Away from the Rain: Summer in Australia

How’s it going? No, tell you what. Let me guess. You have to start turning lights on at four o’clock in the afternoon because it’s too dingy outside to see. You’ve started wearing your hoodie with the hood up because your ears are too cold for you to worry about looking like you mug grannies. Coffee is no longer necessary to stay awake in the morning, it’s also there to prevent your blood actually freezing on the way into work, which you see through the swipe of windscreen wipers if you drive, or while trying to defeat your own umbrella in hand to hand combat if you go in on foot.

In short, it’s wet, it’s cold, it’s dark, and you can’t help but wish there was some sort of magical dimension that started to really warm up around November.

Well, it just so happens you’re in luck.

Yes, in Australia the weather is gradually shifting from merely “really nice all the time” to blazing, glorious sunshine every single day. You could be forgiven for wanting to sneak off there right now. If you do, here’s a few places worth checking out.

Bondi Beach, Sydney

It’s obvious we were going to start with a beach, isn’t it? During the summer Sydneyites waste no time getting down to the beach, and Bondi is one of the most impressive beaches on a continent famous for beaches. It’s a golden kilometre of sand where people from everyone walk of life in Sydney come out to mingle and enjoy the sun.

Here you can learn to surf, or take a more relaxing dip down at the rock pool. If you fancy a bit of a trek you can even enjoy a walk along clifftop trail from Bondi to Bronte beach, which will treat you to some spectacular views.

Alternatively, you can just laze about on the sand, getting a bite to eat from Campbell Parade or enjoy the cornucopia of off-beach dining available down Hall Street. There’s also some great boutique shopping to be found in the backstreets around here, as well as the option of watching people take a tumble on the waterslide or kids pulling off acrobatic tips down at Bondi Skate Park. Among backpackers this is the place to come for Christmas day, and the surreal sight of people partying in Santa hats and swimming costumes is an annual spectacle here. The new year’s eve beach party is a thing to behold as well.

Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne

Of course the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne is legendary, so mentioning one without the other here would probably get us some complaints. Fortunately the Mornington Peninsula an hour’s drive from Melbourne is another great place to relax during the summer months.

A bit more chilled out than Bondi, Mornington Peninsula is home to idyllic seaside villages, golf courses and day spas. While surfing down here is an option, at this time of year snapper season is just starting up so you might prefer to charter a boat (or just sit out on the pier) and do a bit of fishing.

To get a bit closer to fish, check out Port Philip Heads, a marine park where you can go scuba diving, exploring coral reefs or even submerged First World War submarines. Alternatively, you can go and swim with dolphins, or enjoy the cosmopolitan cafes of Portsea.

There’s also plenty in the way of scenic walking. You can stroll through Mornington Peninsula National Park, with staggering cliff-top views of the coast, or follow the Bushrangers Pay Trail all the way to Cape Schanck Lighthouse, with plenty of thriving rockpools along the way. Alternatively explore the Fort Nepean Walk, which will take you to the labyrinthine tunnels that guard Port Philip Bay.

The summer sees the Mornington Peninsula, relaxed as it is, become a hive of activity, with a series of boat racing events all taking place here, and the Briars Park Jazz Festival and Coolart Jazz Festival giving you plenty to do in the evenings.

Swan Valley, Peth

If there’s one thing Australia is famous for that isn’t beaches or poisonous insects, it’s its wine. In Western Australia, that winemaking began in Swan Valley, when Italian and Croation immigrants came here in the 1920s. If you come down here yourself there’s good odds you could end up talking to their grandchildren.

This land is rife with over 40 wineries many of them run by families, and offering alfresco vineyard restaurants, as well as some really great park land for picnics. The colonial village of Guildford offers a great pace to explore, with an impressive market in antiques and art, as well as heritage-listed accommodation where you can sleep it all off.

Of course booze isn’t everything. There’s chocolate as well, as the local chocolate factor is a great place to stock up on hand-made truffles!

Tasmanian Taste Festival, Hobart

I know what you think, and you’re right- that all started to make me feel a bit hungry too. Well to really spoil your palate, the place to go is the island of Tasmania, where every new year hundred of thousands of visitors turn up for a week of truly, properly stuffing themselves silly.

Hobart’s annual food and drink festival plays host to over 70 different food and beverage stalls, as well art exhibitions and performances, so you can have some entertainments while you eat.

First and foremost, the Tasmanian Taste Festival is about the local produce. The Bruny Island cheese and berries from Bicheno and of course, the fish- so much fish. Tasmanian seafood includes salmon, great west coast crabs, scallops, blue fin tuna and oysters. Then wash it down with cool-climate wine, local champagne, peat-distilled malt whiskeys and a range of local beers. Then there are passed stuffed with organic veg, and all sorts of locally made jams, relishes and pickles.

Something for Everyone

Whatever your tastes, summer in Australia probably has something for you. Or, you know, you could stay home. Good luck on the way home- don’t forget your umbrella!

By Chris Farnell