How to Love the Canberra Winter

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Winter is coming, Canberra.

In fact, it's already arrived. And- I'm sorry to say this to the winter haters out there- but winter is going to last for a very long time. Because winter just LOVES Canberra. It seems to last forever here, with temperatures plummeting below zero, biting arctic-like winds, frosty mornings, and that abysmal cold that can chill you even right through your thick woollen layers. And yes, we also have snow!



However, even though winter loves Canberra, many Canberrans actually don't love winter back. In fact, many Canberrans would prefer to hibernate in their homes for the entire season and only emerge again when it's Floriade time. But winter is so much a part of Canberra, mainly because Canberra experiences so much of it. How then can we learn to enjoy-or at the very least, tolerate-this long cold dreary season ahead of us?

Here are six ideas. Now, I can't guarantee that you'll fall in love with winter, but I can guarantee that you'll feel a little warmer, at least!

1. Keep active.
Help keep those winter blues away by keeping active. Yes, it's definitely more tempting during the cold months to just hibernate in front of the telly or Netflix. But that's exactly why it's more important than ever to keep active during winter! So do whatever it is that you do and enjoy to keep yourself fit and active this winter, whether it's swimming, walking, dancing, riding your bike, riding your scooter, going to the gym, rock climbing, lawn bowling, martial arts, playing a team sport, kicking a ball at the park with your kids, playing at the local playground, or zooming down hills on your toboggan. Just get your body moving!


2. Celebrate winter.
We may as well get used to the fact that winter is here to stay in Canberra. So we may as well enjoy the season and celebrate it! Fortunately, there are plenty of big winter events coming up where we can celebrate, such as the Winter Festival in the City, the World Curry Festival, the Canberra Truffle Festival , the Canberra District Wine's Fireside Festival, and the Queanbeyan Christmas in July market . Check back with us later for more details and updates of these events.



3. Have fun in the snow at Corin Forest.
You really don't need to trudge your way over to popular snowfields such as Thredbo and Perisher to experience the snow. Here in Canberra, we have our very own winter wonderland at Corin Forest, and it's only a short drive from Tuggeranong. You can dash through the snow on a toboggan ride in the snowplay area, have a snowball fight, or make Frosty the Snowman.

There's also a ski slope, onsite ski and snowboard rentals and a snowsports school. After a day in the snow, you can then head on over to the comfy lodge for delicious wood-fired pizzas, hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows over the open fire.
To find out more about Corin Forest, visit their website here.


4. Enjoy the winter trees.
Winter trees usually don't generate the same frenzy of excitement that autumn trees do. After all, they've lost all of their gorgeously coloured leaves and are now just spindly, skeletal, gloomy looking things that make you feel even colder when you look at them. But if you look closely enough, you'll see that winter trees have a haunting beauty of their own. And more than anything, they remind us of the cycle of the seasons (which we're lucky to experience in Canberra) and that one day, they will be bursting with leaves and blossoms again. So let's enjoy and celebrate our winter trees, snap plenty of photos of them and make them as instagramable as they were in the autumn!


5. Enjoy being at home too!
It's important to keep active during winter, but when the days and nights are particularly fierce and the winds of winter are howling outside, there really is no place like home. Of course, we can't avoid going to work or school. But if you don't have to be anyplace, then just be at home and snuggle up on the sofa with a good book, binge watch your favourite shows, pop some popcorn and enjoy a family movie night, play some board games, knit a scarf or a pair of socks, get crafting, cook up a warming winter feast for your family or friends, roast chestnuts on your open fire (if you have one), or do whatever it is that gives you warmth and comfort.


Finally,

6. Celebrate Christmas in July.
Tis the season to be jolly and to deck the halls with boughs of holly! The wintery images of Christmas (for example, Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh, mistletoe and holly, chestnuts roasting on an open fire) never made much sense to me, and continue to not make much sense to me, during our sizzling hot and fiery Aussie summer. But they do make much more sense during our winter, that is, during the months of June, July and August, and not in fiery December. With Canberra possibly being the coldest city in Australia ever during our seemingly eternal winter, there really is no better place to experience a white kind of Christmas. If you love Christmas as much as I do and would love to celebrate its winter magic, then read my article here .


Winter may not be your favourite season in Canberra but it's howling down upon us now and I'm afraid it's here to stay. So rug up in your winter woollies, enjoy that steaming mug of hot chocolate or that glass of red wine by the fire, and dream of spring and Floriade and the warmer days to come.
%%"In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

Albert Camus%%

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