Its the beginning of March and we are in Melbourne
The weather turned today, although that should not have surprised us. Melbourne’s familiar claim to offer “four seasons in one day” may sound like a convenient excuse, but there is some truth behind it. Cooler temperatures arrived, accompanied by a light drizzle that lingered for much of the day.
Melbourne sits between the hot, dry interior of Australia and the much colder Southern Ocean. It is also exposed to strong westerly winds, which can carry cold fronts and low-pressure systems across the city remarkably quickly. Sunshine can therefore give way to cloud, wind and rain within a matter of minutes—a meteorological explanation for the city’s famously restless weather.
We spent part of the day looking around the apartment in Box Hill, found somewhere nearby for lunch and then made the rather more emotional journey to the airport to say goodbye. We are now staying with friends in Doncaster East, where the landscape is surprisingly hilly. My legs may have something to say about that before we leave.
By evening, however, the rain was beginning to ease. Melbourne had made its point, but it looked as though we might survive the weather after all.