‘Our work is fairly routine but the work environment is incredible’: Australian Antarctic Program
From watching AFL in the station bar to walking under auroras, Aussie workers share their extraordinary tales of maintaining everyday life on earth's most extreme workplace.
An incredible white wonderland has become the backdrop of everyday worklife for Adelaide mechanical engineer Lauren Manser.
For almost 12 months she has managed a team of plumbers, electricians, carpenters, fitter and plant operators at Davis Station, one of three Australian scientific stations in Antarctica.
She was warmly welcomed last November to her new home on the coldest place on earth by sightings of emperor penguins and icebergs as she arrived on icebreaking research and supply vessel RSV Nuyina.
“The beauty that Antarctica has to offer is unlike any other place in the world … the lakes are so clear you can see fractures in the ice and the rocks below,” she said.
“(Living with) 24-hour sunlight and 24-hour darkness is an adjustment but one of the most incredible experiences … (so too) walking to work under an aurora.
“The extreme weather is just one component of the work and lifestyle – and it’s incredible how -15 degrees can suddenly feel like warm weather after months of living in -25 degrees … (you become) accustomed to blitz and wind.”
Her role is to ensure water and power are maintained at the station throughout the year, both in summer when as many as 300 expeditioners will be stationed across the three Antarctica sites – there is also Casey and Mawson – and in winter when the combined workforce will drop to about 75.
“Our work is fairly routine … but the work environment is incredibly unique – Antarctica is an incredible experience,” she said.
But she admits “it is not walk in the park”, saying the isolation during winter can be challenging.
Adelaide’s Lee Mason agrees but says the chance to “see a part of the world that most people don’t get to see” more than makes up for it – in fact, he’s on his second 12-month stint at Casey Station, located about 1400km away from Davis.
As a mining engineer he is well accustomed to working in vast and arid environments but recalls how landing for work on an ice airstrip felt like “arriving in another world”.
“It was just the vastness that struck me and the never-ending white horizon – it was pretty spectacular and a bit of a ‘pinch yourself moment’,” the 42-year-old, dad-of-two said.
“It is like you have arrived in another world … this place looks different to anything else.”
The engineering services supervisor said “pretty good internet” made it easy to keep in touch with loved ones, including his two sons aged 10 and 12, and follow favourite sports, such as his beloved Adelaide Crows.
“As a footy fan, I’ve never watched so much footy in my life, there is always a good contingent of footy fans at the bar on a Saturday and Sunday, watching both AFL and NRL and cheering on their team,” he said.
“And we do kick the footy a bit, especially on beautiful sunny days ... there will probably be a bit of that this afternoon; mostly, we play lot of basketball, darts, pool and table tennis ... we have a big interstation darts competition.”
Both South Australians will leave their Antarctic posts in December with new positions for the Australian Antarctic Program in 2026/27 opening today, including jobs across a range of trades and professions from trades, to chefs, communications roles, aviation and doctors with contracts from four to 12 months.
“It’s challenging but it’s also really exciting because there’s a really small percentage of the Australian population who will ever get to experience (working in the Antarctica) … it’s very much that once-in-a-lifetime experience,” expeditioner services director Gina Woodward said.
For information, go to www.jobs.antarctica.gov.au
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Originally published as ‘Our work is fairly routine but the work environment is incredible’: Australian Antarctic Program
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