Australia's icebreaker RSV Nuyina has made its way down the River Derwent and is heading for Casey research station - the first of three stops on its 52-day research and resupply voyage.
The ship has 99 expeditioners on board, almost 40 crew, three inflatable boats and two helicopters.
"There are really three stages to this voyage," Voyage Leader Samantha Climie said.
"When we get close to Casey, we'll fly some of the Traverse and Million Year Ice Core crew off, so they can get an early start on those projects.
"Some of the Wilkins Aerodrome crew will be flown off too, to help prepare and open the ice runway."
The helicopters will also fly in some critical cargo that is too fragile to be included in an airdrop, planned for mid-October.
Once the fly off is complete, the ship will head to Heard Island for ten days to conduct a range of science, environmental management and research activities.
Then it's on to Davis research station for an over-ice resupply.
RSV Nuyina 'parks' in thick sea ice about a kilometre from the station and is then unloaded by truck and tractor.
It will take just over a week to transfer 500 tonnes of cargo - including 12,600 eggs, 500 kilos of bacon and 600 kilos of cheese - 140,000 litres of water and around 800,000 litres of fuel.
"Importantly, we're also taking people down, so we're inserting next season's team, who will spend a year in Antarctica, and bringing the winterers home," Ms Climie said.
"We will leave the helicopters at Davis, and later in the summer they will fly across to Mawson station, meaning we touch every Australian Antarctic station with this voyage."
Sam Climie lives in Tasmania and started her Antarctic career as a watercraft operator and then a Deputy Voyage Leader.
She led her first voyage at the age of 25 and has recently returned from Oxford in the UK, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, studying climate law and policy.
"It takes a lot of people to make a voyage like this happen and a lot of it happens behind the scenes," she said.
"Support staff and crew do an incredible job making it all happen."
The ingoing Davis Station Leader is Jenny Bonser from Adelaide, who was most recently Director of Operational Services at South Australia Police.
"I've also spent the last 30 years as a volunteer firefighter with the Morphett Vale Country Fire Service," she said.
"My professional skillset is planning, organisation and operations delivery, with a focus on emergency management, and my passion is for leading people."
Ms Bonser said professionally, the station leader role is a chance to bring all her skills and experience together.
"Personally, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the beauty of Antarctica and contribute to the amazing science program," she said.
"I am very excited about Midwinter celebrations - it's a uniquely Antarctic experience.
"Of course, I'll miss my friends and family but I think I'll probably miss some other things too, like patting dogs and petrichor (the smell of rain after a hot spell)."
