Whingin Pom

Went to bed last night hoping for snow, it was getting colder and with all the rain we have had in the last few weeks you would think that it would come down as the white stuff.

Woke up this morning hoping for snow, would you believe it not a cloud in the sky, what a let down.

Oh well at least its dry, maybe I can enjoy the sunshine if I can stand the cold.

lizzie

We've got snow! Better than having floods but had trouble starting the car this morning. Got so fed up rang Trailfinders to find out the cost of flights to NZ in Feb/Mar - dont think I can wait to sell the house, I need some sun!

Lizzie (having trouble typing my fingers are so cold!)

mashiraz

More like a very severe frost here and a frozen layer on the car. Lokely bright day otherwise. Better than drizzle
Mash..

tanderra

IF you want snow, you can came and help dig us out. So far we have had 20inches and it still hasn't stopped. Anyone that is bored with the sun, I'll swap. It took me over an hour to dig the driveway out yesterday and then the snowcleaner went down the street leaving 2 and half feet of heavy icy snow in front of the driveway, which I then had to move.

No, I don't think I can honestly say that I will miss the snow.

:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:

springflower

Hi

We have a covering of snow, nice to look out of the window but not very nice out in it. My boys think its great as usual.

Does make you wish you were in aussie doesnt it!

Oh well looks like the wellies, gloves hat and scarves will be getting an airing as usual.

Just need a little more to make the jolly snowman!

wizzywozza

You do know, of course, that it does snow in some parts of Australia. It can, and does get very cold. It's not all sun, sand, warmth and eeeerrrr ummmmmm suntans??

Australia has huge snowfields that rival some of Europes best skiing resorts. So remember to bring your winter clobber, hats, scarves, gloves and thermals - you might just need it!

captaincook

also not to forget that after living here for a few years your body adjusts to the climate. So winters may be 20 c but you still feel as though you are freezing.

First year in Qld we were wearing t-shirts and shorts in the winter (Jun to Aug) whilst locals had coats and scarves. We thought they were mad. Now 4 years later we wear the same in the winter. Going down to Sydney or Melbourne anytime of the year we have to pack fleeces etc as we feel the cold.

Temps are relative. Would love some snow though !

Stan J

Cycling through the streets of Brisbane I pulled up to turn right and found myself behind a Ute (a Pickup) packed to the gunnels with snow. Heading for Southbank Parklands no doubt.

Herman

Thats right. We have lived in Sydney for a couple of years and have just returned from a christmas trip around Victoria in a camper van. On our first day in Melbourne we had to rug up in jumpers and long trousers as it felt freezing to us. It was 22 degrees c and sunny, and the locals were in shorts and t-shirts! We experienced every kind of weather you can imagine during the trip around Victoria. We had 40 degree heat with 25 degrees at night and 2 days later 12 degrees and 3 degrees at night. We had huge relentless rainstorms, hot parched windy days and cool still days. All this in a 10 day trip - its not all sun and warmth here you know! My wife and I prefer the UK weather. Australian weather is harsh, really really harsh, but I'll leave that for all you in fantasy land to find out!

mashiraz

Tell us about the trip Herman, what did you see? Highlights and low lights please!

We drove along Great Ocean road a few years back and it was sooo windy at the 12 apostles, the sea was mighty, however it was awesome. That night it pelted it down and we were definitely in big jumpers. (early May)

Mash..

