| Brisbane, Queensland. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Mean Temperature | Mean Maximum Temperature | Mean Minimum Temperature | Relative Humidity | Rainfall | Number of Rainy Days | ||||
| F. | C. | F. | C. | F. | C. | Ins. | Mm. | |||
| January | 72·2 | 22·3 | 80·9 | 27·1 | 63·4 | 17·4 | 66 | 1·40 | 35·6 | 10 |
| February | 76·7 | 24·8 | 86·2 | 30·1 | 67·2 | 19·5 | 64 | 0·75 | 19·1 | 4 |
| March | 79·7 | 26·5 | 88·9 | 31·6 | 70·4 | 21·3 | 62 | 1·38 | 35·0 | 10 |
| April | 78·4 | 25·7 | 87·0 | 30·6 | 69·8 | 21·0 | 66 | 2·67 | 67·4 | 7 |
| May | 74·3 | 23·5 | 84·2 | 29·0 | 64·4 | 18·0 | 61 | 0·63 | 16·0 | 2 |
| June | 69·7 | 20·9 | 80·5 | 26·9 | 58·9 | 14·9 | 64 | 0·17 | 4·3 | 7 |
| July | 64·7 | 18·2 | 75·9 | 24·3 | 53·5 | 11·9 | 68 | 0·47 | 11·9 | 3 |
| August | 63·0 | 17·2 | 75·1 | 24·0 | 50·8 | 10·4 | 69 | 0·06 | 1·5 | 2 |
| September | 60·4 | 15·7 | 71·1 | 21·8 | 49·7 | 9·8 | 70 | 0·55 | 14·0 | 9 |
| October | 60·4 | 15·7 | 71·5 | 21·9 | 49·3 | 9·6 | 67 | 0·98 | 24·9 | 10 |
| November | 67·0 | 19·4 | 76·9 | 24·9 | 57·1 | 14·0 | 71 | 1·30 | 33·0 | 7 |
| December | 68·9 | 20·5 | 78·6 | 25·9 | 59·2 | 15·1 | 64 | 3·25 | 82·5 | 9 |
Unfortunately, the greater part of the interior of the country is an almost waterless desert, the development of which, unless subterranean sources of water can be tapped, seems almost hopeless, and almost the whole west coast shares in this terrible disability, and would probably have remained as deserted as the interior but for the recent discoveries of its richness in gold. Even in the extreme north, at Port Darwin, the climate is by no means unendurable for a place within 121⁄2 degrees of the line, and the mean rainfall, 63·21 ins., is very moderate for a place so situated.
| Port Darwin, Northern Territory. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Mean Temperature | Absolute Maximum | Absolute Minimum | Rainfall | Number of Rainy Days | ||||
| F. | C. | F. | C. | F. | C. | Ins. | Mm. | ||
| January | 84·4 | 29·1 | 93·6 | 34·3 | 73·0 | 22·8 | 15·85 | 402·6 | 23 |
| February | 83·5 | 28·6 | 93·9 | 34·3 | 73·4 | 23·0 | 13·77 | 374·8 | 14 |
| March | 84·6 | 29·3 | 91·4 | 33·0 | 71·0 | 21·7 | 10·10 | 258·5 | 26 |
| April | 84·4 | 29·1 | 97·8 | 36·5 | 69·2 | 20·7 | 4·36 | 110·6 | 6 |
| May | 81·5 | 27·5 | 95·2 | 35·1 | 66·6 | 19·2 | 1·04 | 26·6 | — |
| June | 78·7 | 25·9 | 92·4 | 33·5 | 59·9 | 15·5 | 0·08 | 1·7 | 3 |
| July | 76·8 | 24·9 | 88·1 | 31·2 | 58·6 | 14·8 | 0·01 | 0·3 | — |
| August | 79·3 | 26·3 | 92·0 | 33·3 | 63·7 | 17·6 | 0·12 | 3·0 | — |
| September | 82·8 | 28·2 | 94·1 | 34·5 | 67·9 | 19·9 | 0·43 | 10·9 | 1 |
| October | 85·7 | 29·8 | 96·7 | 35·9 | 72·4 | 22·4 | 2·19 | 54·5 | 8 |
| November | 86·0 | 30·0 | 97·0 | 36·1 | 72·4 | 22·4 | 5·21 | 132·2 | 4 |
| December | 85·5 | 29·7 | 95·4 | 35·2 | 73·7 | 23·2 | 10·27 | 260·4 | 16 |
The climate of the tropical portion of Western Australia will be sufficiently indicated by the following table for Wyndham, in lat. 15° 27′ S.
