Out of the Ordinary
So this morning we woke up to snow on the ground here in Launceston! This is the first time it’s snowed in our five years here so far. To put this in context, we live not much above sea level — some of Launceston is really close to sea level; our home is about 130 meters/426 feet above. Launceston is about 41 degrees south of the equator — about the same as New York City is north of the equator. Tasmania does get snow each year, especially in the mountains. In fact, in the mountains we can get snow any time of the year. About 45 minutes from Launceston, at Ben Lomond, there is actually a ski area. However, it can be a bit hit and miss in terms of the snow cover each year.
For Canadians this amount of snow would be a non-event. But here in Launceston, it’s a rare occasion and gets everyone’s attention. On our neighbourhood Facebook group, folks are posting scads of pictures and videos.
When foreigners think of Australia, I’m sure they don’t think of snow and wintry driving conditions. I never used to. On my first visit here, when I had the call to Launceston, I went up to Ben Lomond and saw wallabies hopping through the snow. It blew my mind. Australia has a habit of doing that.
