|
Weather Information - Why we go north in the winter. |
We avoid the oppressive TROPICAL CYCLONE (called hurricanes in the
northern hemisphere) SEASON which is officially from November to May.
Since 1860 Tropical Cyclones ("TC") have caused more than 750 deaths and have sunk or wrecked more than 250 boats. In 1974 TC "Tracy" hit Darwin (capital city of the Northern Territory) causing so much damage that the entire city was evacuated. In 1996, TC "Cileste" was responsible for considerable damage in the Whitsunday’s and tourists had to be evacuated from boats and accommodated on land, at their own expense ! In 1997 TC "Justin" wreaked havoc for hundreds of miles along the Queensland coast destroying marinas from Cairns to Hamilton Island ! In 1999, the coastal township of Exmouth was devastated when wind speeds of 267 kilometres (130 miles) per hour were experienced.
The dark lines on the map show the tracking paths of cyclones in Northern Australia during the last 25 years. These extreme weather phenomenon occur during the oppressively hot, WET SEASON in the tropics, however the local Tourism Bureau (in an attempt to encourage tourists to visit the area, all year) refers to the season as the "Green Season" in an attempt to disguise "THE WET". Astute travellers will realise that for the countryside to be green requires lots and lots of rainfall!. We prefer to (safely) offer our "Adventures in Paradise" during the WARM, DRY months of July to October which just happen to coincide with the period that the giant Humpback whales visit the area, so we have regular close encounters with these Giants of the sea. Also, by late in October, the prevailing winds have turned from the South to the North which means that the best bays for snorkelling and scuba diving are inaccessible (almost all the corals are on the northern side of the islands, where it is not possible anchor when the wind is directing large waves to these locations). We like to advise that our guests can go snorkelling over magnificent coral gardens accompanied by thousands of friendly fish before breakfast, AND THEIR DAY JUST GETS BETTER FROM THERE ! For more information on Tropical Cyclones, a track and threat map, information on categories listing the type of damage caused by the various wind strengths etc. go to the Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre at http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/qld/cyclone.shtml or click here to look at seasonal rainfall comparisons. |
|
|
|