<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/damgar-group">Damgar Group</a> has delivered Rosella, its boutique Murrumbeena apartment project, several months ahead of its anticipated completion.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cera-stribley-architects">Cera Stribley</a>, the seven-storey building delivers 70 one, two, and three-bedroom residences, marking the first significant new apartment offering in the suburb in years.&nbsp;

With construction now complete and move-ins underway, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/rosella-murrumbeena-50-rosella-street-murrumbeena-vic-3163">Rosella</a> brings together design, practicality, and strong connectivity in one of Melbourne’s most tightly held pockets.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=142221 project_image_fid=353183]

Damgar partnered with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/progressio-developments">Progressio</a> and the acclaimed team at Cera Stribley to create a design that both stands out and belongs, with its curved concrete façade and warm copper detailing nodding to the nearby Hughesdale Station underpasses.&nbsp;

Inside, these soft architectural curves continue through interior walls, a feature rarely seen at this scale and price point.&nbsp;

James Gray of Progresio, Rosella’s development partner, said the project set out to create “something Murrumbeena simply hasn’t seen before,” combining design ambition with everyday livability.

“We brought in the renowned team from Cera Stribley Architects who created something instantly recognisable,” said Gray.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=142221 project_image_fid=352270]

Each apartment balances function and aesthetics, with interiors curated around natural light, warmth and material quality. Kitchens are appointed with Miele appliances, stone benchtops and gunmetal tapware, complemented by Cera Stribley’s signature joinery and bespoke detailing. Open-plan living zones open onto generous terraces designed for entertaining.

Residents also enjoy access to a landscaped rooftop terrace and residents’ lounge with panoramic views over Melbourne’s skyline, a rare amenity in Murrumbeena’s low-rise neighbourhood context.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=142221 project_image_fid=352267]

Rosella sits directly opposite Hughesdale Station and Hughesdale Village, placing cafés, wine bars and everyday retail within walking distance. Chadstone Shopping Centre - Australia’s largest retail destination - is just minutes away, while the CBD is a short 15-minute train ride. It’s a level of connectivity that continues to drive buyer interest from professionals and downsizers seeking long-term value in established suburbs.

Final residences at Rosella start from $680,000, offering one of the few opportunities to buy brand-new in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/murrumbeena-vic-3163">Murrumbeena</a>. Damgar Group is also offering generous stamp duty contributions toward purchases for a limited time.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=142221]

Staff Writer

"Something Murrumbeena simply hasn’t seen before": Rosella redefines apartment living in Melbourne’s south-east suburb

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/billbergia">Billbergia</a> and Metrics Credit Partners are teaming up once again, this time in Concord, where they're taking Concord Central,&nbsp; an eight-building, 1400-dwelling precinct, to the NSW Government.

The State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for the 3.14-hectare site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/1-king-street-concord-1-king-street-concord-west-nsw-2137">1 King Street</a>, adjacent to Concord West train station, also includes plans for a new civic plaza featuring retail and commercial spaces.

Concord Central marks another major collaboration between Billbergia and Metrics, following their joint venture in the Sydney CBD, a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/billbergia-metrics-propose-two-80-level-towers-in-sydneys-cbd">two-tower development</a> that will see both towers rise 80 storeys, ranking among the tallest buildings in the city.

<img alt="Bilbergia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="03ecc392-ba98-437a-bf3b-a944c42e1812" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-21%20at%204.53.25%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=VaW78cYWuwRjWfU0GdgNQrRWTxU7u5xY" />

At Concord, the initial proposal in 2024 was for 700 apartments across 10 towers.&nbsp;The tower heights now range from six to 37 storeys.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to the Scoping Report prepared by Ethos Urban, the project aims to “incorporate a mixed-use approach and use urban design principles to integrate commercial, retail and residential land uses” while improving connectivity and public access to transport infrastructure.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/group-gsa">GroupGSA</a> has led the urban design and masterplanning, alongside architectural input from Fitzpatrick Partners, Lachlan Seegers, and Carter Williamson. The indicative masterplan shows a layout that prioritises open space, view corridors, and pedestrian permeability, with over 5000 sqm of public realm, including a central park and active street frontages.

