Chilled: Antarctic life, inside and out, a National Archives of Australia exhibition, is now showing at Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts in Hobart. Chilled invites visitors into the daily lives of the extraordinary people stationed at one of the most remote places on earth.

Visitors can discover the incredible resilience of expeditioners and the many creative ways they tackled the dangers, isolation and responsibilities of living on the world’s coldest continent.

National Archives Director-General Simon Froude said, ‘Chilled delves into the dangers faced in the world’s most unforgiving environment, but it also takes us into the stations to discover what expeditioners do to keep their spirits up when not on the clock.’

‘Alongside clothing and objects on loan from the Australian Antarctic Program, the exhibition presents records from the national archival collection that reveal what life and work was like, and in some ways still is, for Antarctic expeditioners.’

‘Our Tasmania Office neighbours with the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts at the State Library and Archives building in Hobart. It’s an ideal venue for an exhibition like Chilled, not only because of its location but also because it will share the memories of these daring individuals with people of all ages.’

The newsletters, yearbooks, articles, poems, recipes, party plans and film footage on display in Chilled reveals how expeditioners built human connections and boosted morale to make the reality of living in extreme isolation a little bit more bearable.

Bruce Kay, State Manager, National Archives Tasmania Office, said, ‘The exhibition highlights the relationship Australian has with the Antarctic, dating back to when Douglas Mawson led the first Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911’.

‘The Australian Antarctic Territory came into effect in 1936 and the first Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) mission in 1947 established permanent Australian stations to support scientific and exploratory work.’

Visitors will see a variety items on display, including 1950s ANARE winter clothing, mukluk boots, snow shoes, and bespoke, labelled home-brew bottles.

Ross Latham, Director of Collections and State Archivist at Libraries Tasmania said, ‘We are looking forward to welcoming our community into the daily lives of Antarctic expeditioners through the fascinating records, objects, footage and photography on display.’

Chilled: Antarctic life, inside and out is a free exhibition developed by National Archives of Australia on display at the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, Hobart, from 8 July to 29 October 2022.

This exhibition has been made possible with the support of Libraries Tasmania and Australian Antarctic Program.

Venue details

Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts
91 Murray Street, Hobart
Open Monday to Friday 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
Closed Sunday and public holidays
 

Available for interview

Bruce Kay 
State Manager, National Archives of Australia, Tasmania Office