Mawson’s Huts Foundation

The Mawson’s Huts Foundation is a not-for-profit charity established in 1996 to conserve the historic wooden huts at Cape Denison,  East Antarctica.

Mawson’s Huts are of national and international heritage significance. As 1 of just 6 complexes surviving from the ‘Heroic Era’ of Antarctic exploration,  they represent the earliest foundations of the establishment of the present-day Australian Antarctic program.

Today, the huts remain remarkably intact, largely due to the 14 major expeditions the Foundation has funded and organised since 1997 to  carry out conservation and maintenance work on the historic buildings – which it does so in partnership with the Australian Antarctic  Division (AAD).

To assist with fundraising and helping to  promote Mawson’s story, the Foundation meticulously re-created and now operates the Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum on the Hobart waterfront.

The recipient of numerous awards, including a Silver Medal in the 2017 Tasmanian Tourism Awards, the Mawson’s Huts Museum is frequently rated by TripAdvisor as one of the Top 10 “must-do” attractions in Hobart, receiving a Travellers Choice Award in 2022.

Since in 2016, The Foundation has also delivered the highly successful and award-winning Australian Antarctic Festival, which is held bi-annually in Hobart.