The project’s proximity to Concord West Station and future Sydney Metro connections at North Strathfield supports the broader vision for a transport-oriented development. The Scoping Design Report notes that the masterplan “seeks to re-integrate the site into the suburb, providing residential activation with public through-site links, civic spaces and play areas”.

<img alt="Billbergia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0e724b4a-5eac-4725-b8a6-e8f217fd753e" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-21%20at%204.53.57%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=Mpa8ojMn.XDFd73mOzXCA2EI1WarS4tE" />

Retail space has been reduced slightly in the latest version to 5,100 sqm, but with a sharper focus on local activation and daily needs. A childcare centre and community facilities are also included, alongside infrastructure upgrades valued at over $100 million.

The project has been declared State Significant and is undergoing assessment by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. According to the submitted documents, construction could begin as early as late 2026, with completion anticipated by 2029.

This project continues Billbergia’s focus on large-scale urban renewal precincts, with similar activity underway in Rhodes and Chatswood in partnership with Metrics.

Joel Robinson

Billbergia and Metrics unveils Concord Central scheme with 1400 homes near Concord West Station

Three years after submitting its initial development application for a new apartment building in Bilinga, local developer Lacey Group has decided now is the right time to start progressing with the project.

Lacey Group, which has been behind the likes of Del Ray in Kirra and The Monroe in Palm Beach, has filed fresh plans for an 11-level building with 27 apartments. The 1,009 sqm block at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/66-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">66 Pacific Parade</a>, on the corner of Archer Avenue facing Joe Doniger Park and the beach, is currently home to a walk-up block of original flats known as Serene.

Plus Studio has tweaked its own plans. The density mix isn't much different to the&nbsp;10-level, 28-unit <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-lacey-group-set-for-next-gold-coast-apartment-development">application they made in 2022</a>.

There will still be nine two-bedroom apartments and 16 three-bedroom apartments. The three two-level penthouses have been scrapped, in favour of a large three-bedroom and four-bedroom apartment on the ninth level. There will be just three apartments per floor throughout the building.

&nbsp;

<img alt="Lacey" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="170901f8-c4e9-481d-8d2a-5c7d20b1d785" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-21%20at%206.01.24%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=lGJGCx9qskwB8qu6Xlur4i0K0boXR5Do" />

Plus Studio, led locally by Danny Juric, says 66 Pacific Parade will be&nbsp;a "timeless addition to Bilinga, facilitating a lifestyle defined by relaxed sophistication — barefoot luxury at its finest."

"Located just moments from the beach, 66 Pacific Parade is designed to embrace the Bilinga lifestyle and enhance the neighbourhood’s character," the submission to the Gold Coast City Council noted.

They called the apartments "beach homes", which will be "enveloped by sweeping curves that create a seamless integration between the architecture and its coastal context."

"These soft forms enhance panoramic view experiences for residents, while layered landscaping along the Pacific Parade and Archer Street frontages blends the ocean into the residents’ private recreation deck, pool, and lounges."

<img alt="Lacey" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="18aebcd9-4d68-47d2-86b9-92eda1779103" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-21%20at%206.01.47%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=xtOSgbusBKaWiXhyhjO_0ctVkllaPg_0" />

&nbsp;

According to the Town Planning Report by Urban Planning Services, the new application “demonstrates a more refined architectural expression, with particular emphasis on coastal character, visual interest, and improved amenity outcomes”.

The design adopts lighter tones and tiered landscaping, with articulated balconies and screening elements to soften the façade and improve privacy.

Bilinga has become a popular spot for developers in recent years. SIERA recently completed <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/pipis-bilinga-303-golden-four-drive-bilinga-qld-4225">PIPIS</a>, just 19 luxury apartments on Golden Four Drive, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bilinga-house-107-golden-four-drive-bilinga-qld-4225">Bilinga House</a>, a more dense, more price-pointed development, recently launched.

