The world's only full-scale replica of the timber hut that Douglas Mawson and his men built at Commonwealth Bay in 1911 as the base for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition. Built using period materials and detailed to match the original, the replica is a small, dark, cramped, magical space — the bunks, the galley, the photographic darkroom, the smell of pine resin, and an unspoken sense of how 18 men lived through two Antarctic winters.
The museum tells the expedition story through artefacts, photographs (some from the original Frank Hurley negatives), and short documentary films. Allow 60 minutes. Combine with the "Heading South" bronze statues on the adjacent quay, which honour the explorers who used Hobart as their gateway port.