Bauer Bay
 Bauer Bay field hut |
Bauer Bay is a large flat sandy beach with nearby waterfalls and creeks fanning out over the coastal flat. There is a gentoo penguin colony and a small royal penguin colony in the area. The slopes behind the hut are usually well vegetated with luxurious patches of tussocks, Macquarie Island cabbage and pleurophyllum, but the islands' rabbit population has recently grazed this area heavily. A rabbit and rodent eradication program for the island is currently being planned. .
The hut provides bunks for four people and is popular with expeditioners travelling down the island or wishing to experience the wild west coast. It is well located for researchers wishing to access this part of the west coast, and elephant seal researchers frequently use this hut while surveying marked seals in the northern part of the island. Some expeditioners use it as a base for a few days exploration of the 'featherbed' coastal areas from Handspike Pt to the north to Aurora Pt to the south.
Featherbed is an almost flat terrace of waterlogged vegetation behind the beach that only just supports the weight of those traversing it. The feel of walking across the featherbed is not unlike that of walking across a vast water-bed, and most expeditioners who cross it may expect to sink in, sometimes up to the waist, at some time during their stay on the island. The featherbed area is scattered with remnant sea stacks, some of which contain caves such as Eagle Cave to the north and Aurora Cave five kilometres to the south of the hut.
 Marine debris collected around Bauer Bay |
The featherbed and coast between Bauer Bay and Handspike Pt is a category 1 Special Management Area and is only open for general access between June and July. The featherbed south of Bauer Bay to Aurora Pt is a category 2 Special Management Area, open between May and August. These Special Management Areas exist to protect wandering albatross and colonies of southern and northern giant petrels which are particularly vulnerable to human disturbance.
Boating trips to the west coast are infrequent due to swell conditions, but the beach does provide some protection from the full force of the Southern Ocean. There is a small depot of search and rescue cliff rescue equipment at this hut.
Water is collected from a soak and must be boiled before drinking due to rabbit contamination.
