Scientists at the Australian Antarctic Division have a new state-of-the-art cool store and freezer facility at Kingston.

The $450,000 building will hold specimens and samples collected in Antarctica for further study at the Division’s laboratories.

Property Manager, Reg Mauderer, said the 150 square metre facility has a minus 18 degree freezer room and a cool store at 4 degrees.

“These new cool rooms meet a Quarantine Containment level 2 standard, which basically means it improves the Division’s biosecurity level,' Mr Mauderer said.

Acting Lab Manager, Andrew McEldowney, said the facility will be a huge bonus for scientists.

“Up until now researchers have had to commute to a storage facility in town to collect and replace samples, but with this new cool store they'll have it all at their fingertips,” Mr McEldowney said.

“We will be storing thousands of samples in the facility, everything from ice cores to fish and krill, really anything that scientists collect in Antarctica.”

The cool store and freezer will also act as a back-up facility for the krill laboratory.

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