Celebrating 75 years of ANARE
Happy Midwinter! Today we celebrate the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and the turning point in the long, dark Antarctic winter.
The most anticipated date on the Antarctic calendar has been celebrated from the time of the early explorers, including Sir Douglas Mawson, through to modern day expeditioners and staff at head office.
Midwinter celebrations at Australia’s three Antarctic research stations and sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island include a midwinter swim, a warming feast, the exchange of handmade gifts and messages from home.
This year we also celebrate 75 years of tradition - from humble beginnings as Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) in 1947, to today's modern Australian Antarctic Program.
The first ANARE landed on Heard Island on 26 December 1947. Three months later, Macquarie Island was established. ANARE led directly to the formation of the ‘Antarctic Division’ in May 1948 and the appointment of Dr Phillip Law as its first ‘Director’ in January 1949.
On this special day, take a look at where we have come from and where we're headed, in our celebratory video.
