Heading South Sculpture

The Heading South sculpture consists of two massive, weathered steel plates that lean against one another at sharp angles, anchoring the Hobart waterfront. Artist Stephen Walker designed these slabs to mimic the rugged, jagged coastline of Antarctica. The monument commemorates the historic expeditions that departed from these docks, carrying explorers like Douglas Mawson and Roald Amundsen into the southern ice. Mawson once stood on this very pier, watching the shoreline recede, knowing his crew faced years of isolation in the freezing dark.