| Month | Mean Monthly Maxima | Mean Monthly Minima | Mean Rainfall Monthly | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F. | C. | F. | C. | Ins. | Mm. | |
| January | 98·0 | 36·7 | 78·8 | 26·0 | 5·32 | 134·7 |
| February | 98·7 | 37·0 | 78·7 | 25·9 | 4·24 | 106·8 |
| March | 98·2 | 36·8 | 79·4 | 26·3 | 4·02 | 102·8 |
| April | 98·1 | 36·7 | 76·8 | 24·9 | Nil | |
| May | 93·1 | 34·0 | 71·2 | 21·8 | Nil | |
| June | 89·1 | 31·8 | 67·7 | 19·8 | 0·15 | 3·8 |
| July | 88·7 | 31·5 | 62·8 | 17·0 | Nil | |
| August | 91·8 | 33·2 | 66·8 | 19·3 | Nil | |
| September | 97·0 | 36·1 | 74·0 | 23·3 | 0·04 | 1·2 |
| October | 100·3 | 37·9 | 78·9 | 26·0 | Nil | |
| November | 101·3 | 38·5 | 80·3 | 26·8 | 4·32 | 109·4 |
| December | 100·1 | 37·8 | 80·4 | 26·9 | 2·47 | 62·3 |
The total annual rainfall here only amounts to 20·54 ins. (521·8 mm.); and Freemantle, in lat. 32° S., on the coast, only receives 28·15 ins. (715 mm.); and Coolgardie, far in the interior, but 7·18 ins. (181·7 mm.); but the temperature records of neither of the two last-mentioned places quite entitles them to be considered in the light of hot countries.
From 20° to 25° south latitude the coast is even drier; Cossach, in latitude 20° 40′ S., receiving but 9·3 ins. (247 mm.), and Carnarvon, in latitude 24° 52′ S., but 7·83 ins. (199 mm.). In these localities the perceptible rainfall occurs in June and July. In the summer (January, February) some of these places are no doubt very hot, but the nights are nearly always fairly cool. In many of these places water is so scarce that a bath is a luxury scarcely attainable by any but the very rich, the precious fluid having to be eked out at what seems to us a fabulous price per gallon, or even pint. This difficulty is, however, being met in some places by enormous engineering works, and colonists may be met with who have a good deal to say in favour of these apparently inhospitable shores.
Pacific Islands.
—The pages of Stevenson and Ralf Bolderwood have so familiarised us with the delights of these favoured spots—where it is always summer, but rarely oppressively hot—that it is probable that the general public have a better idea of their climates than is the case with almost any other tropical region. Owing to their comparatively small economic importance, it is, however, impossible to do more than supply a pair of tables illustrative of the climate of a few of the better-known spots.
| Table of Temperature of Pacific Islands. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island or Place | Latitude | Warmest Month | Coldest Month | Difference | |||||
| Name | Mean Temperature | Name | Mean Temperature | ||||||
| F. | C. | F. | C. | F. | C. | ||||
| Kauai | 22° 15′ N. | August | 76·4 | 24·6 | January | 66·5 | 19·2 | 9·9 | 5·5 |
| Honolulu | 21° 18′ N. | August | 77·5 | 25·3 | January | 69·5 | 20·8 | 7·5 | 4·4 |
| Hilo | 19° 40′ N. | Aug.-Sept. | 74·4 | 23·5 | January | 71·5 | 21·9 | 2·9 | 1·6 |
| Jaluit | 5° 55′ N. | Jan.-Feb. | 81·0 | 27·2 | June | 80·5 | 26·9 | 0·7 | 0·4 |
| Apia | 13° 49′ S. | Feb.-Mar. | 78·6 | 25·9 | July | 75·5 | 24·2 | 3·2 | 1·8 |
| Papiti | 17° 32′ S. | March | 78·5 | 25·8 | July | 73·5 | 23·1 | 4·8 | 2·7 |
| Vanua Levu | 16° 38′ S. | December | 80·5 | 26·9 | July-Aug. | 76·0 | 24·4 | 4·3 | 2·4 |
| Levuka | 17° 4′ S. | December | 79·5 | 26·4 | July | 74·5 | 23·6 | 5·2 | 2·9 |
| Tana | 19° 28′ S. | March | 79·7 | 26·6 | July | 69·0 | 20·6 | 10·8 | 6·0 |
| Tongatabu | 21° 8′ S. | February | 79·0 | 26·1 | August | 68·5 | 20·3 | 10·4 | 5·8 |
| Noumea | 22° 16′ S. | February | 80·0 | 26·7 | August | 68·0 | 20·0 | 11·4 | 6·7 |
| Oparu | 27° 36′ S. | March | 72·5 | 22·3 | September | 65·3 | 18·5 | 7·2 | 4·0 |