First look: Lacey Group advances Bilinga apartment plans

A fresh high-rise tower is being proposed on what is becoming Surfers Paradise most popular street for development.

Sunset Boulevard, just outside of the centre of Surfers Paradise on the Nerang River, has been a hotbed for developers in the last 12 months, with the likes of SEYAH, Macquarie York, and&nbsp;YHY Group filing plans for new apartments.

The latest comes from Sinclair Projects, a company associated with Sinclair Projects, a company associated with&nbsp;Highgrove Bathrooms Founder Lindsay Sinclair. They've sought to develop <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/cointreau-25-27-sunset-boulevard-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Cointreau</a>, 51 apartments across a 16-level building that will sit on a 1,012 sqm corner site at 25-27&nbsp;Sunset Boulevard, on the corner of Alberta Place. It is currently occupied by two low-rise dwellings.

The tower, by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/studio-workshop">Studio Workshop</a>,&nbsp;will include a mix of 37 two-bedroom and 14 three-bedroom apartments, with all residences located above a three-level podium which will home a communal recreation level, featuring landscaped terraces and a pool, and the majority of the 69 resident parking spaces.

Studio Workshop says in the submitted plans to the Gold Coast City Council that Sunset Blvd is emerging as a "vibrant new urban community that blends lifestyle, culture, and convenience in a central locale."

"The development embraces the Gold Coast’s unique connection to the outdoors, highlighted by Cointreau’s podium pool and wellness spaces that encourage residents to live and relax in the open air."

<img alt="Gold Coast" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="94bc6fc7-651a-4c6c-aa4a-ea033971a943" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-10-21%20at%205.27.47%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=JUOpBzV3BSNah6QLyeCIT6QVuK.3Hy_3" />

They said its central location reinforces its identity as a connected precinct, with key views to HOTA, access to the Broadwater, and walkability to both the beach and the heart of Surfers Paradise — placing dining, retail, entertainment, and lifestyle at residents’ fingertips.

"This thoughtful integration of design, amenity, and location ensures Sunset Blvd is more than just a place to live — it is a thriving community that captures the essence of coastal urban living while fostering a strong connection to both nature and culture."

The first development likely to launch on Sunset Boulevard among a backdrop of several approvals is SEYAH's&nbsp;Cavella, just 18 large-scale apartments on the river.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-seyah-to-launch-cavella-in-emerging-sunrise-boulevard-surfers-paradise-pocket-following-density-rethink">First look: SEYAH to launch Cavella in emerging Sunrise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise pocket following density rethink</a>

The first developer to identify Sunset Boulevard was Roy Skaf's Macquarie York. He has approval for 43 apartments, although that density may change in the coming months.

YHY Group has approval for a 33-level tower with 74 apartments, with the penthouse proposed to be the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-the-gold-coasts-largest-penthouse-pitched-for-new-surfers-paradise-tower">largest penthouse ever</a> produced on the Gold Coast.

Sydney-based P&amp;N Sleiman Group secured approval for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/52-sunset-boulevard-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">52 Sunset Boulevard</a>, but has recently listed the site for sale.

First look: Sunset Boulevard shines as Surfers’ next hotspot for apartment development

A prominent eastern gateway site to Bondi Junction could soon host a new eight-storey apartment project combining market and affordable housing, under new plans lodged with Waverley Council.

The proposal covers a 1,631 sqm amalgamated site across five properties at 2–6 Bondi Road and 75–77 Old South Head Road, including the corner of Ben Eden Street.&nbsp;

According to the Design Verification Statement by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/tony-owen-partners">Tony Owen Partners</a>, the development will deliver a total of 56 apartments, incorporating 10 affordable dwellings. The project takes advantage of the NSW Government’s Housing SEPP, which provides a 30 per cent uplift in height and floor space ratio in exchange for the inclusion of affordable housing.

