Willis's Walkabouts Australian Bushwalking Holidays

THE WET SEASON

Many local bushwalkers who have experienced a wet season feel that this is the best time to go bushwalking.

Most people who have never experienced the tropical summer have a variety of misconceptions about the tropical summer which keep them from trying a trip which could be a truly memorable experience.

Look at the picture above, taken in January. Everything is lush and green. The waterfall is flowing well. If you come in the middle or late dry season and most of the green will be gone. The waterfall will have dropped to a trickle. The picture doesn't show that we have Koolpin Gorge to ourselves in January. In the dry season, we would be sharing it with others. The wet season is the only time you can enjoy popular places like lower Koolpin Gorge or Jim Jim Falls without day tourists.

Look at the pictures below. Every one of these pictures was taken in the wet season. Do the people look miserable or do they look like they are enjoying themselves?

Leave your pointer on the photo and you'lll see a caption. Click the photo for an enlarged view. Click the back button to return to this screen.

Popular Misconceptions

It rains all day, every day. You can never get dry.

It's too hot, much hotter than the dry season.

Walking in the rain is uncomfortable. You'll feel cold and miserable just as you would in a colder climate.

Not True!

But don't take our word, click on the link at the bottom of this paragraph and look at the figures for Jabiru from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Jabiru is typical of the areas where we walk, somewhat wetter than most.
Jabiru climate table

Look at the mean number of rain days and the average hours of sunshine (bottom of table). On average it rains only 2 days in 3. On average, you get a bit more than six hours of sunshine every day.
Look at the mean daily maximum temperature. It's only 2°C warmer than the coolest months of June and July. It's 4°C cooler than the Build Up month of October.

Look at the mean daily minimum and lowest minimum rows. From January through March, the average minimum is about 24°C; the lowest temeprature ever recorded is about 20°C. You're not going to get cold no matter how much it rains. You certainly don't need to carry a sleeping bag.

Click this line to find out more about wet season walking.
Be patient, with 11 photos, the next page may take a while to load.

It rains all day, every day. You can never get dry. It's too hot, much hotter than the dry season. Walking in the rain is uncomfortable. You'll feel cold and miserable just as you would in a colder climate.
Not True!
But don't take our word, click on the link at the bottom of this paragraph and look at the figures for Jabiru from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Jabiru is typical of the areas where we walk, somewhat wetter than most. Jabiru climate table
Look at the mean number of rain days and the average hours of sunshine (bottom of table). On average it rains only 2 days in 3. On average, you get a bit more than six hours of sunshine every day. Look at the mean daily maximum temperature. It's only 2°C warmer than the coolest months of June and July. It's 4°C cooler than the Build Up month of October. Look at the mean daily minimum and lowest minimum rows. From January through March, the average minimum is about 24°C; the lowest temeprature ever recorded is about 20°C. You're not going to get cold no matter how much it rains. You certainly don't need to carry a sleeping bag. Click this line to find out more about wet season walking. Be patient, with 11 photos, the next page may take a while to load.