A Sydney resident shared about how Australians live during June, July, and August.
Answered by Sahand Mahmudian, Australian resident
European and North American summer in Australia is winter. No one has thought to rename July to January or celebrate Christmas at the end of June, but the season itself is still called winter there. And the winter months are June, July, and August. There’s a very simple explanation from school geography lessons: due to the Earth’s axial tilt, from June to August, the Southern Hemisphere is at its maximum distance from the sun. Therefore, it’s winter there. Winter is the coldest season of the year worldwide.
There’s a perception that Australia has summer, or rather summer warmth, all year round. But this isn’t true at all, at least not in all parts of the continent. For example, when on a July day it’s scorching hot in Darwin in northern Australia, ski resorts are open in Kosciuszko National Park in the southwest. So winter in Australia varies. And while Sydney experiences torrential rains with temperatures sometimes at +5 °C, in Brisbane, 1000 km north (closer to the equator), temperatures rarely drop below +25 °C.
An important point for those rushing to be outraged that only a spoiled person would consider +5 °C cold — it really is cold in Australia at such temperatures because houses don’t have central heating. In winter, life becomes a constant dash between heaters and hot air fans, and at night in bed, wool socks or a special electric blanket under the sheet provide salvation.
However, there are advantages. Australian winter is the most favorable time for traveling to the heart of the continent to Uluru Rock or the Northern Territory. In Darwin during this time, there are no poisonous jellyfish. Although crocodiles are still present, and swimming in the ocean is still not possible.
For those who continue to demand climatic clarity, we’ll ask you to imagine Australian winter like this: gusty winds, wall-like rains that turn into thunderstorms, and sun that warms the air to +10 °C. You’re all familiar with this. It’s exactly like a Scandinavian summer.