<img alt="Bondi Road, Bondi" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="64226782-681d-430f-a08b-31d007ba40e0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Bondi%20Road%20Bondi%20site.png?VersionId=gCt8XpeE4jXEoao0FnG.Ij9mUr73CB68" />

The mix of apartments spans one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations, with a layout designed to optimise amenity and environmental performance.&nbsp;88.5 per cent of units achieve natural cross ventilation, Tony Owen Partners notes in the statement, attributing the result to the site’s configuration and a high proportion of corner apartments.

The design also responds to the site’s transitional context, on the periphery of the high-rise Bondi Junction commercial core and adjoining the lower-scale Bellevue Hill precinct.&nbsp;

“The siting, scale, bulk, and massing of the proposed development is consistent with that anticipated for the area,” the statement reads, with the building’s height capped at 28.6 metres in line with the LEP controls including bonuses.

<img alt="Bondi Road building" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="083fb63f-8a64-4c21-9c09-83e379f1cedd" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Bondi%20bldg.png?VersionId=aQMby6eh5kCepC_rlXkobUpV0M6IsYns" />

Located near the intersection of Bondi Road, Oxford Street, and Old South Head Road, the site occupies a pivotal position at the entry to Bondi Junction from the east. The site is currently occupied by four detached two-storey dwellings.

Bondi Junction seldom sees new apartment development. Stargate is currently developing <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-centennial-collection-east-sydney-2-nelson-street-bondi-junction-nsw-2022">The Centennial Collection</a>, on the edge of Woollahra and Centennial Park, and are soon to launch <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/signature-by-stargate-362-384-oxford-street-bondi-junction-nsw-2022">Signature by Stargate</a>, just down Oxford Street.

First look: Eight-storey apartment block pitched for key Bondi Junction gateway site

