Heard Island was proclaimed an Australian Territory on 26 December 1947. Heard Island Station was established as a scientific base by ANARE in December 1947 and was closed in March 1955, following the establishment of Mawson Station on the Antarctic mainland.

A Geophysical Observatory was established at Heard Island by the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics in early 1951, and was operative by 24 April 1951. The observatory made its final recording on 30 October 1954. Its main functions were:
- the collection and distribution of basic data in the disciplines of geomagnetism and seismology,
- the application of the data to investigations of local and regional phenomena.

The primary products of the observatory were analogue recordings of changes in the geomagnetic field (Magnetograms) and earthquake waves (Seismograms).

Historical agency address

Approximately 2500 miles south-west of Fremantle, WA

Superior agency unregistered

Dec 1947-Jan 1949: Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions
                   (ANARE), Executive Planning Committee