Designed as a multi-purpose research and resupply ship, Aurora Australis was built by Carrington Slipways in Tomago, New South Wales.

[citation needed] On 8 May 2011, Aurora Australis was chartered by the Department of Defence for a two-month deployment, ending 30 June, as an amphibious transport ship supporting the Royal Australian Navy.

[6] The charter, costing A$3.375 million, was to assist in the Australian government response to humanitarian crises and natural disasters that occurred while the naval heavy lift ship HMAS Tobruk underwent maintenance.

[6] In late December 2013, Aurora Australis, Chinese research vessel Xue Long and French icebreaker L'Astrolabe attempted to rescue Akademik Shokalskiy, which had become stranded in thick Antarctic ice in Watt Bay.

[9] After the rescue, Aurora Australis continued on her original mission to resupply Casey Station, before returning to Hobart on 22 January.

After 31 years of service to the Australian Antarctic Program, the last trip was a two-week voyage to resupply Macquarie Island and transport expeditioners to the south.

However, by June 2020 it looked like the most likely outcome for the Aurora Australis was to be sold to the Government of Argentina for further Antarctic deployment.

[18][19][20] In October 2015, the Australian government announced a plan to acquire a new icebreaker to replace Aurora Australis by 2019.