Antarctica

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/81747/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Domestic animals are rarely associated with Antarctica. However, before non-native species (bar humans) were excluded from the continent in the 1990s, many travelled to the far south.
These animals included not only the obvious sledge dogs, but also ponies, sheep, pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs and a goat. Perhaps the most curious case occurred in 1933, when US Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s second Antarctic expedition took with it three Guernsey cows. 
The cows, named Klondike Gay Nira, Deerfoot Guernsey Maid and Foremost Southern Girl, plus a bull calf born en route, spent over a year in a working dairy on the Ross Ice Shelf. They returned home to the US in 1935 to considerable celebrity. 
Keeping the animals healthy in Antarctica took a lot of doing – not least, hauling the materials for a barn, a huge amount of feed and a milking machine across the ocean and then the ice. What could have possessed Byrd to take cows to the icy south? 
The answer we suggest in our recently published paper is multi-layered and ultimately points to Antarctica’s complex geopolitical history.
Solving the “milk problem”
The cows’ ostensible purpose was to solve the expedition’s so-called “milk problem”. By the 1930s, fresh milk had become such an icon of health and vigour that it was easy to claim it was needed for the expeditioners’ well-being. Just as important, however, were the symbolic associations of fresh milk with purity, wholesomeness and US national identity. 
Powdered or malted milk could have achieved the same nutritional results. Previous expeditions, including those of Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen, had survived just fine with such products. What’s more, William Horlick of Horlick’s Malted Milk sponsored Byrd’s second Antarctic expedition; the seaplane Byrd used was named for this benefactor. 
So if fresh milk was not actually a health requirement, and other forms were readily available, why go to the trouble of lugging three cows and their accoutrements across the ice?
Maximising publicity
The cows represented a first, and Byrd well knew that “firsts” in the polar regions translated into media coverage. The expedition was privately funded, and Byrd was adept at attracting media attention and hence sponsorship. His backers expected a return, whether in the form of photographs of their product on the ice or mentions in the regular radio updates by the expedition. 
The novelty value that the cows brought to the expedition was a valuable asset in its own right, but Byrd hedged his bets by including a pregnant cow – Klondike was due to give birth just as the expedition ship sailed across the Antarctic Circle. The calf, named “Iceberg”, was a media darling and became better known than the expeditioners themselves. 
The celebrity attached to the cows helped the expedition remain in the headlines throughout its time in Antarctica, and they received an enthusiastic welcome upon its return. Although the unfortunate Klondike, suffering from frostbite, had to be put down mid-expedition, her companions made it home in good condition. They were feted on their return, meeting politicians in Washington, enjoying “hay cocktails” at fancy hotels, and making the front page of The New York Times.
It would be easy, then, to conclude that the real reason Byrd took cows south was for the publicity he knew they would generate, but his interest in the animals may also have had a more politically motivated layer.
Eyeing a territorial claim
A third reason for taking cows to Antarctica relates to the geopolitics of the period and the resonances the cows had with colonial settlement. By the 1930s several nations had claimed sectors of Antarctica. Byrd wanted the US to make its own claim, but this was not as straightforward as just planting a flag on the ice. 
According to the Hughes Doctrine, a claim had to be based on settlement, not just discovery. But how do you show settlement of a continent covered in ice? In this context, symbolic gestures such as running a post office – or farming livestock – are useful. 
Domestic animals have long been used as colonial agents, and cattle in particular were a key component of settler colonialism in frontier America. The image of the explorer-hero Byrd, descended from one of the First Families of Virginia, bringing cows to a new land and successfully farming them evoked this history. 
The cows’ presence in Antarctica helped symbolically to turn the expedition base – not coincidentally named “Little America” – into a frontier town. While the US did not end up making a claim to any sector of Antarctica, the polar dairy represented a novel way of demonstrating national interest in the frozen continent.
The Antarctic cows are not just a quirky story from the depths of history. As well as producing milk, they had promotional and geopolitical functions. On an ice continent, settlement is performed rather than enacted, and even Guernsey cows can be more than they first seem.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hanne-e-f-nielsen-139245" target="_blank">Hanne E.F. Nielsen</a> is PhD Candidate in Antarctic Representations, University of Tasmania.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elizabeth-leane-267090" target="_blank">Elizabeth Leane</a> is Associate Professor of English and ARC Future Fellow, University of Tasmania.
Both are authors for <a href="https://theconversation.com/au" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Cows in Antarctica? How one expedition milked them for all their worth

