Autumn - stupid question perhaps

[Guest guest8040]

Do you get the magnificent colours of autumn in Australia like the UK? Just curious as have been leaf kicking in Durham today and enjoying the visual feast autumn brings

[Guest Guest5035]

as your last 3 words in the title say......yes we get stunning colours here, even better with a clear blue sky..

 

stevo

[NicF]

I'll second this. We were here on holiday in April last year and I was actually quite surprised at how much Autumn colour there was around. And it was still really warm as well. Mount Lofty Botsnic Gardens were stunning and more than a match for anything you get in the UK.

[Guest guest8040]

Super, just what I wanted to hear! We arrive in April too

[Anne B]

I would say that it depends on where you live.

 

In the Adelaide Hills (and the Botanical Gardens) there are a lot of trees and a fair proportion of deciduous trees that lose their leaves - so yes you do get nice autumnal colours. However I would say that these areas are not typically Australian as there are a lot of introduced European trees. The majority of native Australian trees do not lose their leaves in the autumn so stay the same colour all year round, therefore in lots of places there is no great change in the autumn (certainly not here in the western suburbs). In the spring you get flowers on the native gums (pinks, yellows, reds) which can be quite spectacular.

[jtct]

Beautiful colours in the Hills and a special 'Garden Festival' at that time of year in Stirling

[jim and adel]

Plenty of colour in the hills but as has been mentioned it's from introduced trees. Stirling, Crafers (including Mt Lofty botanic gardens), Hahndorf etc were planted in European style, so lots of autumn colour; far less so in areas with native trees.

 

Jim

[NicF]

There was plenty of colour in North Adelaide as well when we were here last April so that must be full of non natives as well. Along with half the eastern suburbs no doubt. Not so much where we are at the moment though - it's all gum and wattle trees here. I guess we won't be getting quite so much of the Autumn colour in Rostrevor next year.

[Guest guest8040]

Great discussion - I guess we are so close to leaving I'm wondering what we would miss that we take for granted and the autumn colours is one of those things. As long as I can get a fix somewhere and see leaves like those on the photo I'll be happy!

[Anne B]

I'm sure there will be a lot of things that you will miss that you take for granted now.

 

There are many things that you just don't get here - old buildings, winding country lanes, villages with churches, stone walls and hedges, even the weeds at the side of the road are different (there were always lots of poppies where we lived in Essex). The seasons are not so extreme or noticeable here. You don't get bleak monochrome winters with bare trees and fields. Neither do you get the lush greenness of spring, when all the trees come to life, or daffodils everywhere (even on roundabouts), or the autumn colours (unless you are in the leafy Eastern suburbs or the Adelaide Hills). I also miss the sound of the birds, as even the seagulls here don't make the same noise!!.

 

However, that's not to say it is bad here, nature is beautiful the whole world over so you have to find different things to enjoy. The trees and the scent of eucalyptus in the air is lovely. When we were camping recently the sound of the kookaburras was amazing, and there were kangaroos and emus wandering around. The stars at night are a hundred times better than the northern hemisphere. Australia does contain some very boring landscapes but also some beautiful ones. And to be honest, after a while you start forgetting the things that you miss.