{"id":473858,"date":"2026-02-11T23:30:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T23:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/473858\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T23:30:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T23:30:24","slug":"australias-toxic-legacy-at-wilkes-station-in-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/473858\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia’s toxic legacy at Wilkes Station in Antarctica"},"content":{"rendered":"

Antarctica is often considered the last pristine wilderness on the planet.<\/p>\n

But an Australian base abandoned almost six decades ago continues to pose a major pollution threat to the ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Planning is underway to remediate Wilkes Station, but there’s still no timeframe or funding to complete the clean-up.<\/p>\n

Antarctica is a vast, icy wilderness, largely untouched by human impacts.<\/p>\n

But on the coastal fringe of Australia’s Antarctic Territory is a toxic legacy from a bygone era.<\/p>\n

\"Images Thousands of rusting fuel barrels are buried in the ice at Wilkes Station.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“It is pretty startling to come here,” says Dr Rebecca McWatters, as she looks across the abandoned Wilkes Station.<\/p>\n

\"Dr Rebecca McWatters at the old dump site at Wilkes Station.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

The remediation lead for the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) says legacy sites are an “enduring environmental problem”.<\/p>\n

Wilkes Station was once a thriving facility, home to about 25 expeditioners and their huskies throughout the year.<\/p>\n

But the base now resembles a frozen ghost town where only the tops of old buildings can be seen jutting through metres of snow.<\/p>\n

\"Images Roofing and part buried buildings at Wilkes Station in 2025.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)\"Old Wooden storage boxes containing cans are still on site.(ABC News: Owain Stia-James)\"The Abandoned Wilkes Station in Antarctica.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)US station becomes Australia’s problem<\/p>\n

Wilkes didn’t start as Australia’s responsibility.<\/p>\n

It was built in 1957 by the US Navy, before being handed over to Australia’s Antarctic program two years later.<\/p>\n

\"Two The US handed Wilkes Station to Australia at a ceremony in 1959.(\u00a0Supplied: Alan Campbell-Drury)<\/p>\n

But the station had a problem.<\/p>\n

When the US built it, the ground was bare and it was thought to be in a sheltered position.<\/p>\n

But expeditioners soon learnt the location was unsuitable.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

The station kept getting buried in snow and ice.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

A decade later, Australia made the decision to abandon the facility.<\/p>\n

Back then, cleaning up wasn’t a requirement, let alone a consideration.<\/p>\n

Melanie Borup, a terrestrial ecologist from UTAS, is part of the AAD’s science team, within the ‘A Cleaner Antarctica’ program.<\/p>\n

\"Melanie University of Tasmania’s Melanie Borup visits Wilkes Station.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“We all think that Antarctica is a completely pristine environment,” she says.<\/p>\n

“But it has a long history of human presence here in Antarctica.<\/p>\n

“And with that, localised contamination to the environment.”<\/p>\n

\"Old In the 1960s there was no requirement to clean up abandoned sites.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

Remnants of the station’s past can still be seen littered across the surface.<\/p>\n

\"Images Old tins of food can still be seen lying in the snow.\u00a0(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

There are rusting tins of fruit, condensed milk and processed meat.<\/p>\n

\"A Johan Mets examines rubbish at Wilkes Station.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“In the 1960s, they were using this for their food,” Johan Mets, who develops clean-up techniques for the AAD’s remediation team, says.<\/p>\n

“But today, it’s all rubbish for us.”<\/p>\n

The old tins of food are just a small part of the contamination.<\/p>\n

Many of the dilapidated buildings at Wilkes were fabricated with dangerous asbestos, while metal objects are corroding on the surface, causing lichen and mosses to die off.<\/p>\n

Black tar has also seeped into the cracks of rocks, close to where birds bathe in the meltwater.<\/p>\n

\"A Melted tar has seeped into the landscape.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)Loading…The hidden problem<\/p>\n

But what’s visible above the surface is only a tiny fraction of the problem.<\/p>\n

