It’s often said that Melbourne can have, and does have, four seasons in one day, but it may increasingly be true that the Victorian capital is not alone in that regard.
Recent evidence suggests that vast swathes of Australia is capable of having four seasons in one … or possibly two … days.
Heatwaves, heavy rains, and then plunging temperatures are all part of the grey nomad lifestyle … but not normally at the same campsite in the same stay.
But a sudden and dramatic cold front that has been sweeping across the south-east of the country is serving as a chilly reminder to travellers to expect the unexpected.
Brrrrrr! Is it time for grey noamds to head north? PIC: Cizza
In Tassie, snow has fallen across many elevated parts of the state as temperatures plummet. Ben Lomond in the Northern Midlands was forecast to reach a maximum of just five degrees yesterday.
But it’s not just the cold, it’s the abruptness of the change in weather which is challenging for grey nomads.
Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology told the Guardian newspaper that temperatures had dropped by 10C and 15C in parts of the southern states. Melbourne surpassed 28C on Tuesday but struggled to reach 18C yesterday.
The meteorologist said the cooler temperatures would stick around for the next few days, and be below average across almost all of New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.
“It’s a bit of a reminder that we are moving away from those summer months,” Mr Hines told the Guardian. “It’s deeply into autumn now.”
He said that although the country was moving towards a stretch of cooler weather, warmer days were likely to pop up over the end of March and possibly throughout April.
In other words, grey nomads in the south should be ready to use either the air conditioning or the heater on any given day, and to glance outside the van every morning before deciding whether to put on their jumpers or singlets.
But veteran traveller, Cynthia Kay, who is currently on the NSW Mid North Coast, has a better plan.
“Time to turbo-charge my ‘head north’ schedule,” she said. “I’m a great believer in always being warm on the Big Lap, if you possibly can.”
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Yep heading North after Easter.
we have just arrived in SA these last 2 weeks and had 4 deg in Kingston.
Now in port Lincoln and down to 11 in the morning and the wind hasten stopped.
A local told me they didn’t really get a summer so to speak.
Cold and wind do my head in when it’s suppose to be warm, Qld and NT on the radar.
SA is beautiful state with water views a little like Tasmania and the people are so friendly and helpful , so guys it’s only the weather that’s moving us on