Stretch of beach at Miami, Queensland along Australia’s Gold Coast. Photo © Rod L., licensed Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike.
Australia: the land down under, where things are different—mostly upside down and the wrong way around. The seasons, for example; spring is in October, Christmas is in midsummer, fall is in April, and winter is in July—you get the idea. The school terms are also inside out; the academic year starts in February and ends in December. Confusing, right? …despite the daffodils and cherry blossoms in September, Christmas is still Christmas…The nice thing is that spring follows winter, whichever way you look at it, and despite the daffodils and cherry blossoms in September, Christmas is still Christmas, complete with a big ham or turkey with all the trimmings, as it’s supposed to be, with the exception that it takes place in the garden and cooking is often done at night because it is simply too hot to have the oven on in the daytime; additionally there is always some seafood.But even Australians, being used to it, know that there is something odd about celebrating in the summer. It is simply a more authentic atmosphere when it is cold and preferably snowing. So, what do they do? They celebrate Christmas in July. There even are decorations up in some places.
What else is the wrong way around? Driving on the left, for example, and the lay of the land. In the northern hemisphere, it gets colder the farther north you go. Here the hottest places are in the north, inching close to the equator. When you are looking for a house, make sure you have north-facing windows, rather than south, because it’s all the other way around down here. Everything is simply upside down. Even the stars at night are upside down, but amazingly plentiful and clear.
Excerpted from the Second Edition of Moon Living Abroad in Australia.
