New ship Douglas Mawson in Aurora’s 2025-26 Antarctica season

There are four voyages to Antarctica departing Australia and New Zealand, including Douglas Mawson’s inaugural 24-day ‘Mawson’s Antarctica’ from Hobart, Tasmania, on December 11, 2025, retracing Sir Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-14.

The voyage returns to Dunedin, New Zealand, on January 3, 2026.

New itineraries

There are eight new itineraries featuring destinations including the Ross Sea, East Antarctica and Tasmania.

A 12-day round ‘Coastal Tasmania: Untamed Wilderness’ voyage that will circumnavigate the state departs Hobart on December 1, 2025.  

Passengers will have the opportunity to go trekking on Bruny, Flinders and Maria Islands.

There are also eight departures with a ‘Fly the Drake’ component, allowing passengers to avoid the Drake Passage ship crossing.

Two Antarctica Active voyages offer passengers all-inclusive activities like paddling around icebergs in protected bays, snowshoeing for gentle hikes to see breathtaking views and overnight camping on the ice.