Australia’s ‘toughest home reno’ for sub-Antarctic outpost but grand design shelved

Australia has shelved plans to build a new research station on Macquarie Island, opting for a more modest renovation to the existing station.

Macquarie Island Station. Picture: Ryan Osland

Australia has shelved plans to build a new research station on the sub-Antarctic outpost of Macquarie Island, opting instead for a cheaper but transformative seven-year “home reno”.

The nation’s ageing station on the wind-lashed island, halfway between Hobart and Antarctica, was to be completely replaced with an architecturally ­designed station but after four years of planning and initial work, this option has been dropped, with an exit clause in the lead contract, with VEC Civil Engineering, exercised.

The Australian Antarctic Division, which has already spent $9m on the project first announced in 2016, realised the preferred option could not be delivered within the remaining $41m funding envelope.

With federal funding particularly tight post-COVID, and the pandemic complicating already difficult logistics, the AAD will this week announce a more modest if still significant “home reno” to revamp the existing station.

“Renovating the current buildings will ensure the Macquarie Island station is functional and able to support long-term science for all key stakeholders,” said Environment Minister Sussan Ley.

One of the buildings to be removed during modernisation. Picture: Ryan Osland

A seven-year upgrade begins this week, with the departure of the first team of tradies from Hobart on the French Antarctic vessel L’Astrolabe, bound for the World Heritage-listed island.

The carpenters, plumbers and electricians will spend about a year on the island, beginning the work of renovating key buildings and removing those surplus to ­requirements or riddled with ­asbestos.

 Previously home to about 14 expeditioners over winter and roughly double that in summer, the station plays a key role in a host of research programs.

 These include wildlife projects and meteorology, as well as monitoring radioactive particles for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

It is understood the renovation will involve some new buildings, and a complete internal revamp of the main accommodation area.

The existing 48 buildings will be reduced to closer to 20 and three of six field huts — vital for wildlife research — will be ­refurbished.

Ms Ley said the tradies would be “reusing and recycling” as much of the existing materials as possible. “The island is home to around 3.5 million seabirds, 80,000 elephant seals and about 20 expeditioners — but no hardware store,” she said. “So if they run out of nails, the nearest Bunnings is about 1500kms away.”

The AAD does not believe the $9m spent on the shelved replacement station has been wasted, with some scientific monitoring sites relocated and stabilisation work carried out.

Geotechnical work and the architectural plans may also be useful in coming years.

 While some expeditioners will be disappointed at the decision not to build a completely new station, others may be relieved. The current station, while in need of repair and difficult to maintain, is full of charm and much-loved.

A collection of timber and tin buildings around a “market square”, it has the air of a Wild West town and dates from the dawn of Australia’s modern ­Antarctic program in 1948.

 One building, “Chippy’s Church”, was built in 1948 from scrap material believed to include timbers from a hut erected by Sir Douglas Mawson’s 1911 party.

 Some expeditioners are particularly fond of a ham radio hut also knowingly referred to as “the love shack”, perched alone on a hill, removed from the existing station.

Its fate in the revamp remains uncertain.