McMurdo Station, Research facility in Ross Island, Antarctica
McMurdo Station is a research facility on Ross Island with 85 timber and metal buildings spread across rocky volcanic ground. Dormitories, laboratories, workshops, and a community center form the core of this year-round settlement near the Ross Ice Shelf.
The station opened in 1956 as part of Operation Deep Freeze and grew from a basic tent camp into a permanent research base. Over the following decades it expanded into the largest facility in Antarctica and now serves as a hub for expeditions heading to the South Pole.
The research community maintains a yearly New Year tradition of ice swimming and indoor concerts that shape social life during isolation. Public film screenings and a library housing thousands of books offer residents a way to pass time during the long, dark winter months.
The site includes three ice runways and a floating dock made of frozen freshwater that support supply flights and cargo deliveries. Visitors need clearance and will find protective clothing, medical care, and emergency facilities available on-site to handle the extreme polar environment.
Two working ATMs operated by a New Zealand bank dispense real cash in Antarctica. Wind turbines supplement diesel generators for power and reduce fuel consumption as steady storms sweep across Ross Island.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
