Autumn is when Canberra really shines. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Daylight saving is over and that means one thing – the best season of the year is officially in full swing.
Summer, autumn’s overhyped cousin, is over.
Sure, if you make the weekend pilgrimage to the South Coast there’s good beach weather – sometimes. But it’s just as likely to bucket down rain, and there aren’t enough beach days in the world to make months of hot, stuffy, sleepless nights worth it.
I hate to pull the “back in my day” – but back in my day, before the climate had warmed by 1.5 degrees Celsius, a 40-plus degree day was big news.
Now heatwave after heatwave rolls on through and summer feels more like an endurance event than a holiday.
Autumn, in comparison, has fresh, crisp mornings, clear sunny days with low humidity, and cool, restful nights.
The water is usually warmer – it’s 23 degrees at some South Coast beaches right now – and the beaches are almost empty.
Swimming and surfing in autumn is a dream compared to the crowded summer months that often come with a freezing cold current and zero swell.
Slightly shorter days mean you’re not woken by the dawn chorus at 5 am, and the last rays of light aren’t filtering through the blinds when it’s 9 pm beddy time.
It’s still bright enough in the morning to sneak in a quick jog or potter in the garden.
Summer fruit? I love a good mango, but a perfectly ripe fig is a tough thing to top.
Grapes, strawberries and heaps of stone fruit are at their prime in autumn, too.
And don’t play the public holiday card at me.
Summer has four – Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Australia Day.
Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are all full of pressure – to spend time with friends and family, to have the perfect lunch/dinner/party, to buy gifts, to dress up and go out.
I’m not even going to touch Australia Day. It’s divisive, and it’s more of an annual reminder of how bloody far our country has to go to find some empathy and human decency than a celebration of anything.
By comparison autumn has three public holidays and they’re all far more low-key.
Easter long weekend with the family? Great. Easter long weekend camping alone? Also great.
Big family lunch? Love to see it. Backyard barbecue with mates? Equally acceptable.
The most expensive thing you’re expected to buy is chocolate and even with this year’s insanely inflated prices it’s still cheaper than trying to find a gift for every person you love.
Plus, if you forget someone, it’s really no hard feelings – Easter is relaxed like that.
Ditto for Anzac Day. Whether you go to a dawn service and follow it up with two-up at the pub, or sleep in and spend the day pottering about the house, it’s up to you.
A firepit in summer is an anxiety producing bushfire hazard. On autumn evenings it’s the perfect cozy accompaniment for any social occasion.
Summer sun might be what Australia is famous for, but autumn is when we truly shine.
Please send any objections care of my editor.