An enormous cache of waste is hidden under the ice.<\/p>\n

“We can probably only see about 3 to 5 per cent of what exists at this site,” Dr McWatters says.<\/p>\n

\"Rusted The fuel cache is located near the surrounding bay.\u00a0(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

The station’s snow-covered dump, positioned next to the ocean, contains several thousand fuel barrels \u2014 most of which are buried beneath the surface.<\/p>\n

\"A An estimated 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools of waste and contaminated soil is buried at Wilkes.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“It’s possible that anywhere there was a large fuel cache, there’s still fuel present in those barrels,” Dr McWatters says.<\/p>\n

\"A Melanie Borup and Dr Rebecca McWatters catalogue samples at Wilkes Station.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“That fuel could either be diesel, it could be petroleum, or it could be another type of solvent or gas.”<\/p>\n

While it’s unclear exactly how much fuel remains in the barrels, some has leaked into the soil.<\/p>\n

And there have been signs over the years of seepage into the nearby bay, which is only a few kilometres from large penguin colonies.<\/p>\n

“Sometimes we have seen fuel slicks come off that tip site to the ocean, so that’s not a very good look,” Dr McWatters says.<\/p>\n

But there are concerns the situation could get much worse.<\/p>\n

A photo from 1992 show what’s hidden underneath.<\/p>\n

\"Antarctic A significant summer melt occurred in 1992, exposing the old buildings.(Supplied: Graeme Snow)<\/p>\n

That’s when the last major melt, due to unusually warm conditions, exposed the entire station, including its buildings and fuel caches.<\/p>\n

A photo from the 1960s also shows the fuel cache, which is now buried in ice.<\/p>\n

\"Fuel A fuel cache, seen here in the 1960s, is now buried under the ice.(Supplied: K Budnick)<\/p>\n

As the climate continues to warm, a similar melt could have dire consequences if further exposure triggers more fuel and chemicals to leak into the environment.<\/p>\n

“That wouldn’t be good because obviously you would have a lot of contaminants start moving,” Mr Mets says.<\/p>\n

“And, from our point of view, that would be a disaster.”\"A Johan Mets is a heavy machine operator with the AAD’s A Cleaner Antarctica science team.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

Mr Mets says it would be far better to deal with the issue sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

Preparations for future clean-ups<\/p>\n

Remediating Wilkes station is not a new idea \u2014 Australia has been promising to do it since the late 1980s.<\/p>\n

And, in the years since, there’ve been some surface-level clean-ups<\/a>, as well as the removal of some of the fuel stockpile.<\/p>\n

But much of it still remains.<\/p>\n

\"Large Bags of waste from Wilkes about to be hauled out by helicopter in 2025.(Supplied: Australian Antarctic Division\/Rebecca McWatters)\"Images It’s been almost six decades since Wilkes Station was abandoned.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)\"Rusting Rusting gas bottles are stacked at the old tip site.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“In total on the site, we’re looking at around 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools of rubbish and contaminated soil,” Dr McWatters says.<\/p>\n

Two years ago, a French inspection team warned that Wilkes posed a “clear risk” to the environment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And last year, a parliamentary inquiry chaired by Labor called for the station’s full remediation by 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n

International conservationists say action needs to be taken before it’s too late.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

“The issue, especially in Antarctica, is it’s hard to get to,” Claire Christian, from the Antarctica and Southern Ocean Coalition, says.<\/p>\n

\"Penguins Penguins make themselves at home on the sea ice.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“If something does happen, if there is an emergency, it’s hard to clean it up.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

“So even though it’s expensive to do it on a proactive basis, it’s going to be a lot easier to do it than waiting for something.”<\/p>\n

The AAD says work in Antarctica takes far more time than in Australia due to its remoteness, complex logistics, extreme conditions and long planning lead times.<\/p>\n

And while the Antarctic Treaty System calls for the removal of historical waste, it stipulates this should only be done if it doesn’t cause additional pollution.<\/p>\n

“We need to consider the activities we undertake, even with cleaning up, to make sure that we aren’t going to make things worse during our remediation activities,” Dr McWatters says.<\/p>\n

