This vessel shown at left is the main Australian Government's Antarctic supply/research ship.

It has good icebreaking capabilities, extensive research labs, a helicopter deck and confortable crew and expedition facilities. It was launched in 1989 and  is operated by P & O Polar Australia Pty Ltd.

Mid-winter trip cover from "Aurora Australis" which after postmarking on MacQuarie island had a serious engine room fire 21-7-98 185km off the AAT Coast.  The vessel was adrift for several days before temporary repairs enabled a slow return to Hobart.

Note. One stamp depicts the "Aurora Australis. The cover was delayed returning from Davis Base when the vessel broke down in Antarctic Ice and needed rescuing by Japanese ice breaker "Shirase".  The cover is backstamped January 1999 after return via tow to Fremantle.

The photo at right shows the "Shirase" in the foreground towing the "Aurora Australis" from the pack ice in January 1999

This cover was returned to Fremantle on the "Aurora Australis" under tow of "Shirase" and then escort of RSA rescue tug "John Ross" before being postmarked on arrival. It has  3 cachets and Fremantle Dockers Anchor postmark.

Transfers from Mawson, Davis and Casey Bases to the vessel are carried by helicopter as pack ice as shown at left normally precludes a close approach to the base itself.

NB. This voyage completed the long 1998-99 season for the vessel and was completed without the major problems accompanying her previous voyages

Note: This Polarogramme has a Davis Air Mail sticker on it. It was carried by helicopter from the ship to Davis Base for postmarking. This was the seasons voyage 1 and "Aurora Australis"arrived at Davis on 25th October and departed 29th October.

Note: This Polarogramme has a Mawson Air Mail sticker on it. It was carried by helicopter from the ship to Mawson Base for postmarking. The "Aurora Australis" arrived on the 4th of November and departed the following day.

Note: this envelope bears a "Aurora Australis" AAT postage stamp and is postmarked with the rare Heard Island datestamp. The vessel had arrived at Heard Island on the 9th and unloaded supplies by helicopter and left the following day.

Note: This Polarogramme has a Davis Air Mail sticker on it. It was carried by helicopter from the ship to Davis Base for postmarking. The vessel had arrived at Davis on the 9th of December and departed on the 11th.

The picture at left shows the "Aurora Australis" arriving at Hobart at the end of AAT Voyage 7 in February 2001.

At left we see the reverse of the above envelope. This envelope was posted at Hobart on the remarkable day when Hobart was host to a record five Antarctic bound vessels on the same day.

The envelope was posted Paquebot by a person on board the Russian Tourist "Kapitan Khlebnikov" and it also bears the ships cachets of all 4 other vessels on its reverse.

The 4 other vessels are the French vessel "L'Astrolabe", the Aurora Australis", The "Italica" and the "Polar Bird".

The picture at left shows the reverse of the above Polarogramme.

The Polarogramme has a cachet at lower left of the Lake water and Sediment studies ANARE Project no 1170 and has been signed by the two main participants.

The "Aurora Australis" had arrived back in Hobart on the 16th December from her voyage 3 which was a 3 month long marine research expedition.

"Aurora Australis" arrived at Casey Base on the 23rd of December and stayed until the 28th sharing Christmas with Casey Base staff.

The picture at right shows suppliesbeing offloaded by helicopter tot Casey Base.

Note: This item has a "Davis Ice Edge Fly-off" cachet indicating that the mail had to be carried by helicopter from the ship as the ice was too thick for the vessel to reach Davis Base.

Note: this letter bears a special AMISOR cachet at bottom left.which refers to the Amery Ice Shelf Research Programme for which the "Aurora Australis" acted as support vessel.

Note: The Aurora Australis" had arrived at Davis on the 14th of January but the above Polarogramme was not postmarked until 7 February just 3 days before the "Polar Bird" was due there to pick up mail and other items.

Note: The 2003-04 ANARE season began in September with "Aurora Australis" departing hobart on the 8th September. The above postcard showing the vessel in the ice was posted at Kingston with the special Kingston ANARE headquarters postmark.

Note: The picture at right is the picture side of the postcard offered above. it shows the "Aurora Australis" berthed in Hobart.

Note: The above Polarogramme comes from voyage 4 which had ended at Hobart on the 13th of February.

The picture at right shows the "Aurora Australis" departing Hobart on the 17th February 2004 for her next voyage (ANARE Voyage 7).