Canberra has been, well, cold lately. It’s July, and spring is at least two months away. We live in the mountains, so you need to get used to it.
Today was one of those cold, crisp, clear mornings - I love them, and talking to my colleague Pippa (fairly newly arrived from Cambridge, England), she loves them too. Cool.
Hints for new Canberrans about the cold:
- First frost is usually around Anzac Day (April 25) - this year it was later.
- It is going to be cold here until October. It is like that every year.
- Watch out for black ice on the road. Very slippery nasty stuff.
- Don’t plant tomatoes and basil until at least the long weekend in October. Canberra’s plant nurseries sell thousands of tomatoes to the same idiots every year who plant them unprotected during the first warm weekend in August/September. Don’t get caught unless you are prepared to cover those frost-sensitive plants in their own little glasshouses.
- Put an umbrella in your car boot, and never go anywhere for very long without a decently wind-proof jacket. This is not the Arctic, but it does get cold quickly. Seriously.
- Have a break - a week up the coast somewhere (or Uluru, or Bali) will do you the world of good. The cold can get oppressive, and you need to keep a check on your mental health.
I like the seasons here - they are really in your face. Canberra Summers are hot - often 40 degrees Celsius plus hot - and Autumn has to be seen to be believed. What this means is that Winter is, well, cold. And it is OK if you can’t stand the cold - there is no shame in getting out of the freezer 
0 Responses to “Surviving the Canberra Cold”