A seriously ill Australian expeditioner has arrived home two weeks after being evacuated from Antarctica.
On board the Aurora Australis icebreaker, the man arrived in Hobart on Friday morning and was transferred to the Royal Hobart Hospital where he will continue to receive treatment for an acute condition.
The tradesmen arrived at Davis Station in November and had intended to stay through winter, before falling ill several weeks ago.
The patient received 24-hour care from expert medical staff in Antarctica, onboard the ship and from Australia through tele-medicine technology, Australian Antarctic Division chief medical officer Jeff Ayton said.
"This is extreme medicine and we're experts in providing that in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean," he said.
"It was a serious illness and it could have been life threatening if it wasn't treated appropriately."
Dr Ayton said the man's condition wasn't pre-existing and he had passed medical testing before joining the expedition.
But his condition was a scenario that had been planned for.
"We have considered these conditions as part of our medical support package for Australia's Antarctic Program and we're well equipped for this sort of eventuality," Dr Ayton said.
The medical evacuation from Davis Station was a logistical challenge for the icebreaker crew, who were headed back from a voyage to resupply Mawson Station.
Snow showers and poor visibility meant there was only a small window of opportunity to transfer the man from the station to the ship, voyage leader Andy Cianchi said.
They then had to battle bad weather on the Southern Ocean that at one point caused the boat to roll 40 degrees side to side.
Aurora Australis' arrival in Hobart was also a homecoming for others in the Australian Antarctic Program who have been away since early 2014.
The ships crew will now prepare for their next voyage, the annual supply run of 120 tonne of cargo to Macquarie Island.
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