She escaped the humidity by flying down to Perth in (March to May). This, she decided, was the reward. The blistering summer heat had finally broken. The evenings had a crispness to them, a hint of cool that made campfires taste better. She walked along Cottesloe Beach as the sun set, painting the Indian Ocean in shades of gold and orange. The sea was still warm from the summer, but the air was gentle. It felt like the whole country was letting out a long, slow, satisfied breath.
Her first stop was Melbourne in (October to November). The guidebooks called it "unpredictable." Priya called it a personality disorder. She left her hostel under a brilliant blue sky, wearing shorts, only to be pelted by hailstones an hour later. She bought a puffer jacket, then stripped down to a t-shirt when the sun re-emerged, all before lunch. A local café owner shrugged. "If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes." She learned to dress in seven layers, like an onion, and to always, always carry a compact umbrella. australia weather seasons
Finally, she drove down to the Snowy Mountains in June for (June to August). After months of sweating, she finally unpacked those boots. She had expected a mild, grey drizzle—but instead found a sharp, dazzling cold. Frost sparkled on the grass. The air was so clear and still it felt like crystal. She learned that "Australian winter" meant snow in the alpine regions, but also meant "sunny and 18 degrees" in Brisbane. It meant whale migrations up the east coast. It meant bonfires on the beach in Byron Bay while wearing a beanie. She escaped the humidity by flying down to
Her Uber driver, a sun-leathered man named Baz, laughed so hard he nearly missed the airport exit. "Love, it's almost summer here," he said, pointing to a billboard advertising Christmas barbecues. "You've got the seasons all back-to-front." The evenings had a crispness to them, a
As her plane took off from Melbourne one last time (in September—which felt like spring, winter, and summer all at once), she smiled at the woman next to her, who was nervously clutching a parka.
By the time her visa was up, Priya had one rule: never trust the calendar. December might be a furnace, and July might be a perfect, sunny day for a swim.