'Discovery' hut - Pre-RSHRP Conservation

Robert Falcon Scott’s National Antarctic Expedition 1901–04, a joint initiative between The Royal Geographical Society and The Royal Society, was the second expedition to winter over on the Antarctic continent, and the first to carry out significant exploration and serious scientific research.

Three of the most famous men in Antarctic exploration – Scott, Shackleton and Wilson – achieved a furthest south sledging journey of 82º 16’ S in the summer of 1902–03. On 9 January 1902, a stop was made at Cape Adare where the record left by Borchgrevink was found, and on 4 February, during flights by Scott and Sub-Lieutenant Ernest Shackleton RNR in a hydrogen balloon over the Ross Ice Shelf, Shackleton took the first aerial photographs of Antarctica. On the expedition’s return home, 11 volumes of scientific results were published and Scott was welcomed as a national hero.

Scott’s Discovery Hut is a framed and panelled structure, prefabricated and made of Douglas fir and Scots pine. Prefabricated in Sydney, the hut is square, its Australian origins evident in the open verandah that surrounds three sides.

The hut proved too hard to heat and was described as being more like a summer house. Consequently, it was never used as a base and the 47 men lived on their ship, using the hut for scientific observations, drying equipment, repairs and as an entertainment house.

The expedition base at Hut Point was later used by three other heroic-era expeditions, all of which left their mark on the hut and its contents. Today, Scott’s first expedition base at Hut Point remains a testament not only to scientific endeavour but also to the hardships endured by its later occupants, particularly Shackleton’s Ross Sea Party.

Due to the proximity of Hut Point to the United States Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station, the expedition base receives a large number of visitors each year.

Profile Picture 2002-03 Scott's Discovery Hut, Hut Point. © AHT/Fiona Wills