Aurora Expeditions’ Hobart to Antarctica Cruise is the Ultimate Adventure

Journey to the ends of the earth.

When polar pioneer Sir Douglas Mawson and his intrepid team set off from Hobart (nipaluna) on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition more than a century ago, they became the first to chart large areas of the East Antarctic shoreline. There, they witnessed remarkable scenes: colonies of emperor and Adélie penguins along the ice edge, orcas patrolling for prey and snow petrels soaring above.

In December 2025, just 130 guests will have the chance to absorb those same sights as Aurora Expeditions’ 24-day Mawson’s Antarctica itinerary retraces the explorer’s journey. It’s the only such voyage planned for the 2025/2026 season and is among a handful of expedition ships to depart the Tasmanian capital each season.

Most cruises to the White Continent visit the Antarctic Peninsula, a region that is grand, scenic and fascinating but increasingly popular. “In contrast, sailing East Antarctica means you’ll have that extraordinary coastline of towering ice cliffs and massive tabular icebergs to yourself and a small group of fellow expeditioners,” says Aurora Expeditions historian Alasdair McGregor. Conditions permitting, you’ll also have the chance to visit Mawson’s Huts at Cape Denison, where the explorer established the main base of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (Aurora Expeditions works with the Mawson’s Huts Foundation, a not-for-profit charity established in 1996 to conserve the historic timber structures).

Life onboard the cutting-edge new ship, Douglas Mawson, is the polar opposite of the 1911 experience, when its namesake’s austere wooden vessel navigated through heavy pack ice. The SY Aurora, after all, wasn’t equipped with Rolls-Royce stabilisers and a streamlined Ulstein X-Bow. Mawson’s team certainly didn’t have access to two onboard restaurants, two jacuzzis, a gym and an outdoor heated swimming pool from which to view the extraordinary landscapes. There are 86 staterooms and suites featuring sleek, Nordic-style design, most with private balconies; spacious single-berth staterooms are on offer for solo adventurers. The Australian-owned expedition company has implemented its own guest capacity of 130 to help protect and preserve the polar regions and is certified 100 per cent carbon neutral.

“The reward after several days at sea is to experience Antarctica at its most sublime, awe-inspiring and beautiful,” says McGregor. “And the chance to experience a unique slice of exploration history available nowhere else in the world.”