Summer in Oz

It’s summer in the land down under. The big 2 months of summer have passed and it’s downhill from now on. But February and March will still be very warm and stay light into the early evening.

In January there are school holidays for primary and secondary students. So it is a time which parents take time off to go on vacation with their children. The Universities are also on break, young backpackers go on vacation around Australia or oversees.

January is a month filled with tennis; there are tournaments in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. They all lead up to the big one in Melbourne, the Melbourne Open which occurs mid to end of January. During the Melbourne Open there are many exciting matches, that take place during the day and night time. The night matches can sometimes last 3 to 5 hours and it is not uncommon to be watching tennis into the wee hours of the morning.

Summer is a time when clothing gets shorter and there is less of it. It’s not uncommon to see thongs worn by both males and females. No not the skimpy lower body garment, but good old plastic slippers.

It’s also a time for more BBQs, common items are sausages, steak and chicken skewers. Also common is Dim Sum done on the BBQ. Not so common is Shrimp (called Prawns down under) on the Barbie.

In holiday destinations like Noosa, Sydney or the Great Ocean Road in Victoria the beach is the place to be. Cooling down in the water, or surfing the waves with your body, a boogie board or surf board. Things to do on the beach include reading, sun bathing or playing beach cricket.

Summer is about enjoying the warm weather and the taking advantage of nature’s natural beauty – the beach, the water, the lush green foliage of parks and forests. Same as it is anywhere in the world, summer is a great time of year.