A short drive north of the city (along the Brooker Highway, turn right at Risdon Road and right again on to Queens Walk) brings you to Hobart's main cemetery at Cornelian Bay, a place with a special connection to French Antarctic history.

The vessels of Dumont d'Urville's French Antarctic Expedition of 1837-1840, Astrolabe and Zelee, anchored in the Derwent in December 1839 mid-way through their circumnavigation of Antarctica. But the expedition was plagued with scurvy and dysentery. Around the time the ships were in Hobart, 29 members of the expedition died and were buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery. When that was closed the remains were transferred to Cornelian Bay.

Dumont d'Urville's discovery of Antarctic land in 1840 was the start of a long association between Hobart and France, which claimed Adelie Land as its territory and set up a base there after World War II, serviced out of Hobart. In the late 1940s French Antarctic expeditioners built a marble edifice over the sailors' remains at Cornelian Bay, listing the men's names. Nearby a commemorative rose garden is maintained.

If you have a fast broadband internet connection, you can also view the media-rich version of this Pathways site, which includes an audio narrative and slideshow.