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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Australia - What I've Learned So Far (Part 4)

This is an on-going series documenting things I discover while in this country. Interesting facts, cultural differences, little quirks. It's all here.

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In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. According to the Australian Government page, it goes a little something like this:

Summer: December to February
Autumn: March to May
Winter: June to August
Spring: September to November

Coming over in January, we knew we'd be leaving the cold Canadian winter and heading straight into the hot Australian summer. However, we weren't entirely prepared for the wet season or the cold season. Yes, we brought along our sweaters (jumpers) and some jackets but unlike North American homes, here, places are designed to keep the heat out and there's no such thing as central heating.

We knew all that in our heads but we were used to living in an overly heated apartment, where even when we turned the thermostat down to "low" we'd be walking around in shorts and t-shirts. So when the temperatures dipped down to 8 degrees the other day, I was a little caught off-guard.

Usually, when the sun is out, the temperatures will still reach the low to mid-twenties. Then, as the sun sets and through the night, it goes down to around 10 degrees. This makes deciding what to wear a little difficult. At first, we were bundling up in the morning, only to find ourselves sweating buckets by lunch time. Now, we try to dress in comfortable layers and keep sweaters for the boys in the car.

Inside our place though, it stays relatively cool throughout the day. Kind of makes me wish for my down duvet and winter gear! Who would have thought I'd be wishing for those things in Australia? I'm kind of excited to see how much colder it'll get as the season progresses. Maybe it'll justify my buying a certain pair of boots. Or two.

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Previously in this series:
Australia - What I've Learned (Part 1: Obvious Differences)
Australia - What I've Learned (Part 2: Eating Out)
Australia - What I've Learned (Part 3: Bugs)

1 comment:

  1. I have LOVED browsing through your "Australia" posts! We have recently moved to Australia as well, though not from as far away as you - we've just popped over from NZ. Great reading!

    ReplyDelete

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