City bids sad farewell to its iconic icebreaker as it prepares to leave

Hobart will say goodbye to its favourite icebreaker as the owner prepares to sail it out of the city for the last time. This time it will not be heading for Antarctica but South America.

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AFTER months of campaigning and rumours about its future, the Aurora Australis is set to sail out of Hobart for the last time.

The Hobart City Council is having a farewell ceremony for the icebreaker at the Town Hall on Thursday night although there is not yet a solid date set for her departure.

The council had been told by ship owner P and O Maritime the Aurora Australis would be leaving mid-September. The company told The Mercury on Thursday the “decision-making process” was ongoing and an announcement would be made in due course.

Mayor Anna Reynolds said the distinctive orange ship’s looming departure came as a survey showed three quarters of residents in Greater Hobart said the city’s link with Antarctica was an important part of its identity.

The Antarctic Cities Project survey received 267 responses from local residents and found 36 per cent think Hobart should prioritise becoming a leading international scientific centre for the icy continent.

Aurora Australis ahead of its final voyage to Antarctica. Picture: Zak Simmonds

The survey quizzed locals in Antarctica’s five gateway cities of Hobart; Cape Town in South Africa; Christchurch, New Zealand; Punta Arenas in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina.

Almost one in five Hobart respondents said they had attended an Antarctic-related cultural activity.

Eighty-two per cent also agreed or strongly agreed that local government should lead the development of a plan to integrate Antarctica into the future of Hobart.

The Aurora Australis has provided three decades of service.

It will be replaced by the RSV Nuyina due to arrive in Tasmania by the middle of next year.

“When we farewell the vessel, we will be closing an important chapter in our relationship with Antarctica while also looking forward to the arrival of the new vessel,” Mayor Reynolds said.

While P and O Maritime has never said exactly where the ship is headed, a Facebook post by the Argentine Government earlier this year revealed that country had bought the ship for $US2 million.

Hobart’s status as a gateway to Antarctica will be celebrated next month when several landmarks are lit up in an icy blue, along with Antarctic themed street banners and Antarctic content playing on The Loop digital art screen.