The Seasons in Australia
In most places in the world there are four seasons in a year: summer, autumn and winter and spring.

Each season has its own kind of weather.

Trees and other plants are different in each season.

Most parts of Australia have 4 seasons, but in the tropical far north of Australia there are just two, the wet season and the dry season.
The wet season lasts for about six months, usually between December and March. The weather is hot, with temperatures between 30 and 50 degrees Celsius. Humidity is high during the wet, caused by large amounts of water in the air. During the wet a lot of rain falls and often causes flooding.

The dry season lasts about six months, usually between May and October. Temperatures are lower and there is only a little rain. The average temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. Many people from the southern parts of Australia 'escape' from the winter and travel north for a holiday.

In summer the weather is hot and gets hotter. People find ways to keep cool. Many go to the beach to swim in the cool water, or they find a shady place in a garden. For many people, summer is time for holidays. Cricket and tennis are summer sports

Many kinds of soft fruits such as peaches and strawberries are ready to pick in summer.

In the home garden, tomatoes are ripe.

Summer is often a time of drought in Australia.
Bushfires too are likely to burn in many parts of the country.

Baby birds and animals grow bigger in summer. They must be big and strong by the time the weather starts to cool.

After summer comes autumn. In some places autumn is called 'fall'. The leaves of some trees turn red, yellow or brown. Then they fall off the trees.

The fruit of some trees, such as apples and pears, is ready to be picked, and on farms crops are ready to harvest. The weather gets cooler.

Football season begins in autumn.

In the home gardens people plant carrots, cabbages and sprouts which will grow in time for winter.

After autumn comes winter. The weather is colder now. Rain and storms affect much of Australia. In some places it is very cold and snow falls on higher ground. Many trees have no leaves, some birds fly to warmer parts of the country or to other countries.

People go to the mountains to ski and play in the snow during winter.

Many people play soccer, rugby and Australian rules football in winter. Millions more watch the games on television or go to football stadiums to watch.

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Farmers plough their fields to get them ready for spring planting.

In spring, there are blossoms on some trees and many flowers grow. Plants that grow from bulbs such as daffodils and tulips flower in spring.

The weather is warmer, but can change a lot. There is plenty of rain in spring.

Birds make nests and lay eggs and many animals have babies in the spring.

Many lambs are born in spring

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What causes the seasons? The seasons change because the Earth tilts on an angle as it orbits the sun. This means that during a part of the year, either the northern part or the southern part of the Earth leans more directly towards the sun. The part closest to the sun gets more light and heat and has summer. While the part tilting away from the sun has less light and heat and has winter.

To read more about what causes the seasons go to http://www.scienceu.com/observatory/articles/seasons/seasons.html

To read more about seasons and weather in Australia go to http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/weather/

Acknowledge this page in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, Ron. & Sydenham, Shirley. The seasons in Australia [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2011)

June 2011 text copyright © kidcyber [2011]