffolding and eventually to concrete. Structural details such as door and window types also changed over time. This evolution reflected increasing familiarity with Antarctic conditions and innovative responses to it. By 1968, the station core had expanded to a closely spaced huddle of twenty seven buildings, most of which served domestic functions or were used for storage. The station rebuilding program, commenced in 1978 and was generally completed in 1993. It introduced a new generation of design to the Antarctic, with large buildings of modular construction integrating a number of functions under one roof and linked by sophisticated services systems. The use of sledge dogs was introduced at Mawson Station in the first season (1954) and continued there until the last of Australia's dogs were removed in 1993, making Mawson the Australian station with the longest history of dog sledge operations. The use of dog sledges, now a practice excluded from Antarctica by the Environmental Protocol, was a major factor in the exploration and research of Antarctica. Mawson Station provided the first permanent foothold on the Antarctic continent for Australian Scientists. It saw a dramatic interest in scientific research in Antarctica. Australian Antarctic stations: The first station was established on Macquarie Island (RNE 11923) in 1911 by the AAE of 1911–14 led by Mawson. The same expedition constructed temporary bases at Cape Denision (Mawsons Huts RNE 13655) and on the Shackleton Ice Shelf. Heard Island 1947–55 (RNE 13656); Mawson Station 1954 onwards; Davis 1957 (RNE 18776) onwards (closed 1965–69); Wilkes 1957 - (transferred to Australia in 1959) closed 1969 (RNE Indicative 16100); Casey 1969 onwards, replacement station opened in 1989) (RNE Indicative 18616). Mawson Station is the oldest continuously occupied scientific station on the continent. The evolution of post war Antarctic design is well demonstrated. The two major building types not represented are the 14 sided huts (Alaskan Huts) and the US RAAF Borden Huts. The activities of some of most prominent individuals in Australia's Antarctic history are directly associated with the design features and layout of the station. Past and present Mawson expeditioners hold the station in high esteem because of the associations it has with their experiences in Antarctica. This association is strengthened at Mawson Station by the survival of so many buildings which have direct personal associations going back to 1954. The importance of Mawson Station in representing a large part of Australia's history in Antarctica is heightened by the extent to which the other continental stations, Davis and Casey, have been impacted by the rebuilding program. Old Casey Station has been almost entirely removed (save for one representative donga) and at Davis the few surviving buildings are a distinct group within the modern station buildings. Description Mawson Station was established on the shore of Horseshoe Harbour, in Holme Bay, Mac Robertson Land. Horseshoe Harbour was chosen because it is a safe anchorage which is ice free in summer. The station was built on the sloping land behind the harbour, the buildings being arranged in a series of roughly parallel curved rows up the slope. This arrangement, together with the topography of the site and its backdrop of ice cap and protruding mountains, gave Mawson Station the appearance of a village. The new station buildings are generally above or to the side of the village and do not substantially diminish the appreciation of the townscape qualities and integrity of the original station. Many of the buildings in this nomination are key components of the village landscape. The buildings listed below represent examples of most of the building types developed for ANARE from the early 1950s until the station replacement program from the 1970s. The details of each building is summarised below. The numbering code is that used in the Mawson Station Heritage Assessment. Electricians Workshop (1) 1954 Originally known as the Works Hut, this was the first building erected at Mawson. Designed by the Department of Works and made by Explastics Insulation Pty Ltd, it was constructed in 1954 and is the prototype of the Mark III design. Electrical Store (2) 1954 This building is a PTB Mark III and was one of four Mark III store buildings. It was designed by the Antarctic Division and made by ANARE. It has been altered little from the original and is of considerable representative significance. Biscoe (4) 1954 This ex-Norwegian, British and Swedish Expedition hut is the only building of its type to be erected at Australia's Antarctic stations. It was designed by the NSBX and made by the Norsk Polar Institute. It was used at Mawson Station as living quarters. Weddell (5) 1955 This was the first PTB Mark I building and is an ex-Heard Island building. It was designed by the Department of Works and made by Explastics Insulation Pty Ltd. Magnetic Absolute Hut (7) 1955 This is a PTB Mark II hut and is an ex-Heard Island building. It was designed by the Department of Works and made by Explastics Insulation Pty Ltd. It is the only example of its type to survive. Hangar (10) 1956 Designed by the Department of Works and made by Standard Steel Pty Ltd. It was designed as a prefabricated building which would be easily erected with a jury-mast and block and tackle. It is historically and stylistically important being the only ANARE example of this type and the largest ANARE building in Antarctica till the 1970s. Wilkins (13) 1957 This building is a PTB Mark IV and one of four accommodation buildings originally built in this style (Ross, Balleny, Wilkins and Shackleton). Only Wilkins and Shackleton remain. Designed by the Department of Works and made by Explastics Insulation Pty Ltd. Wilkins has been altered internally. Shackleton (14) 1957 This building is a PTB Mark IV and one of the four accommodation buildings built in this style. Designed by the Department of Works and made by Explastics Insulation Pty Ltd. It has been altered