My family doesn't do things by halves. When we move we move far! For example the first move that I can remember was us moving from South Africa to Warren, NSW, Australia! After this we moved to south east South Australia and I am now semi-settled in Townsville North Queensland.
This means that I have experienced almost all the different climate zones and come across some of the extremes that Australian weather has to offer.
Our biggest inter-state move was from the southern tip of Australia (Naracoorte, SA) to the northern tip (Townsville, QLD)! This does not only involve an approximate 4 day drive (which we did in 3 weeks instead) but it meant shifting from an area that had roughly 9 months of winter a year to a place that only has about 1 week of winter a year!
In Naracoorte, SA I spent many cold blustery nights on the couch or on my bean bag in front of the fire listening to the pounding rain on our old tin roof (I preferred this to watching the AFL). Not surprisingly, this is what I miss the most about the southern areas of Australia. Especially when I am sitting in the sun in Townsville when it is 35 degrees outside with over 80% humidity! So in my first year in Townsville I would often laugh at my friends when they started pulling on their jumpers as soon as the temperature dropped below 25 degrees, so you can imagine my shame when I did the same the following year!! However, I still remain strong on my opinion that a Townsville winter isn't a real winter, that Townsville doesn't actually run in 4 full seasons but rather goes from summer to summer to autumn then straight back to summer.
That is why I plan my trips to Bathurst to be during the June/July holiday, right in the middle of winter! My fellow Townsvillians call me mad and insane and some go as far as saying suicidal but to me it means that I actually get a real winter! And besides, I love the cold! I love all the things that come with being cold! I love stepping out of the house and getting that biting cold feeling and the fresh breeze in my face. I love it when, after just a few minutes outside, the tip of my nose, fingers and ears go just a little bit numb! But most of all I love getting rugged up in warm fluffy jumpers and jackets, I love snuggling in under a mountain of blankets at night and watching TV with slippers, a doona and a cup of hot coffee.
Of course I wouldn't like it to be like that all the time, but I do like the thought of having 4 full seasons. I still love Townsville and for now it is very much home in my heart, but who knows, maybe the call of winter will draw me back south one day....
6 comments:
Townsville definitely has Winter, and for more than a week. (I know what winter is!! I've spent several holidays in the snow!) If it gets below 10 degrees, that counts as winter, and seeing as we've had SEVERAL nights already that have dropped below 10 degrees and it's not even July yet, it's winter.
I will readily agree that it is not the same winter Mexicans experience (Mexican - south of the border - NSW/VIC). But it is still definitely winter.
Seeing as winter this year started out so warm, I was kinda glad for some cold. My general opinion is that I love cold, but only for short periods- ie. I love visiting NSW or VIC in winter for 2 or 3 weeks, but no more. And, because I love the heat, and being able to spend time outdoors and in the water, that makes Townsville excellent.
This morning, however, I changed my mind, declaring to Andre that I hate the cold. I didn't get out of bed til he brought me (his) dressing gown (lol, I don't have one), and after spending thirty seconds deciding which was colder, the timber floor or tiles, I went and found my ugg boots.
I kinda got over it once my metabolism started up and warmed my body a bit, but the thing about southern winters is that those people have things like heaters and heavy curtains, so it's really NOT THAT COLD indoors! And by the time you've gone outdoors, you're all rugged up, and can enjoy the icy cold with the limited surface area of your skin that is exposed!
As for Townsville seasons, yes, we have two seasons- maybe three- but not like far northern Australia, especially the Top End (northern Northern Territory)- whose two seasons are wet and dry!
Actually, come to think of it, I would say we have 4 seasons, but not like down south. We have a much longer summer, a short but warm autumn (not as sweltering as summer, but no need for jumpers or ugg boots), a brief winter, and then spring is much like autumn- no need for jumpers and ugg boots, but not as sweltering as summer. Maybe our autumn and spring are the same? And then summer again. So 3 seasons perhaps.
In summary, hooray for short winters. We have the fun of cold without having to suffer in misery for too long. And if we want a real winter, go on holiday. At least we're not stuck in it. ^_^
and hooray for long comments.
:P
I'm fairly certain Townsville only had one season, Liquefyingly-Hot. :>
Come visit us next Winter (or Summer), and you'll have all the heavy blankets you could want!
Townsville has hot and slighter cooler seasons. Or "wet and dry" as my Dad calls it.
James has a blog too: http://onegodoneloveoneway.blogspot.com/
Talia: Townsville doesn't have true wet & dry seasons. I mean, we do to a certain degree, but if you want a place whose seasons really run on the amount of rainfall they get (ie. wet VS dry), you need to go further north.
Matthew S- you can't have spent a winter up here then :P It's absolutely beautiful... it's why all the southerners come up here during winter :P
uh leah, actually Matt lived in Townsville for a whole year and exprenienced both winter and summer. However to be fair he comes from Canada and our winter is still warmer than his summer so we will forgive him for not enjoying the beauty that is a Townsville winter. and yes I know that I kinda just contradicted myself no need to point it out.....
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