Last night, I sat outside with a cold beer and a couple of barbecued veggie snags and Portabello mushrooms. A cool breeze was blowing down the heat of the day, and a loud chorus of clicking cicadas and singing lorikeets made it difficult for quiet conversation. I felt a lift in my spirit as I realised summer had finally arrived.
Australia is in the southern hemisphere and summer runs from the 1st December – 28th February. So when it is winter and freezing cold in the northern hemisphere (Europe/North America), you could be enjoying sun, beaches and a whole lot more Down Under.
If you can handle the heat, Aussie summers are full of activity and fun; it’s hard to find a better place to experience summer in the world.
But just what makes Aussie summers so great? Let me convince you.
1. The Weather
During summer, average temperatures range from 18 – 25°C (65 – 78°F) and Australian’s love spending time outdoors. We have the climate to do so. Once summer arrives, the numbers of active people out and about quadruples.
No one wants to stay inside and miss the warm summer rays. In the US, I found most people running for their air-conditioners come summer time. Not Aussies- you’ll never meet a more disappointed person than an Australian who is forced to be inside on a hot summers day.
2. The Beaches
What better way to spend a summer’s day than at the beach? With miles of coastline and most Australian’s living near the beach, you won’t have to go too far to find a place to surf, swim, play Frisbee or beach cricket and relax the day away.
Australian beaches are usually crowded long into the twilight hours. As the sun sets it is a great place to have a picnic dinner or eat some take away fish and chips. After traveling through many countries around the world, and swimming at many fine beaches, I would have to say that Australia has the best beaches in the world.
It’s not just one or two that are great, pretty much every beach is really scenically pretty to look at, most still retaining their natural scenic charm. Plan a east coast Australia road trip and visit the Gold Coast to see some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet!
3. The Sounds
The sounds of summer are very prevalent and unmistakable in Australia. Every evening, when we lived at Mooloolaba, Queensland, we would go for a walk along the beach.
The Norfolk Pine trees were completely covered in Lorikeets and their deafening chirps and squeaks could be heard all along the promenade. Bats now fly over in groups every evening screeching and causing a mayhem of noise. Cicadas have the loudest song in the insect world, it is a mating call sung by the males which is caused by the double clicking of their wings.
Every night in Australia, there are thousands of cicadas getting lucky as their orgasmic noise is thunderous. Most Australians won’t even notice these sounds anymore, they are so used to it blending in as a normal part of every day. It is only when you stop to pay attention you realize just how noisy an Australian summer is.
4. Cricket
Whether you like or not, cricket is a big part of an Australian summer. I just have to hear it in the background on the TV and I feel summer. At the moment the legendary battle between Australia and the Poms is on for the Ashes.
The Balmy Army have infiltrated our lands in the hopes of an English victory. Australian’s around the country are glued to TV screens, wherever they can find one, in the hopes that we can smash the Motherland once more.
There’s nothing an Aussie likes more than beating a Pom. Attending a live cricket match, especially the one-dayers, is an awesome Aussie cultural day out.
5. Festivals
There are no shortage of festivals come summer time in Australia. Just the other night, I heard of a new 4 day New Years music festival in the Peats Ridge Valley not far from where I live.
There are hugely popular Australia festivals such as Big Day Out, Homebake, Byron Bay blues Festivals, and then there are many less known but just as good smaller ones in the more rural areas.
Check you where you are for festivals that are on in your area. Festivals are a perfect way to enjoy an Aussie summer.
6. Barbies
Part of loving getting outdoors means having lots of Barbies. You would have to be walking around blindfolded to not find a barbie you can attend. Barbies are a real casual affair done in a mates backyard, or down the beach.
You don’t have to fear that your bank balance will run dry by hosting one either. It is an Aussie tradition that you bring your own meat or a plate (not an eating plate, but food to share) to a barbie, and definitely don’t forget your own beers.
Barbies are usually drawn out affairs, beginning in the afternoon, and running into the evenings. Have plenty of snacks on hand, because the food usually takes a long time to cook due to all the drinking and gas bagging going on.
7. Christmas Parties
Christmas in Australia is special, it’s summer, it’s the end of the school year, lots of businesses close down over the Christmas break, and there are a ton of parties going on. Summer is a very festive season because of all of these things.
A common topic of conversation at this time of the year are work Christmas parties. I was really disappointed with the state of Christmas parties at my work places in different countries around the world. They just didn’t cut it. Either they were non-existent or just really boring.
Australian’s go all out with their Christmas parties. They are always a big event. It won’t just be Christmas work parties either, there will be drinking parties going on with your mates, and prepare for Christmas Eve to be a major event.
8. Beer Gardens
Every pub will have one. And if you are not sitting on the verandah of a mate’s house having a few beers at the barbie, you will be sitting in a beer garden enjoying a divine summers evening. It doesn’t matter how hot it is, the beer gardens will be full of people celebrating another glorious Aussie summer’s Day.
Plan a Summer Trip Down Under
So have I connived you? I hope so! Now go check out the following pages which will help book your trip:
• Find cheap flights to Australia
• How to work in Australia
• Australia 1 month budget and costs