Australian students chance to fly to Antarctica

An Antarctic experience of a lifetime is on offer for Australian students who win a national competition to name the nation’s new icebreaker vessel, with a flight to Antarctica on offer to the winning entry.

Minister for the Environment, Josh Frydenberg MP, made the announcement at a school in Melbourne this morning.

Up to 12 students will fly to Antarctica for a day and Hawthorn West Primary School students were excited to hear that they could become the first children to fly to Antarctica and land on the continent as part of the Australian Antarctic Program.

The ‘Name our Icebreaker’ competition has two categories: primary (years 5 and 6) and secondary (years 7 and 8) with classes able to enter their suggested name in a written or video format.

The competition will give young Australians the opportunity to name the sophisticated new Antarctic resupply and research vessel which will shape the future of Australia’s Antarctic Program.

The icebreaker will be more than 156 metres long and accommodate 116 expeditioners. It will be equipped with an array of cutting-edge scientific equipment including a moon pool, multi-beam bathymetric echo sounders, hydrophones and underwater cameras.

Seven new curriculum-aligned modules about the icebreaker have also been developed on the Australian Antarctic Division’s website, ‘Classroom Antarctica’.