Iceberg 'halfway to Australia'

A large iceberg has been spotted off an island about halfway between Antarctica and Australia, a rare sight in waters so far north.

Australian Antarctic Division researchers working on Macquarie Island, about 1500km southeast of Tasmania, first saw the iceberg last Thursday about 8km off the northwest coast of the island.

The iceberg, about 50m high and 500m long, is probably part of one of several larger icebergs that broke off Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf between 2000 and 2002, Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist Neal Young said.

Several icebergs have been drifting slowly northward with the ocean current toward the island over the past year, but it is uncommon for them to move so far into warmer northern waters, he said.

The scientists believe the iceberg will break up and melt rapidly as it continues its journey north