internally. Dovers (32) 1969 This building is a PTB Mark III. It is in the final form of the Mark III style accommodation. It is on pipe-scaffold foundations and zinc-annealed steel clad. Designed by the Department of Works and made by Austral Insulation Pty Ltd. Cosray (34) 1972 This building is a PTB Mark III. Designed by the Department of Works and made by Olympic Products Pty Ltd. It has unusual scientific research features including a shaft dug to an underground vault. Wombat (37) 1976 This was the new building type to replace the PTB zinc-annealed buildings. Designed by DHC and made by Burton & Turner Pty Ltd. This design was abandoned when the AANBUS system was adopted for the rebuilding program and five examples were erected in Casey, Davis and Mawson. Transmitter Building (38) 1976 This was the new building type to replace the PTB zinc-annealed buildings. Designed by DHC and made by Burton & Turner Pty Ltd. This design was abandoned when the AANBUS system was adopted for the rebuilding program. Five examples were erected in Casey, Davis and Mawson. Dog Platform and Hut (39) The platform was used to store seal meat used as dog food. The Dog Hut (1976) originally used in the glaciology monitoring program. Now located atop the dog platform and used as a workshop and store. The Doglines (40) which date from 1954, consist of chain attached to lengths of steel pipe anchored in the bedrock. These provide evidence of Australia's use of sledge-dogs over a forty year period. Mawson was the last Australian Antarctic station to operate with huskies. In 1994 husky dogs were removed from the Antarctic continent to comply with the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991). Cemetery (43) Three graves are located on a hill on West Arm overlooking the station, they belong to ANARE expeditioners Robert White (1963), Kenneth Wilson (1972) and Geoffrey Cameron (1974). The coffins are covered by rock and each have a brass commemoration plaque and white wooden cross. History Not Available Condition and Integrity Mawson Station buildings, like any in Antarctica, are subjected to extreme weather conditions and without a high degree of regular maintenance deteriorate rapidly. Some of the listed buildings are in poor condition, but are able to be saved or conserved. The buildings are important parts of the set of buildings of significance. Other buildings are in good condition and could be maintained that way if viable uses could be found for them. Despite the scale and extent of the buildings in the adjacent new station, the remnant village character of the collection of older buildings is retained and the new buildings change, but do not necessarily detract from, the landscape qualities of the place. The following information summarises the condition and use of each building. In this information, numbering is according to the Mawson Station Heritage Assessment (1995): Electricians workshop (1). This workshop is currently in use and is structurally sound Electrical Store (2). This store is not currently in use. It is structurally sound and substantially intact Biscoe (4). This building has various current uses. It is structurally sound and in average condition, with some panels split or warped Weddell (5). This is currently the hobbies workshop. It is in average condition and in need of maintenance Magnetic Absolute Hut (7). This hut is still in use and is in a serviceable condition Hangar (10). This hangar is currently used for storage. It is sound structurally and in reasonable condition, with some rust of sheeting and large amount of ice internally Wilkins (13). This building is not in use. It is sound and in serviceable condition Shackleton (14). This building is not in use. It is in sound condition and serviceable internally. It has been internally altered from the original layout Dovers (32). Dovers is not in use. It is in serviceable condition and internally in good condition Cosray (34). This building is still in use and is in very sound condition Wombat (37). This building is still in use as geophysics building and is in very good condition Transmitter Building (38). This building is still in use and is in very good condition Dog Hut and Platform & Doglines (39,40). Intact Cemetery (43) intact. A number of buildings originally assessed by the Australian Heritage Commission were removed from the site in the late 1990s. These were: Field store (3) 1954. This building was a PTB Mark III Store building Ross (8) 1955. This was a PTB Mark IV building and an example of original Mark IV accommodation. The latrine was removed in later versions (11,13 and 14). Ross was one of four accommodation buildings in this style (Balleny, Wilkins and Shackleton) Balleny (11) 1956. This was a PTB Mark IV building which was a model for individual cubicle accommodation, minus the latrine, which was used by ANARE till mid-1970s. It was the prototype of four accommodation buildings in this style Mess and kitchen (21) 1961. This building is a PTB Mark III. It was a key operational building and one of the first Mark III PTB buildings with scaffold foundations Recreation hut (22) 1961. This building is a Mark III type and was historically a central part of station life and part of the village Meteorological Technicians Workshop (6) 1955. Designed by the Department of Works and made by Explastics Insulation Pty Ltd. It is planned to move this building in February 2001. Location South-eastern shore of Horseshoe Harbour, Holme Bay, Mac Robertson Land, Australian Antarctic Territory, comprising the following structures (the numbering code is according to the report: Mawson Station Heritage Assessment, Australian Antarctic Division 1995): 1) Electricians' Workshop; 2) Electrical Store; 4) Biscoe; 5) Weddell; 6) Meteorological Technicians Workshop; 7) Magnetic Absolute Hut; 10) Hangar; 13) Wilkins; 14) Shackleton; 32) Dovers; 34) Cosray; 37) Wombat; 38) Transmitter Building; 39) Dog platform and Hut; 40) Doglines; and 43) Cemetery. |
Map 2: Mawson Station in 1995
Source: Rando and Davies 1995, 24.
