Aurora Australis Foundation | Community organisation

Aurora Australis Foundation

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23.01.2022 Once again, we've had some news through the media, thanks to an eagle-eyed supporter (thank you Christian Bell). The following story from 'The Australian' has been released this evening and will likely be in tomorrow's paper. We'll do our best to find out more and keep you informed!... The Australian 20/10/2020 Retired icebreaker to be saved from scrap heap, revamped and repurposed 5:09PM OCTOBER 20, 2020 Australia’s Antarctic icebreaker for the past 30 years, the Aurora Australis, has been saved from the scrap heap and will instead be given a new lease of life, The Australian can reveal. The ship, which underpinned Australia’s Antarctic program from 1989 until March this year, was destined to be sold for scrap, after a deal with the Argentine Antarctic program fell through. This caused consternation in the expeditioner community and in Hobart, where the bright orange icebreaker has been a fixture for three decades. However, The Australian has confirmed the ship, one of the last large steel-hulled passenger vessels made in Australia, will be retained by owners P&O Maritime Logistics after a long evaluation process. The company will give the beloved vessel, widely known as the ‘Orange Roughy’, a five-year maintenance overhaul at its shipyards in Dubai and then lease or sell it, most likely for polar work. As an important part of P&O’s heritage, we have been determined to keep Aurora Australis in operation and have been heartened by the high level of interest from potential customers and buyers, said senior P&O executive Radostin Popov. We are incredibly proud of the work undertaken by Aurora Australis as she is an exceptional vessel that has kept her crew and passengers safe for 30 years. The next stage of her life will ensure this iconic vessel is preserved. I would like to thank all the parties who have shown a keen interest in wanting to own or work with Aurora Australis. It is testament to her reputation as a strong and reliable ship. Aurora Australis would leave the Port of Hobart in mid-November, for Dubai. While its departure will disappoint a foundation that had hoped to turn the ship into a floating Antarctic museum, its survival as a working vessel is likely to be widely welcomed. The development, to be announced in coming days, came as the Australian Antarctic Division confirmed its new icebreaker, the Romanian-built Nuyina, would not arrive in Hobart until mid-2021, due to COVID-related delays. A temporary vessel, the MPV Everest, will undertake Antarctic station resupplies this summer.

22.01.2022 I keep forgetting that chugging south for a week or more at the mercy of the Southern Ocean waves is not the only way to get to Antarctica these days... The summer season is getting into its stride!

22.01.2022 Another Antarctic shipping stamp - this time featuring the Nuyina! And she’s not even here yet! Already famous.

21.01.2022 A Bon Voyage indeed to L’Astrolabe and all on board. The summer shipping season is here!

19.01.2022 Lookin’ good there, Nuyina! https://www.antarctica.gov.au//nuyina-ready-for-sea-tria/

14.01.2022 More summer season departures! This time our friends and colleagues in Japan head south on the newest Shirase 5003, with a very impressive ceremony to send her on her way. Fair sailing and safe adventuring to all!

13.01.2022 Also setting sail for the summer season this week is the British Antarctic Survey's RRS James Clark Ross, making the long trek from the British winter to the Antarctic summer. Fair sailing and safe adventures to all on board!

12.01.2022 Another clue today: looks like the Aurora Australis is due to leave Hobart, probably permanently, next Sunday

12.01.2022 Some good news - sort of - at last! The Aurora Australis is *not* departing Hobart on Wednesday. Her booking on the TasPorts schedule has been deleted, and contacts state that no departure date is currently planned. The not-so-good news is we still don't know her ultimate fate. ... If we hear anything, we'll be sure to let you know - and if you hear something, please tell us!

11.01.2022 What a lovely surprise! OSSA has published a virtual tour around the Aurora Australis, so you can relive your memories - or have a look on board for the first time! https://www.facebook.com/1867822233278379/posts/3574886072571978/

10.01.2022 Somehow we missed this bit of CSIRO research late last month... The "Little Red Ship" is still in many people's memories and hearts. Will we ever get another glimpse of her? https://www.csiro.au//N/2020/Resting-place-of-MV-Nella-Dan

09.01.2022 Like so many cultural institutions, the Maritime Museum of Tasmania has been closed for a long time due to COVID-19 restrictions and low tourist numbers. The MMT is planning a cautious reopening next month - and we are part of that! We will be setting up a small display to honour the Aurora Australis, and what she means to Hobart and to Australia. The display will include an audio-visual display and some items of interest.... This is our first step towards creating a 'Legacy Collection' to preserve the memory of this remarkable ship. If you have suggestions or donations to offer for our display, please get in contact! http://www.maritimetas.org/

08.01.2022 It looks like the mystery of the Aurora Australis’s fate has finally been resolved: she is being gifted to Argentina to work on their Antarctic program, and will be sailed there by an Australian crew before the end of this year. Great news if it happens as at least she won’t be broken up. Of course we will be very sorry to see her leave Australia but it’s good to know she has more work ahead. Here’s a copy of the post we received overnight: we’ll comment more later....Continue reading

06.01.2022 Enjoy a 22 minute podcast stroll through the history of the Aurora Australis thanks to Laura Corrigan! If you know the ship it will bring some memories: and if you don’t it will explain why she is so loved. https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au//climb-aboard-the-on/

04.01.2022 Space and Antarctica are often seen as analogues for human exploration: remote, isolated, hostile, very hard to reach and to live there. Which means therefore that the Aurora Australis can be equated to a spaceship. I like that. Happy 20th Anniversary to the International Space Station! ... https://twitter.com/nasajpl/status/1323374046654853120?s=21

04.01.2022 And while we're talking about CSIRO, it's just been announced that their Chief Scientist, physicist Dr Cathy Foley, has just been announced as Australia's next Chief Scientist. Our hearty congratulations to Dr Foley! https://www.smh.com.au//physicist-cathy-foley-to-become-au