Tip to Tip 2010 - Australia - ‘Burke & Wills’

Climate in outline

Australia’s climate is dominated by the dry, sinking air of the subtropical high pressure belt which moves north and south with the seasons. This causes the rainfall pattern over Australia to be strongly seasonal and helps to define the main climate regions shown below.

When the high pressure systems move north during winter, southern Australia comes under the influence of westerly winds and rain-bearing cold fronts. Most of Australia’s primary production occurs in the temperate regions of the south and east, and relies on this winter rainfall. Cold snaps may lead to frosts inland, though temperatures about the coast are generally mild all year round. Summers over southern Australia are mostly dry and hot with coastal sea-breezes. Following a long dry spell, hot, dry winds from the interior can cause bushfires in southern and eastern Australia. The inflammability of the Australian bush (which has adapted to the climate) adds to the risk.

In comparison, tropical regions of northern Australia experience a wet summer as the monsoon moves in. During “the wet”, typically October to April, moist northwesterly winds bring humid conditions with showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall amounts may vary markedly from year-to-year, and occasional tropical cyclones can bring abundant rainfall to tropical coastal regions and possibly further inland. Once the monsoon has retreated, winter brings blue skies and mild, dry conditions. Dryland agriculture and pastoralism have adapted to the harsh climate of the vast inland tropical area.

As a result of the influence of the high pressure belt, much of Australian rainfall is low and variable. Eighty per cent of the continent has an average annual rainfall less than 600 mm. The vegetation of the arid interior adapts to dry conditions and responds quickly when rainfall is received.

Monsoons
Monsoons are seasonal winds and are well developed over Asia and South East Asia. Summer in the northern hemisphere in July heats up the land mass of Asia. This creates a low pressure system over Asia. The winter in the southern hemisphere creates a high pressure system over Australia. Winds therefore blows from the Australian high pressure system across the equator to the Asian low pressure. From Australia, it blows as the south east monsoon and is deflected to the right as it crosses the equator to become the south west monsoon.

In winter, most parts of Asia create a high pressure system because of the cooling of the air. On the other hand, in the southern hemisphere, conditions are reversed and the summer season creates a low pressure system over Australia. Winds blow from the Asian high pressure system as the North east monsoon, crosses the equator and is deflected to the left to reach Australia as the north west monsoon.

The Route

The expedition looks to be starting out during late July 2010 with the team arriving in Melbourne to acclimatise, test equipment and procedures and prepare for kick off during the first week of August. Still looking at the weather and climate data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Preliminary findings seem to indicate that we could expect a light tailwind across the some if not most of the route. Mike from the Bureau will hopefully confirm this.

For more information try www.outbackonline.net

Well, here we go again. For those that were involved last time this site will be familiar. It is through this medium that the planners (myself and Patrick Brook) pass material out for Team members, sponsors and other briefed and interested parties to catch up on planning developments.

Photography ©Paul Chantler - Try his stunning collections here.

Patrick and I attended the last planning meeting on the 20th Dec where the rough shape of the expedition, and expedition it surely is, was defined. There is to be a meeting between Myself, Patrick and Simon to fill in the When, How, Where answers that are essential before the ball can truly start to roll. That ball is in Patrick’s court as he will be writing to the Australian High Commision outlining our plans. The rest will then start to rumble in the background until it reaches a roar as 2010 approaches.

Mildura, a small city of population twenty thousand, is located on the banks of the Murray River at an altitude of 50 m above sea level and is 550 km to the northwest of Melbourne.
The annual average minimum temperature is 10.3 deg C, monthly values varying from 4.3 deg C during July (the lowest on record is -4.4 deg C) to 16.5 deg C during January. There are 4 nights per annum when the temperature falls below zero. The annual average maximum temperature is 23.6 deg C - monthly values vary from 15.2 deg C in July to 31.9 deg C in January (the highest on record is 50.8 deg C). There are, on average, 77 days per annum when the temperature exceeds 30 deg C, including 30 hot days when the temp​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​erature rises above 35 deg C.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
The annual rainfall total of 292 mm is fairly evenly distributed through the year, but is more concentrated in the winter and spring months. The month of October is, on average, the year’s wettest, receiving 31 mm. By contrast, the year’s driest months, March and April, receive only 19 mm.
The city’s climate may be classified as warm persistently dry grassland.
The prevailing wind is southerly in summer, whilst in winter, the prevailing northerly wind in the morning tends westerly in the afternoon. Days with strong wind (21 per annum) are more likely to occur in the late winter and spring months than at other times of the year. During dry years, strong winds associated with cold fronts generate duststorms, particularly in spring and summer.
There are 122 clear days per annum, January, February and March (with respectively 15, 14 and 15 clear days, on average) being the months when clear skies are most common. There are 63 cloudy days per annum, May, June and July (each with 7 cloudy days) being the year’s dullest months.
Thunderstorms are more frequent in spring and summer, when 9 of the year’s 12 storms occur. By contrast, a thunderstorm affects Mildura only once every winter. Fog is predominantly an autumn-winter phenomenon, 11 of the year’s 12 fogs occurring during those two seasons, including 4 in June, the most fog-prone month.

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