This icy outpost in Antarctica is hot

A wild Australian outpost in remote Antarctica has become a popular destination for adventure-seeking tourists. The 97-year-old Mawson's Hut, in Cape Denison at Commonwealth Bay, was home to Sir Douglas Mawson and his men during the 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition. It had more than 300 visitors in December — a record number — with another 100 expected on the last ship that arrives around 23 January. "It's becoming a more popular tourist destination, I think, because it's part of an increasing trend in Antarctic tourism," Bruce Hull of Australia's Antarctic Division told MSNBC.com.

The harsh conditions make the six-day trip across the Southern Ocean attractive to only the most daring type of traveller. Cape Denison is called "Home of Blizzards" because of its severe climate and the area is only accessible for a ten-week period, between mid-December and mid-February.