A team on a six-week mission to dig out one of Mawson's Huts in Antarctica has cleared the last of the snow and ice from the building, revealing artefacts more than 100 years old.

Key points: Expedition to clear last of the snow from one of Mawson's Huts finishes up

Expedition to clear last of the snow from one of Mawson's Huts finishes up Team removed about 35 cubic metres of ice

Team removed about 35 cubic metres of ice Objects found inside go a long way towards telling the story of the former occupants

The group has just returned from a mission to Cape Denison in Antarctica as part of the Antarctic Division and Mawson's Hut Foundation's program.

Chainsaws were used to clear thick ice from inside Mawson and his team's main living quarters, uncovering wooden buckets, food cans and balaclavas.

The leader of the expedition, Marty Passingham from the Mawson's Huts Foundation, said the expedition was mainly about removing the last of the ice that had found its way inside the hut.

An expedition has cleared the huts of the last of the snow. ( Supplied by David Killick )

"It's the first time for a long, long time that we've been able to walk in and get a proper and true sense of how the building was when the AAE expedition was there and living in it, and also the artefacts that we have pulled out help tell the story," he said.

"It's full of amazing things."

Dr Ian Godfrey (chief conservator, deputy leader) clears snow away from inside the hut ( Supplied by David Killick )

Mr Passingham said in previous expeditions the ice build-up inside the hut was from the roof to the floor.

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"It's large amounts of ice that have accumulated... the scale of that can happen quite quickly," he said.

"What we're left with was about half-a-metre of ice from the floor up, which had been there for quite some time."

He said it was not until he and his team were ready to say that ice was no longer entering the hut, that they were able to remove the final layer.

"In the late 2000s there was a new roof put on it and we've been monitoring it," he said.

Michelle Berry (conservator) stands inside one of the Mawson's Huts, finally cleared of snow ( Supplied by David Killick )

"That layer was probably the most intensive work-wise to move, we used good old-fashioned geo-picks, it was all done by hand, meticulously, right down to the floor level."

He estimated they had removed about 35 cubic metres of ice.

Mr Passingham said the team uncovered a wide range of artefacts, ranging from clothing to food.

"Such as balaclavas, some old-style woollen underwear, there's some jackets hanging around; we uncovered a bowl that had dehydrated peas in it that was sitting on the kitchen," he said.

"All of this really does paint a picture, or tell the story that when the ship turned up to pick them up, they literally did just drop what they were doing, grab their essential personal things and just head on out of there.

Artefacts from early 1900s found in Mawson's Huts ( Supplied by David Killick )

"So to find that is a great experience for us and for everyone, really."

He said it went a long way towards telling the story of the former occupants.

"There's hob-nail boots on the floor, there's still books on shelves, there's candles and boxes of matches sitting beside them, so we've very carefully chipped the ice around all of those, and left them in situ, exactly where they were," Mr Passingham said.

He said there were still remnants of broken glass plates in the corner of the famous photographer, Frank Hurley's dark room.

Surprisingly the findings revealed that not much had changed between life in Antarctica then and now.

Dr Ian Godfrey (chief conservator, deputy leader) holds clothing found inside the hut ( Supplied by David Killick )

Mr Passingham said we may now have modern equipment and clothing, but the Mawson's Hut occupants had enough acetylene plant to give them lighting, as well as a large engine with an AC and DC generator.

"So you know, 100 years has gone by and I think we probably, due to modern technology, we probably do do it a bit easier, but essentially it's the same elements that you have to put up with, it's all the same problems," Mr Passingham said.

"And you know, if we have a blizzard, just like they would, you have to go around and assess all our equipment and see what condition it's in after something like that, and clean up, and just like they would have had to.

"So I'd say yep, there are some changes, but essentially it would remain relatively the same: a fairly harsh place to exist."