Australia is known globally as the land of long sandy beaches, unique wildlife, tropical reefs and famous landmarks.
But despite images of Bondi Beach, the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge being seared into the minds of most holidaymakers, there’s one big blunder loads are making when they finally land.
You may need a hat in winter in much of Australia. iStock
A survey has found one in five tourists arrive in Australia dressed for entirely the wrong season.
It seems travellers from the northern hemisphere still seem to overlook the fact the seasons are switched Down Under when planning.
Granted, Queensland, the Northern Territory and even parts of Western Australia still get balmy days in the winter.
But locals in hotspots like Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart are more likely to be shivering.
The confusion ran deep, researchers said, with 42 per cent of those asked not knowing it’s currently winter in Australia.
Another 44 per cent assumed wrongly the country is “always hot and sunny”.
Possibly because it appears that way on popular shows Neighbours and Home & Away (at least, in the case of the Brits). The rest of those surveyed were American, so have no excuse.
You may need a jacket not a bikini in Australia at certain times of year. iStock
As a result, many of those who came to visit had to buy new clothes or swap that hike for something indoors
Research also found just 52 per cent of Americans knew it’s winter in Australia versus 64 per cent of Brits.
The findings come from a survey of 1,500 travellers to Australia this month by Casinos Analyzer Australia.
Bondi stages a Winter Festival, with an ice rink being one of the attractions istock
A little bit of research before leaving would have set them right.
While plucky surfers do go in the water in the winter, Bondi Beach has literally had an ice rink installed in July for years.
The average winter temperature that month is nine degrees, in Sydney.
Parts of Tasmania get down to an average of just five degrees. And Canberra can be below freezing.
One thing many travellers are unable to do, it seems, is to do a quick google.
Even Facebook groups for travellers, are laden with posts asking: “what will the weather be like?”
A packed Bondi Beach on a summer day in Sydney. iStock
A simple search for weather for a certain place is it seems beyond them, as this study has now proven.
Of course, there are plenty of places in Australia to embrace the chilly weather.
Tasmania is famously a cosy place to explore, with tourism bosses even marketing it as ‘the off season’.
Then there’s Australia’s skiing resorts, which may be seeing a lack of snow this year but still have plenty to do.
