Toughen up Canberra. You think this is hot? Anyone who has spent a summer in outback Australia reckons you're soft.
All the talk today about closing venues, quitting work or school and cancelling sport suggests a pampered class like the stereotype many regional Australians have of the capital.
It's all relative, of course, and the weather is hotter than usual. But with climate change a reality we'd all better get used to it.
Authorities issued health warnings last week when the temperature was forecast to reach 37 degrees. It didn't get that high and this week is hotter.
Related Content
There's a danger of "cry wolf" about this, especially as climate change kicks in. And what happened to common sense?
I spent two summers in Alice Springs, where the average maximum doesn't dip below 35 from December to February. I was there in 2014 for the all-time November record high of 44.9 degrees.
You know it's hot in Alice Springs when birds drop out of the sky, lizards bake on the road and even the flies give up.
If cricket was cancelled there because of heat it wouldn't be played. Indigenous players from across the country are contesting national championships in the scorching red centre right now.
Just like Canberra, the vast inland usually has dry heat and the mornings are cool enough to feel relatively normal.
You adapt. Exercise early, stay out of the sun, drink lots of water.
If you're an elderly or frail person suffering inside a house without air-conditioning, I empathise. If you're an office worker complaining how hot it is getting from your desk to the car and inside your home, get over it.
This is summer.
11 comments
New User? Sign up