Her first stop was Melbourne in (October to November). The guidebooks called it "unpredictable." Priya called it a personality disorder. She left her hostel under a brilliant blue sky, wearing shorts, only to be pelted by hailstones an hour later. She bought a puffer jacket, then stripped down to a t-shirt when the sun re-emerged, all before lunch. A local café owner shrugged. "If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes." She learned to dress in seven layers, like an onion, and to always, always carry a compact umbrella.
By the time her visa was up, Priya had one rule: never trust the calendar. December might be a furnace, and July might be a perfect, sunny day for a swim. australia weather seasons
She escaped the humidity by flying down to Perth in (March to May). This, she decided, was the reward. The blistering summer heat had finally broken. The evenings had a crispness to them, a hint of cool that made campfires taste better. She walked along Cottesloe Beach as the sun set, painting the Indian Ocean in shades of gold and orange. The sea was still warm from the summer, but the air was gentle. It felt like the whole country was letting out a long, slow, satisfied breath. Her first stop was Melbourne in (October to November)
By December, she was in Cairns for (December to February). Her first thought was that she had accidentally walked into a sauna. The air was a thick, wet blanket. The heat wasn't a dry crackle like she'd expected; it was a moist, breathing presence. And then, every afternoon at 3 PM sharp, the sky would turn the colour of a bruise. The rain didn't fall—it announced itself. Monsoonal downpours that turned gutters into rivers and sent giant tree frogs onto her balcony. She learned to love the 3 PM siesta, napping through the thunder, then emerging to a world washed clean and steaming. She bought a puffer jacket, then stripped down