\"Dr Dr Rebecca McWatters is the environmental remediation and restoration lead at the Australian Antarctic Division.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

In 2022, the federal government committed $14 million towards a program known as ‘A Cleaner Antarctica’, which covers remediation efforts at all of Australia’s stations and field sites.<\/p>\n

At Wilkes, a comprehensive risk assessment has been underway for several years to develop a “prioritised, costed and actionable remediation strategy”.<\/p>\n

\"Two Rebecca McWatters and Melanie Borup look towards Wilkes Station.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)\"Dilapidated Some structures haven’t been consumed by the snow.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)\"A A member of the remediation team walks around the site.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)\"Rusty The majority of buildings are buried under the ice.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

The assessment has included a range of technologies, including drone-mounted, ground-penetrating radar to get a clearer picture of the contamination beneath the surface.<\/p>\n

Laboratory testing has also been used to find out the types of microbes that live in the area and their tolerance for different levels of contamination.<\/p>\n

\"A Melanie Borup examines samples as part of determining the level of contamination happening at Wilkes.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)\"A Melanie Borup uses a microscope to examine samples of microbiota.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“The species that are found especially in East Antarctica aren’t found anywhere else in the world,” Ms Borup says.<\/p>\n

“They can be susceptible to exposure from these contaminants in their environment.”<\/p>\n

Once completed, the risk assessment will be used to identify the areas at Wilkes that are in most urgent need of remediation.<\/p>\n

\"A The team plans to use steam drills to safely access contaminated objects below the ice.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

It will also inform the development of safe clean-up techniques, such as steam drills, which can cut through the ice without the risk of puncturing fuel containers.<\/p>\n

\"Stacked Only a small portion of the waste dump is visible above the surface.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

“What we are trying to do is try to be as delicate as possible, so that way we’re not making a greater mess while we are cleaning up,” Dr McWatters says.<\/p>\n

Tallying the clean-up bill<\/p>\n

Over the past few decades, Australia has successfully remediated several other smaller contaminated sites in Antarctica, including old rubbish tips and fuel spills.<\/p>\n

“Australia is a world leader in the environmental space in Antarctica,” Dr McWatters says.<\/p>\n

“We continue to apply that learning to new sites or larger sites that we are tackling, for example, Wilkes Station.”<\/p>\n

But a key issue will be the cost of the clean-up.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

In 2014, a government-commissioned report estimated it would cost $136 million to remediate Wilkes, as well as several other smaller abandoned sites in Antarctica.<\/p>\n

\"Two Scientists prepare to sample the area for contamination.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

Until the risk assessment is completed at Wilkes, the current remediation cost remains unclear.<\/p>\n

“[The] program will develop a cost estimate that reflects feasible clean-up and remediation options, including new on-ground remediation techniques developed by the Australian Antarctic Division,” the AAD said in a statement.<\/p>\n

It said the “timing and scale” of the clean-up would depend on substantial planning, resourcing and long-term access to the site.<\/p>\n

“It’s really important that we spend the time now, and do the risk assessment well,” Dr McWatters added.<\/p>\n

“That way we have a really accurate estimate of what we’re dealing with.”\"Abandoned It’s not known how much fuel remains in the old barrels.(ABC News: Jano Gibson)<\/p>\n

The ABC travelled to Wilkes Station with the support of the Australian Antarctic Program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CreditsReporting: Jano Gibson<\/a>Photography: Jano Gibson<\/a> and Owain Stia-JamesVideography: Owain Stia-JamesArchive footage: Australian Antarctic DivisionVideo production: \u00a0Owain Stia-JamesDigital production: James Dunlevie<\/a>\/Daniel Miller<\/a>Digital editor: Daniel Miller<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Antarctica is often considered the last pristine wilderness on the planet. But an Australian base abandoned almost six…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473859,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[17765,6391,64,63,151290,75,128,241639],"class_list":{"0":"post-473858","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-antarctic","9":"tag-antarctica","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-clean-up","13":"tag-environment","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-wilkes-station"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}