In 1912, Douglas Mawson established the headquarters of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) at Commonwealth Bay.
This is where the 18 members of the Cape Denison party lived for up to two years. The wooden buildings still stand today.
Mawson’s Huts are of national and international heritage significance. They are rare in a world context as one of just six complexes surviving from the ‘Heroic Era’ of Antarctic exploration.
The buildings are the only surviving site representing the work of an Australian Antarctic expedition during this period. Douglas Mawson’s AAE was the foundation of the modern Australian Antarctic science program. This gives the site significant heritage values for Australia’s national Antarctic interests.
Mawson’s Huts have suffered from the effects of wind, ice and time. A number of recent expeditions by the Australian Antarctic Program and the Mawson’s Huts Foundation have sought to stabilise the remains.
Mawson’s Huts Historic Site Management Plan
In 2001, the Mawson’s Huts Foundation commissioned a conservation management plan for the site, which guided works at the site for several years. In 2007, the Australian Antarctic Division developed a management plan, to meet its obligations arising from the inclusion of the site on the National Heritage List (in 2005) and Commonwealth Heritage List (in 2004), and to reflect the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty management plans for the Cape Denison Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) and Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA).
This plan was reviewed and revised in 2014 and again in 2025. The current management plan is available at Mawson’s Huts Historic Site Heritage Management Plan 2025 - Federal Register of Legislation [PDF].
The overarching management philosophy for the Mawson’s Huts Historic site is a commitment to the protection and conservation of the National and Commonwealth listed heritage values in accordance with the requirements of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Mawson’s Huts Foundation
In partnership with the Australian Antarctic Division, the Mawson’s Huts Foundation contributes to the management and promotion of the Mawson’s Huts Historic Site. The Foundation has participated in expeditions to the site, and undertaken valuable heritage conservation works to conserve the unique historic buildings and artefacts at Cape Denison. It also provides valuable public education and promotion of Sir Douglas Mawson’s legacy.
Further information can be found on the Mawson’s Huts Foundation website.
