Second winter in Melbourne

After living in Melbourne for a year, I figured I understood the weather. So I wrote a blog post last year about winter in Melbourne. Little did I know, that everything is different the second time around.

Last year we did not have a whole lot of rain. I do not remember one day of continues rain. After every day with rainy we had plenty of warm and sunny days, making it a really mild winter. This winter is different. After one sunny day we now have had plenty of rainy days. That makes this winter feel a lot more like winter as we I have know it.

Varying winter conditions in Melbourne

It is not the actual temperature that makes it feel hot or cold here. It can be 10 degrees and sunny and it will feel like a summers day. It can also feel like a cold winters day. It all depends on where the wind comes from. If it is coming from inland it can feel almost 10 degrees warmer than the actual temperature. However if the wind blows from the Arctic South it can feel 10 degrees colder.

Inside temperatures

The thing that has not changed since last year is how cold it can get inside our house in winter, due to the lack of insulation. In which our house is not too different from most Australian houses. Ten days ago it was 7.2 degrees in the kids bedroom when they woke up, that was the same as the outside temperature:

Imagine what it will be if it is 2 degrees outside! It has never felt this cold inside our Dutch home where the temperature outside can drop a lot more.

Yes, we have two gas heaters in the living room, but they do not really do the job. Once the heater is off the warmth is out of the house in no time. We also live in a very open structured house with a high ceiling and an open upstairs area, so it can get nice and warm in the children’s bedroom and still feel fresh downstairs.

I guess it is possible to heat the house more than we do, but we refuse to spend $800 a month on gas (as we heard was the costing from another family). So instead we still dress in layers and wrap ourselves up in a sleeping bag at night.

Moments that make me forget it is winter

There are two things here that make me forget that it is winter sometimes.  The first one is when I see all the colorful flowers. There are plenty flowers that blossom in winter here, even more than in summer. I associate that with spring or summer.

The second is when the sun shines and there is no wind, the temperature feels higher than the actual temperature and you can walk around in a T-shirt. Last weekend we had such bonus days. I went for a hike along Beaumaris beach, while the children went to Dutch school. It was nice and sunny. I even walked in the water with bare feet, which was just a little chilly.

I love the fact that we also have winter here, as I love the change of seasons. But I am also happy that it is possible to enjoy sunny days in winter, being able to be outside without a jacket.