According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), since 2005, Australia has experienced several of the hottest years on record. And to start this year – January 2019 is the hottest ever recorded. Hotter weather has a tendency to create drier weather, leading to droughts. 

According to the CSIRO, Australia is on average 1 °C hotter than it was in 1910. January 2019 was 2.91 °C above average. The trend of extreme weather events is increasing in frequency and having severe impacts on many parts of Australia. Birdsville (QLD.) had 10 consecutive days over 45 °C this summer and Cloncurry (QLD.) had 43 consecutive days over 40 °C – a state record for Queensland. This pattern is set to continue and in effect worsen as global temperatures are expected to increase another degree, on average, over the next 30 years; bringing more extreme weather events.

In contrast, the Glen Innes Highlands, located on the New England Tablelands, just 100km’s south of the Queensland border and only 2.5 hours from the beach at Yamba, has an average maximum for January of only 26.5 °C. When much of Australia is burning up in the 40’s, Glen Innes residents are only contending with temperatures in the low 30’s. Mostly though, summer is relished with day after day in the mid to high 20’s.
With the cooler temperatures and higher altitude the Glen Innes Highlands also enjoys an 850mm average yearly rainfall; with the highest average monthly falls coming through spring to early autumn, when it is needed most. Whilst drought still affects the region they are not as severe, nor as common, as most parts of Australia.