Simone

Ah, thanks!

So, the latest that it get's dark in the summer is 7.27. Which is quite early, oh well, will have to adjust (we are moving for something 'different' ) and get up earlier, but that is easier when it is light earlier (5.16)

Ah, and in winter the earliest it gets dark is 5.19, which is quite early, but not as early as the 4.27 here!(only 2 months to go till we have that again! )

MrsDagboy

If you want long summer evenings you really have to go live down south in Melb or Adelaide. Even with the benefit of daylight savings it is still dark in Brisbane by 8pm. Without it, you havent got a hope! Its dark by7pm. Thats what you get from living in tropical/subtropical climate - no twilight.

Simone

Nah, don't find it that important!

Am definetly going to Perth (lived there before, and have friends there). I'm quite sure I'll get used to it, just like I got used to the long evenings when we moved back to Holland 7 years ago. All of a sudden my bed time wasn't 9.30 (I was 14) but 11, cos I couldn't sleep with the light! ha ha!

Didn't seem to mind the short evenings when I lived in Oz for 9 years!
It's just another one of those little things you have to get used to when moving countries, I don't think this one'll be that hard though(I hope!).

owieb

Most things happen in the morning, you can go out 5:30am-6:00am and there will be loads of people out walking, swimming, surfing etc it's quite incredible.

Come 9:30pm everyone is tucked up in bed and the streets are quiet.

bondipom

Same round here.

Sunrise here is amazing. A great time to surf as the wind is offshore. There is a mini rush hour of joggers and power walkers.

PeteY

I'd certainly rather it light at 4.30am in the morning that light at 8.05am (London).

Here in the UK in Winter, i leave for work in the dark, work all day in an office, then go home.....in the dark. The sun does not currently exist for me during the week, and it won't again until about March. No, no wait....i'll be oz, never mind

I love the light in the mornings, you can get up and do all the things you would normally do in the evening. You also get the advantage of turning up at work being wide awake, not all dopey and bleary eyed.

Have you ever gone for a walk at 4 am? Its bliss. Noone around its all quiet, and as Meg says in oz the temperature is more bearable.

I will miss the long evenings however....

Cheers

Pete (up at 5, bed by 10)

Simone

Yeah, that's what I noticed too, people go to bed earlier and get up earlier, which is logical when you look at sunrise etc.

Maybe that's why my parents go to bed 'early' in comparison to others here, like my parents in law! Because they lived in Oz for 9 years! Gees, why didn't I realise that before!!
My parents go to bed around 10.30, sometimes even 10. My parents in law go around 11.30 or later.
Of course there's differences between people, but still, I think this explains it too!

lynnj

You want to try living in the north east of scotland, in winter it wont get light untill about 1030 and get dark again about 3pm, not much fun if you suffer from SAD, most days in december you have to have the lights on all day, mind you when june comes along it doesnt get dark, but then its still chilly.



Lynn

Nicstids

We had one amusing incident when we were staying at a B & B in Brisbane in April. We had got back from eating at a restaurant at about 9.30pm (incidentally couldn't belive how early they stopped serving meals in Oz) and I decided to put on a load of washing. (The B & B had a sparate laundry room.) I had just got the machine going when our hostess appeared at our bedroom door in her nightie demanding what on earth I was doing! Apparently it was absolutely not the done thing to put any washing on after 9pm because she was in bed!

I think we'll find this aspect of life in Oz very hard. We're definitely not early risers

Badge

I spent an entire year in Australia - and you know what - I never even NOTICED the differences in sun hours. The shorter summer days etc.

Until I came back and people pointed it out here on expats!

Might have been because Iwent from UK winter to Aus summer and therefore was used to short(er) days, and didn't expect anything. As Aussie winter approached, it got dark earlier as I knew it would do in any winter. By the time aussie summer arrived again, I had forgotten the whole thing.

badge

Simone

Yeah, that's probably why!
For our holiday in 2000, we went in July. So difference july Europe and july Perth was pretty big. But even then, you get used to it pretty quickly!

People from NE Scotland and Scandanavie might have to get used to it a bit more, but, it's all for the better I would think!

Ceri

welcome to Aus . Yes it is hard to find food (take aways or resturants/pub bistros) after 8pm here in Brisbane.I've never got used to this myself. Most places I know of stop serving food at 8pm, except for Mc donalds and such. As for early morning.. I'm up at 4am on weekdays and it's pretty quiet that time of morning, but I would like a decent sleep in on the weekends.

My street is always dead quiet at 9pm (in darkness) and it's also quiet at 4am... geeze these Aussies don't half sleep! weekends it's also quiet early morning. I don't find that the Aussies are early risers at all. Take surfers paradise. I have been on the beach fishing down there before now at 5, 6 am... it's dead quiet bar the odd lone surfer and walker. Come 8am, 9am it's busy with surfers and swimmers. Same goes for boating - hit the boat ramp at 4, 5 or 6 and it's quiet. come 8 and 9 it's busy. Best time to fish with out the crowds are in the night or very early morning at dawn... peaceful

Perhaps I'm living in cuckoo land that time of the morning but I don't find that most Aussies are early risers.

cheers

bondipom

I lived in Norway when I was young and in summer it did not go dark! The sun did set for a few hours. Must have driven parents mad as we were up very early in summer.

dotty

Does anybody else see the funny side in these posts, everyone in OZ (you know living there, experiencing it, putting up with it etc) agreed its a real bummer.

However Magically overnight everyone in the UK turned it into some great big plus, yeah yeah we all really believe your going to be thrilled with 4am starts, restaurants closing at 8pm and beddy bise at 9. Sure sure sure

You can pick it, everytime, its gonna happen!!

brisnick

i guess it depends on where you go. i never have problems finding food after 9pm in brisbane. just take a walk down the valley. fat boys serve until 5am. the place across the mall is 24 hours, a lot of the restaurants down central brunswick (the spanish bar, thai on brunswick, the brazillian touch, the chinese place, etc) are always open when i rock up around 10pm. was at a new farm curry place last night at 9.30pm. lat 27 on adelaide st in the city is still open after 9pm.

in fact, the only time i've seen a few places shut is on a monday.