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80314/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Icebergs breaking off Antarctica, even massive ones, do not typically concern glaciologists. But the impending birth of a new massive icebergcould be more than business as usual for the frozen continent. 
The Larsen C ice shelf, the fourth-largest in Antarctica, has attracted worldwide attention in the lead-up to calving an iceberg one-tenth of its area – or about half the area of greater Melbourne. It is still difficult to predict exactly when it will break free.
But it’s not the size of the iceberg that should be getting attention. Icebergs calve all the time, including the occasional very large one, with nothing to worry about. Icebergs have only a tiny direct effect on sea level. 
The calving itself will simply be the birth of another big iceberg. But there is valid concern among scientists that the entire Larsen C ice shelf could become unstable, and eventually break up entirely, with knock-on effects that could take decades to play out.
Ice shelves essentially act as corks in a bottle. Glaciers flow from land towards the sea, and their ice is eventually absorbed into the ice shelf. Removal of the ice shelf causes glaciers to flow faster, increasing the rate at which ice moves from the land into the sea. This has a much larger effect on sea level than iceberg calving does.
While the prediction that Larsen C could become unstable is based partly on physics, it is also based on observations. Using aerial and satellite images, scientists have been able to track very similar ice shelves in the past, some of which have been seen to retreat and collapse. 
<h2>The death of an ice shelf</h2>
The most dramatic ice shelf collapse observed so far is that of Larsen C’s neighbour to the north – the imaginatively named Larsen B. Over the course of just six weeks in 2002 the entire ice shelf splintered into dozens of icebergs. Almost immediately afterwards, the glaciers feeding into it sped up by two to six times. Those glaciers continue to flow faster to this day. 
In our new study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, we turn the clock back even further to look at the Wordie ice shelf, on the west coast of the southern Antarctic Peninsula, which began to retreat in the 1960s and eventually disappeared in January 2017. 
Over the past 20 years, observations have shown that the main glacier feeding into the Wordie ice shelf, the Fleming Glacier, has sped up and thinned. Compared with the glaciers feeding Larsen B and C, Fleming Glacier is massive: 80km long, 12km wide, and 600m thick at its front.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/07/28/file-20170705-16510-iymhsl.gif" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2017/07/28/file-20170705-16510-iymhsl.gif" alt="">
<div class="enlarge_hint">
Locations of the Larsen C Ice Shelf and the Wordie Ice Shelf-Fleming Glacier system with ice front positions from 1947 to 2016. Author provided
</div>
We used historic aerial photographs from 1966 to create an elevation map of the Fleming Glacier, and compared it to elevation measurements from 2002 to 2015. Between 1966 and 2015 the Fleming Glacier thinned by at least 100m near the front. The thinning rate, which is the elevation change rate, rapidly increased: the thinning rate after 2008 is more than twice that during 2002 to 2008, and four times the average rates from 1966 to 2008.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/07/28/file-20170629-5317-1j5zalo.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2017/07/28/file-20170629-5317-1j5zalo.png" alt="">
Ice thinning rate of the Fleming Glacier region during (a) 2002-2008 and (b) 2008-2015. Author provided
Ice flow speeds have also increased by more than 400m per year at the front since 2008. This is <a href="https://www.the-cryosphere-discuss.net/tc-2017-75/">the largest speed change in recent years of any glacier in Antarctica</a>. These changes all point to ice shelf collapse as the cause.
We estimate the total glacier ice volume lost from all glaciers that feed the Wordie is 179 cubic kilometres since 1966, or 319 times the volume of Sydney Harbour. The weight of this ice moving off the land and into the ocean has caused the bedrock beneath the glaciers to lift by more than 50mm. 
Other research has suggested this lift could have acted to slow the glacier’s retreat, but it’s clear that the bedrock deformation has not stopped the ice movement speeding up. It seems the Fleming Glacier has a long way to go before it will return to a new stable state (in which snowfall feeding the glacier equals the ice flowing into the oceans).
Fifty years after the Wordie Ice Shelf began to collapse, the major feeding glaciers continue to thin and flow faster than before. 
We can’t yet predict the full consequences of the new iceberg calving from Larsen C. But if the ice shelf does begin to retreat or collapse, history tells us it is very possible that its glaciers will flow faster – making yet more sea level rise inevitable.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chen-zhao-382317" target="_blank">Chen Zhao</a> is PhD candidate of Antarctic Science, University of Tasmania
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-watson-159793" target="_blank">Christopher Watson</a> is Senior Lecturer, Surveying and Spatial Sciences, School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matt-king-15004" target="_blank">Matt King</a> is Professor, Surveying &amp; Spatial Sciences, School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania.
All are authors for <a href="https://theconversation.com/au" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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Don’t worry about the huge Antarctic iceberg – worry about the glaciers behind it

