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Post by greysrigging on Feb 21, 2021 6:07:19 GMT -5
Who doesn't like a good old fashioned cross continent Road Trip ? I've done this journey literally dozens of times spanning 40 years.... in cars, SUV's, tractor-trailers and buses ( passenger ) In the 1980's the Stuart Highway was gravel from Port Augusta to the NT border and was a nightmare trip of corrugations, dust, bulldust holes and if unlucky, epic flooded wash aways and bog holes. The section from Darwin to Alice Springs was sealed to single lane bitumen during WW2 as part of the war effort against the Japs, but even this road was seriously compromised during the Northern wet season, with many low level causeways and bridges being impassable for months at a time. The Northern section was mostly upgraded to 2 way standard c/w high level bridges by 1990. Nowadays the Stuart Highway can be experienced in the comefort of the modern airconned vehicle and along the Northern Territory section we can drive at 130klm/h, dropping back to 110klm/h in South Australia. Three days to Adelaige is quite easy, but if one is in a hurry, well I can do the trip in two long days. And no matter what time of the year, I always strike it cold at Port Augusta... they suffer the cold changes of the Southern coasts despite the location at the northen end of the Spencer Gulf.  Darwin  Katherine  Daly Waters  Tennant Creek  Alice Springs  Marla Bore  Coober Pedy  | Port Augusta  Adelaide  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2021 8:05:06 GMT -5
I'd say Daly Waters is the best of the bunch - just needs the precip pattern to be evened out a bit. I like the while stretch from Darwin through Alice springs though. Australia really does have an impressive selection of climates - and not all of them are anything like Port Hedland (which is probably, at least up here, the most "stereotypical" Australian climate).
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Post by jgtheone on Feb 21, 2021 8:13:08 GMT -5
Voting for Adelaide
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Post by Noodleman556 on Feb 21, 2021 9:09:28 GMT -5
Adelaide for the precip pattern. Port august has the best temp pattern but unfortauntely is too dry.
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Post by deneb78 on Feb 21, 2021 12:27:55 GMT -5
It would be nice to have sunshine values for all of them to better compare but it's a toss up between Darwin, Katherine, Daly Waters and Tennant Creek. All four are A climates. I think I will give Tennant Creek the edge for being much sunnier in the wet season and having fewer rainy days.
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Post by Steelernation on Feb 21, 2021 12:46:13 GMT -5
Adelaide. I don’t like the precipitation pattern but the others are too hot.
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Post by tommyFL on Feb 21, 2021 13:11:07 GMT -5
Adelaide for being the coolest
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Post by alex992 on Feb 21, 2021 13:39:09 GMT -5
Alice Springs - most interesting one temp-wise and has the lowest record low.
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Post by knot on Feb 21, 2021 14:40:50 GMT -5
Adelaide by a long shot.
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Post by omegaraptor on Feb 21, 2021 15:58:44 GMT -5
Port Augusta probably has the best temperature profile but is too dry. Adelaide it is.
Alice Springs is actually very good for its latitude, thanks to the elevation. Winter nights are very chilly for being just below the Tropic of Capricorn.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2021 16:52:36 GMT -5
It would be nice to have sunshine values for all of them to better compare but it's a toss up between Darwin, Katherine, Daly Waters and Tennant Creek. All four are A climates. I think I will give Tennant Creek the edge for being much sunnier in the wet season and having fewer rainy days. Surprised your choice is farther south than mine - you've always been known as the big cold-hating, tropical-loving guy! |
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Post by antares on Feb 21, 2021 17:00:24 GMT -5
Darwin. Not an easy choice though.
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Post by deneb78 on Feb 21, 2021 18:44:32 GMT -5
Darwin for the warmest record lows, precipitation totals. Can't beat the epic storms and shorts year round.  deneb78 I am a bit surprised you didn't go with that one as well due to the warmth, but I guess its a bit too wet for you. Don't get me wrong... Darwin is an awesome climate but I prefer sunshine over precip. That's what put Tennant Creek a bit over the edge for me. It still has tropical temperatures. If the other locations closer to Darwin had sunshine data, I may have picked them. |
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Post by St. Middleway on Feb 21, 2021 18:45:05 GMT -5
Adelaide was the best of this lot, except for the rain pattern.
