In 1910, she was bought by Douglas Mawson's deputy, Captain John King Davis, for £6,000 for his Australasian Antarctic Expedition. On 2 December 1911 "Aurora" departed from Hobart, Australia for Macquarie Island, where a radio relay station was established. She left the island on 25 December, arriving at Cape Denison on 8 January 1912, where the main base was built. She departed on 19 January, heading west to find a location for the western base, which was eventually sited in what is now known as Queen Mary Land, on 1 February 1912. After the western party was established on the stable ice shelf, "Aurora" left on 20 February, arriving in Hobart on 12 March.