As we Brits contemplate hibernation to get away from the wet and windy British winter, the Aussies are getting ready to come out and play as the country hots up for the summer!
What better way to cast off those winter blues than to exchange your hot mug of chocolate for a chilled lager, your slippers for sandals, winter woolies for bikinis and hotpot for a barbie? So throw away those hot water bottles and let Australia get your temperature soaring!
Think of the golden sandy beaches, the clear blue seas, the cloudless skies, I mean, where else can you holiday this winter that’ll require you to pack your suncream? And if you’re already dreading the chores of Christmas and the usual arguments of whether to invite Uncle Wilf with his wind problem, or the sister who doesn’t speak to anyone, you can solve those problems by escaping to the sun!
And sunshine is practically guaranteed with average temperatures ranging from a high of 36°C in Alice Springs, 22°C in Hobart and 25°C in Darwin in January.
As the UK battens down the hatches, Australia really does come to life and there is an eclectic mix of things to do down under, as our calendar guide shows you:
December
Thursday nights are market nights with a difference! The famous St Kilda Beach Night Markets pitch up their stalls every Thursday night from 3 December through until 25 February.
Experience the magical atmosphere of the Beach Night Market.
Forget the UK markets on a damp drizzly day, with a few stalls offering towels, veg and pet food, this is market day Aussie style! Set on the beach at St Kilda there are over 80 stalls offering a wide variety of produce from all over the world. If you’re fashion conscious then you’re bound to find something among the vintage, retro, boho and ethnic styles available.
If clothes aren’t your thing, you might find a little treasure amongst the antique and curio stalls, or handmade gifts to appease the in-laws who are sat at home watching repeats on TV. Once you’ve done with shopping, grab a bite to eat from one of the global cuisine stalls, then sit under a palm tree and picnic to the afro grooves and bongo beats. This isn’t just any old market day, this is St Kilda beach night market and you won’t forget it in a hurry!
Alice Springs Christmas Carnival provides a family friendly atmosphere to bring about a little Christmas cheer! Live entertainment will line the streets along with magicians, circus performers, balloon twisters and buskers. Children will kept busy in the Universal Solar Garden whilst you browse around the numerous market stalls offering a wide range of arts and crafts, global foods and tastings, jewellry, books and so on. It’s your final chance to do that last-minute Christmas shopping so you might as well make the most of it and be entertained whilst you shop! The carnival is on the 11 December.
The explosion of fireworks over Sydney Harbour Bridge. Image courtesy of Tourism Australia.
Whatever you do, don’t miss the world famous New Year’s Eve Firework Display in Sydney! With the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge as a backdrop, there really is no other display to top it. This is the largest annual firework display in the world and whilst millions of people will be tuning in to watch it on TV, you could be there having the experience of a lifetime, what a way to start 2010!
January
This is festival month and the largest and most famous festival of all is the Sydney Festival. Brimming with local talent the city is taken over by performers, artists, comedians and musicians.
The weird and the wonderful bring the city to life in a blaze of colour, music and sheer mayhem! Al Green is just one of the headline acts that include Circus Oz, Grizzly Bear, Fractured and Trevor Jackson.
Do not miss the first night where the streets are taken over by theatre, music and dance. In the daytime families can learn to juggle or watch circus performances and romantics can stroll along Hyde Park whilst listening to the soothing melodies of jazz and blues whilst the sun goes down. Then at night it’s time to party with the likes of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and their guests. And the great thing about this first night party is that it’s all FREE!
The festival starts on the 9 January until the 30th and whatever your taste, with performers from the theatre, music, dance, family, visual arts and even lectures, the Sydney Festival will have you begging for seconds!
26 January is Australia Day when cities all over Australia will be celebrating national pride. From tall ships in Sydney Harbour to concerts in Melbourne, cities and towns everywhere will be buzzing with music, street performances, city parades and even the odd thong throwing contest! So join in this outburst of national pride and discover the hidden Aussie within!
Join in the celebrations of Australia Day!
And if you head northwest of New South Wales you might come across the small town of Tamworth, population of just 40,000. This friendly, easy-going town undergoes a bit of a transformation come Australia Day as the locals and visitors alike go country music mad! Around 50,000 country music lovers descend upon this small town for the Tamworth Country Music Festival and Australian Country Music Awards. It lasts for 10 days, covering Australia Day and literally the whole town is turned into a huge arena showcasing the very best of Australian country music. From concert halls to shopping malls, pubs to clubs there is not a square inch of this town that isn’t jiving and whooping along to the beat. Catch your favourite performers as bands and vocalists arrive to find out who has won the coveted Golden Guitar Awards. Yee Ha!
February
Perth explodes onto the scene in February with the annual Perth Festival. Running for four weeks Perth celebrates the arts, theatre, food, film and creative flair! It’s the oldest and largest multi-arts festival in the country and offers a diverse range of attractions. There are Sri-Lankan theatre productions of Shakespeare, extensive dance and music programmes for the party-lover, street art, literature and community events. Its imaginative territory knows no bounds, which is why for the locals of Perth, summer isn’t summer without the festival!
The colourful spectacle of the Sydney Mardi Gras. Image courtesy of Tourism Australia.
We’re back in Sydney once more for the annual Sydney Mardi Gras. It is the world’s premier gay and lesbian arts festival and includes the world famous nighttime parade through the very heart of Sydney, ending with the enormous harbour party. The festival kicks off on the 21st February and lasts two weeks. With the organisers promising the biggest and best Mardi Gras yet, there’s every reason not to miss this event!
Flights
Now spending Christmas in Australia might sound like a lovely idea, but it also sounds expensive, so here’s our tips for getting the cheapest flights available.
First of all, book now! The earlier you book the more you’ll save, don’t expect any late cheap deals, December to February is full tourist season so the airlines won’t be giving anything away. Same with hotels, leave it too long and it’ll be a case of taking whatever you can get.
Choose your dates carefully. Avoid booking flights too close to Christmas. For instance Emirates flying from London Heathrow to Sydney is £963.80 between the 9th and 28th of December, enabling you to be in Oz for Christmas, but book with the same airline between 19th December – 3 January and it’ll cost you £1,461.79. So just by being flexible with your dates and avoiding known busy periods, you can save up to £800.
Shop around. Competition is high so choose a few search engines such as skyscanner and travelsupermarket and compare prices. If you’re willing to be flexible with dates, you can usually find a bargain. Keep an eye on our flights to Australia page too, where we search the airlines every month to find the latest special offers and great deals.
So do something different this winter, spend it in the sun!
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