7th March 1948-7th March 2023.
Established on March 7, 1948 Macca celebrates the 75th anniversary of its foundation.
In the early hours of the morning of 7th March 1948, HMALST 3501 (later renamed HMAS Labuan) anchors at Buckles Bay, Macquarie Island 54° 29′ 56″ South, 158° 56′ 17″ East.
The ANARE team had arrived to establish a base that was to be permanently occupied for the next 75 years. The ANARE Club pays tribute to the 1306 men and women expeditioners who have wintered there during these 75 years.
The Voyage Leader of the 1948 Expedition, and Captain of the Ship, was Lieutenant Commander George Dixon
Macquarie Island is located half way between Tasmania and Antarctica and a Station was established on the “green sponge” in 1948. The Island was used as a half way point to establish the first radio link between Australia and Antarctica during Sir Douglas Mawson’s 1911 expedition.
The Macquarie Island Station (WAP AUS-Ø8) , commonly called Macca, is a permanent Australian Subantarctic Research Base, managed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). The station lies at the base of Wireless Hill, between two bays on the isthmus at the northern end of the island.
To celebrate the 75th event, a special postage-paid envelope has been issued. Release date: 7 February 2023. See: Shop (auspost.com.au) and Australian Antarctic Program: 75 Years – Australia Post (australiapostcollectables.com.au)