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Post by deneb78 on Feb 21, 2021 18:46:39 GMT -5
It would be nice to have sunshine values for all of them to better compare but it's a toss up between Darwin, Katherine, Daly Waters and Tennant Creek. All four are A climates. I think I will give Tennant Creek the edge for being much sunnier in the wet season and having fewer rainy days. Surprised your choice is farther south than mine - you've always been known as the big cold-hating, tropical-loving guy! Oh I do hate cold and frost but Tennant Creek still has tropical temperatures and no freezes. I may have picked a location further north if there was sunshine data as I prefer sunshine over more precip. |
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Post by greysrigging on Feb 21, 2021 19:26:29 GMT -5
Surprised your choice is farther south than mine - you've always been known as the big cold-hating, tropical-loving guy! Oh I do hate cold and frost but Tennant Creek still has tropical temperatures and no freezes. I may have picked a location further north if there was sunshine data as I prefer sunshine over more precip. One of the quirks of the climate between Katherine ( 300klm from the coast ) and Tennant Creek ( 1000klm inland ) is that Katherine ( 4 differing weather recording sites over 70 years ) has recorded lower extreme minimums than Tennant Creek. Katherine sites are low in the valley of the Katherine River, and get some cold air drainage in the dry season winter months. Tennant Creek Airport, on the other hand, is at modest altitude on a windswept arid plateau which tends to modify upwards the extreme minimums. But the older site at the Tennant Creek Post Office ( closed 1970 ) has had a June 2.8c, a July 2,4c and an August 2.8c. Katherine has historically recorded low mins of June 3.4, July 2.5c and August 4.0c. |
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Post by deneb78 on Feb 21, 2021 21:09:34 GMT -5
Oh I do hate cold and frost but Tennant Creek still has tropical temperatures and no freezes. I may have picked a location further north if there was sunshine data as I prefer sunshine over more precip. One of the quirks of the climate between Katherine ( 300klm from the coast ) and Tennant Creek ( 1000klm inland ) is that Katherine ( 4 differing weather recording sites over 70 years ) has recorded lower extreme minimums than Tennant Creek. Katherine sites are low in the valley of the Katherine River, and get some cold air drainage in the dry season winter months. Tennant Creek Airport, on the other hand, is at modest altitude on a windswept arid plateau which tends to modify upwards the extreme minimums. But the older site at the Tennant Creek Post Office ( closed 1970 ) has had a June 2.8c, a July 2,4c and an August 2.8c. Katherine has historically recorded low mins of June 3.4, July 2.5c and August 4.0c. Very interesting to learn about the local geography Do you know what is the furthest north town in Australia to have recorded a freeze in the dry season? |
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Post by knot on Feb 21, 2021 21:28:52 GMT -5
Darwin. Not an easy choice though. Gave me a right shock! What polar foamer worth his salt…would choose Darwin over Adelaide?! |
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Post by greysrigging on Feb 21, 2021 22:59:34 GMT -5
One of the quirks of the climate between Katherine ( 300klm from the coast ) and Tennant Creek ( 1000klm inland ) is that Katherine ( 4 differing weather recording sites over 70 years ) has recorded lower extreme minimums than Tennant Creek. Katherine sites are low in the valley of the Katherine River, and get some cold air drainage in the dry season winter months. Tennant Creek Airport, on the other hand, is at modest altitude on a windswept arid plateau which tends to modify upwards the extreme minimums. But the older site at the Tennant Creek Post Office ( closed 1970 ) has had a June 2.8c, a July 2,4c and an August 2.8c. Katherine has historically recorded low mins of June 3.4, July 2.5c and August 4.0c. Very interesting to learn about the local geography Do you know what is the furthest north town in Australia to have recorded a freeze in the dry season? As a matter of fact I have a list of the most northerly occurances of frost and near frost min temps As best as I can find, the most Northerly sub zero min temp in Australia occurred at Palmerville, Queensland in June 1913 ( -0.1c ) 15.99*S Palmerville, QLD ( 15.99*S, 204m asl ) June 1913 = -0.1c, July 1899 = 1.7c, July 1965 = 1.9c Coen, QLD ( 13.94*S, 199m asl ) July 1965 = 0.6c Tortilla Flats, NT ( 13.10*S, 23m asl ) July 1965 = 1.7c Douglas River, NT ( 13.83*S, 43m asl ) July 1977 = 2.0c Kalumburu, WA ( 14.30*S, 23m asl ) July 1965 = 2.3c notes// almost a coastal location ! Katherine, NT ( 14.48*S, 120m asl ) July 1965 = 2.5c. VRD, NT ( 16.40*S, 89m asl ) July 1965 = 1.3c Mt Elizabeth, WA ( 16.42*S, 546m asl ) June 1998 = -1.3c . Notes// records a zero temp most dry seasons between May and August. Lockhart River, QLD ( 12.79*S, 19m asl ) July 1965 = 3.3c Middle Point, NT ( 12.58*S, 14m asl ) July 1965 = 4.6c Notes// a rural suburb 30klm from Darwin, records mins around 5c some years. Atherton Tablelands between 17*S-18*S, towns at altitude record frosts some winters between May and August. Herberton, QLD ( 17.38*S, 909m asl ) July 1958 = -5.0c Atherton. QLD ( 17.26*S, 753m asl ) June 2007 = -0.6c So yes indeed, cold air can push deep into the Tropics. Notably July 1965, June 2007 and May 2020. |
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Post by Beercules on Feb 22, 2021 0:57:57 GMT -5
"Northern Territory section we can drive at 130klm/h, dropping back to 110klm/h in South Australia"
Just goes to show what a corrupt gayhole South Australia is.
Tennant Creek
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