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80140/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
When you think of Antarctica, you probably picture vast, continuous ice sheets and glaciers, with maybe a penguin or two thrown in.
Yet most Antarctic plants and animals live in the permanently ice-free areas that cover about 1 percent of the continent. Our new research predicts that these areas could grow by a quarter during this century, with mixed prospects for the species that currently live there. 
Besides everyone’s favourite Emperor and Adélie penguins, terrestrial Antarctic species also include beautiful mosses, lichens, two types of flowering plants, and a suite of hardy invertebrates such as nematodes, springtails, rotifers and tardigrades, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Tardigrades – tiny creatures sometimes nicknamed “waterbears” – are so tough they can survive in space.
Antarctica’s ice-free areas are currently limited to a scattering of rocky outcrops along the coastline, or cliff faces, or the tops of mountain ranges. They form small patches of suitable habitat in a huge sea of ice, much like islands. 
As a result, the plants and animals that live there are often isolated from each other. But as Antarctica’s climate warms, we expect ice-free areas to get bigger and eventually start joining up. This would create more habitat for native species, but also new opportunities for non-native species to spread. 
Our study, published today in Nature, forecasts that climate change will expand Antarctica’s ice-free areas over the course of this century. Under the most severe scenario that we modelled (which is also the one on which the globe is currently tracking), more than 17,000 square km of new ice-free area could emerge across the continent by 2100. 
This would increase the current total ice-free area by nearly a quarter. The majority of this new ice-free land will be on the Antarctic Peninsula, which could have three times as much ice-free area as it does today.  
Brave new world
As the ice-free areas expand, the distances between them will decrease, giving plants and animals more opportunity to spread through the landscape. On the Antarctic Peninsula, which has already warmed more than anywhere else in Antarctica, many of the ice-free patches will expand so much that they will start joining together.
Will this increase in habitat availability benefit the plants and animals that live there? It will definitely provide new opportunities for some native plants and animals to expand their range and colonise new areas. The warming climate may also give a boost to species that are currently hampered by the lack of warmth, nutrients and water. Some Antarctic mosses, for example, are expected to grow faster as temperatures rise, and Antarctica’s two flowering plant species are already expanding southward.
However, the potential benefits seem likely to be outweighed by the negatives. The joining-up of habitat patches could allow species that have been isolated for much of their evolutionary past to meet suddenly. If the newcomers to a particular area outcompete the native species, then it may lead to localised extinctions. Over the coming centuries this could lead to the loss of many plants and animals, and the homogenisation of Antarctica’s ecosystems.
Antarctic aliens
An even bigger concern is that Antarctica’s great thaw could provide new opportunities for species to invade. Antarctica’s best bulwark against non-native species is its harsh climate and extreme weather, to which native Antarctic species have spent many thousands of years adapting. 
We already know that many plants and invertebrates are reaching Antarctica, most often in food or cargo shipments. As the climate warms, some of these non-native species may be able to establish themselves on the Antarctic Peninsula, and the increasing connectivity will allow them to easily move through the landscape. Many of these animals and plants may become invasive, competing with the native species for space and resources. 
We don’t know how Antarctica’s species will cope with the increasing competition. But if the sub-Antarctic islands provide any indication, the outlook is depressing. Australia’s World Heritage-listed Macquarie Island, for example, was severely impacted by invasive cats, rats, rabbits and mice (although it has since been declared free of these pests after an intensive eradication effort).
Several non-native species have already come to Antarctica, including the invasive annual meadowgrass Poa annua (a common weed around the world), which has colonised newly ice-free areas left behind by retreating glaciers. It is thought to outcompete Antarctica’s native plants, although we don’t yet know what the impact will be on animals. 
Humans – both scientists and tourists – are key transporters of non-native species to the continent, and tourist numbers continue to grow (almost 37,000 visited in the 2016-17 summer). 
Biosecurity is paramount for the ongoing protection of Antarctica. If bags, shoes, clothes and field equipment are not properly cleaned and inspected before arriving on the continent, then non-native seeds, microbes and insects could be transported to Antarctica and begin to spread. 
We call for protection of ice-free areas that will remain intact in a changing climate, and for the Antarctic scientific and tourism communities to pinpoint key areas where greater biosecurity and monitoring for invasive species may be needed.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jasmine-lee-171931" target="_blank">Jasmine Lee</a> is PhD candidate, biodiversity conservation and climate change, The University of Queensland.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justine-shaw-299755" target="_blank">Justine Shaw</a> is Conservation Biologist, The University of Queensland.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-fuller-169469" target="_blank">Richard Fuller</a> is Associate Professor in Biodiversity and Conservation, The University of Queensland.
All are authors for <a href="https://theconversation.com/au" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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