Herman

We did a day in Melbourne at the start for a bit of a look around. Then we collected the campervan (Britz - quite expensive but we had no problems with them) and spent a few days taking in all the sights on the Great Ocean road, which was very pretty (and very windy!). Thought the 12 apostles viewing area was somewhat touristy and extremely crowded though. Highlight was Appollo Bay - lovely rolling hills and country side on one side and stunning beaches on the other (on which we got very close to a friendly seal).
We got as far as Port Fairy and then headed North through the volcanic region of Eccles National Park and up into the Grampians. It was too hot and too many flies for us to really enjoy Eccles National Park - its not a lot of fun walking around in 40 degree heat with dozens of persistent flies trying to enter you by every orafice. The Grampians were very beautiful and we would have liked the time to do a couple of days hiking but unfortunately could'nt spare it. Some great lookouts up there and equal to the Blue Mountains outside Sydney. We got very very wet though as it rained constantly and was gripped by a monster storm during our night there.
Next we headed East to Ballarat and then south towards some lakes we spotted on the map. The drive to Ballarat and Southwards was pretty uninspiring through relentless drought stricken brown agricultural land, through a region constantly blasted by hot Southerlies, with the occasional small rural town full of bored looking locals. Eventually we ended up at a little place called Colac, which has Victoria's largest freshwater lake, and nearby a huge saltwater lake called Lake Corangamite. This area was lovely, with rolling hills, lots black volcanic craters and lakes everywhere. Also very few tourists - mainly people from Geelong on fishing trips. We sampled a few good local wines and did a spot of fishing on the lake. The weather took a turn for the worst on the second day there and we spent new years eve drinking champagne and sheltering from the cold and rain in our campervan next to Lake Colac.
After this we headed to the city of Geelong, which was so dull and wet that we ended up in the cinema (Lord of the Rings, good movie!).
Next we went to Queenscliff in Port Phillip Bay, which was quite a nice little town with a pier full of squid fisherman catching millions of the things. Here we caught the car ferry across to Sorrento on the Morninigton Peninsula. We drove up the east side of the Mornington Peninsula for a day, which was extremely beautiful (Cornish type countryside but with blue water beaches not the Cornish brown pollution soup). It was much less crowded than we expected since the West coast of the Mornington peninsula was abolutely crammed with holiday parks, people and cars. We stopped for coffee in a small town called Flinders, which was really lovely and highly recommended if you are looking for a romantic weekend getaway close to Melbourne.
Then finally back to Melbourne for a couple of days (recommend the casino and Little Italy for home made Italian gelato).
Thats it. We had a lot of fun, saw a lot of sights but were glad to get back to Sydney. Victoria is a big state, with seemingly unending miles of agricultural land with occasional small towns, lots and lots of flies, every type of weather you can imagine, the occasional unexpected gem of a place and well worth a road trip. Would'nt want to live there though!

mashiraz

Thanks, just what I needed....

We tracked further up the coast, turned inland to see the Blue Lake at Mount Gambier but one of the highlights for me was staying at the Red Lobster Inn in Kingston SE (small fishing town) next a huge red lobster (apparently famous and have a photo somewhere to prove it!)

We then went further along the Coorong, very tranquil, nobody about at all (suddently felt very vunerable there!) and to Murray Bridge, nice place... ending up in Adelaide.

One place near melbourne we really enjoyed was a rainforest boardwalk and coastal views around Ottoway National park, near your Apollo Bay, reminded me a bit of the Corniche on the Cote d'azure South France. Lots of caves and waterfalls we didn't get to see though..

Its brought back all the memories.
Mash..

Twofingersalute

Absolutely-Melbourne is one of the most changeable climates in the world-when we arrived in April the weather was great then in SUDDENLY changed and winter hit! The winter went on and on and on till the next December! it is much COLDER than u would imagine-it has sleet hail constant rain and gets quite cold at night-u go to the beach about twice/three times a year-thats not if you blown away by the heat of 42 degrees C-114 F in the summer-then the wind goes S/Westerly and plummets to 19C/19C the next day!!!and then creeps up to high 30's again-thats melbourne's summer! slip slop crap

Whingin Pom

Hey that sounds it realy scr*?!s you about.

Remind me to be thankful that its damp, miserable, grey,wet, windy, achy, miserable again, and then for two or three days you get sunshine inbetween the rain.

Thank god you can rely on it being mundane.

Twofingersalute

yeah I know englands weather is terrible-but this is Summer! its not like home and away-go to te beach etc-in fact its TOO SIMILIAR!