Table 8: 1995 Heritage Significance Assessment
Map 3: Mawson Station Commonwealth Heritage List Shapefile
Source: Commonwealth Heritage List dataset – Mawson Station, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, https://fed.dcceew.gov.au/search?tags=heritage
AAD 2022, Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan Update, Australian Antarctic Division, Hobart.
AAD 2014, Mawson Station Heritage Management Plan 2014–2019, Australian Antarctic Division, Hobart.
AAP 2015, Climate, Weather and Tides at Mawson, Australian Antarctic Program, Hobart.
AHC 2001, Australian historic themes: a framework for use in heritage assessment and management, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
ATS 2001, Guidelines for handling of pre-1958 historic remains, Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, Buenos Aries.
ATS 2022, Revised Guidelines for the assessment and management of Heritage in Antarctica, Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, Buenos Aires.
Australia ICOMOS 2013, The Burra Charter: the Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, Australia International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Canberra.
BOM 2022, Climate statistics for Australian locations, Bureau of Meteorology, Canberra.
Clark, L and Wishart, E 1993, Heritage Assessment of Mawson Station Antarctica, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston.
CoA 2019, Working Together Managing Commonwealth Heritage Places, A guide for Commonwealth Agencies, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
DCCEEW 2022, Australian Heritage Database Commonwealth Heritage List: Mawson Station, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra.
DCCEEW 2023, Corporate Plan 2023–24, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra.
DCCEEW 2021, State of the Environment report, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra.
DEE 2019, Working Together: Managing Commonwealth Heritage Places, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra.
DEWHA 2007, The EPBC Act and the Commonwealth Heritage List Fact sheet, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra.
DOE 2015, Australian Heritage Strategy, Department of the Environment, Canberra.
Hince, B 2000, The Antarctic Dictionary: A Complete Guide to Antarctic English, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
Hince, B, Summerson, R and Wiesel, A 2015, Antarctica: Music, sounds and cultural connections, ANU Press, Canberra.
IPHC 2022, Antarctic Archaeological Guidelines, International Polar Heritage Committee (ICOMOS).
Kerr, J 2013, Conservation Plan, the 7th edition: A guide to the preparation of conservation plans for places of European cultural significance, Australia ICOMOS.
Law, P 1983, Antarctic Odyssey, Heinemann, Melbourne.
Law, P and Bechervaise, J 1957, ANARE: Australia's Antarctic Outposts, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Marquis-Kyle, P and Walker, M 2004, The Illustrated Burra Charter: Good Practice for Heritage Places, Australia ICOMOS.
Pearson, M and Marshall, D 2011, Study of condition and integrity of historic heritage places: Report prepared for the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities on behalf of the State of the Environment, Canberra.
Pike, R and Crossman, A 1994, Mawson Old Station Information, unpublished document prepared for the Australian Antarctic Division.
Powell, S 2007, Heroic Huts and Beyond: Managing Australia’s Historic Antarctic Heritage Places, paper presented at Australia ICOMOS Conference, Cairns, 19–21 July.
Productivity Commission 2006, Conservation of Historic Heritage Places, Commonwealth of Australia, Melbourne.
Rando, S 1995, Mawson Station Heritage Assessment, unpublished document prepared for the Australian Antarctic Division.
Rando, S 1996, Mawson Station Heritage Plan, unpublished document prepared for the Australian Antarctic Division.
Rando, S and Davies, M 1996, Mawson Station Supplementary Heritage Study, unpublished document prepared for the Australian Antarctic Division.
Staples, M 2008, Preliminary draft Mawson Station region: Heritage Management Plan, unpublished document prepared for the Australian Antarctic Division.
Stewart, J 1990, Antarctica: An Encyclopedia, McFarland & Company, Jefferson North Carolina.
Swan, R A 1961, Australia in the Antarctic, Melbourne University Press, Parkville.
