Century-old artefacts, including a wool balaclava, have been found by heritage experts as they chip away at snow and ice from Mawson's Hut in Antarctica.
At Cape Denison, 2500km south of Hobart, the six-strong Mawson's Huts Foundation team is hard at work conserving the home of the 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition.
Expedition field leader Marty Passingham says the team hopes to restore the hut to the state it was in when Sir Douglas Mawson left in 1914.
"We've made a promising start and we're hoping we will have a large amount of the ice and snow removed and artefacts exposed by the end of the expedition in three weeks' time," he said on Sunday.
Mawson is best remembered for his long lone trek across the polar ice cap after two companions died.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
He arrived back at Cape Denison weeks behind schedule to discover his ship had sailed for Australia that very morning, condemning him to another year in Antarctica.
Foundation chief conservator Ian Godfrey says the team has uncovered many personal items and supplies used by the AAE, including cans, boxes, boots a broom and balaclava.
"For me that was a highlight because it was the classic Mawson-style wool balaclava and it was in great condition," he said.
Work at the site has been halted three times by blizzards which confine the team to its small base camp near the hut.
"We prepare by making sure everything is tied down in preparation and we have enough food, fuel and gas supplies close at hand to ride it out for a couple of days," Mr Passingham said.
