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Whacky weather hits Australia
25/12/2007 09:48 - (SA)
Sydney - The west-coast capital of Perth was baking Tuesday in record heat as police hunted arsonists and firefighters battled 120 mostly deliberately lit blazes.
But in Sydney on the east coast, the traditional Christmas Day revelry on Bondi Beach was blighted by unseasonably cool weather.
A cold wind howled across Australia's most famous strip of sand, forcing the international backpacker set into jeans and jumpers rather than the customary board shorts and bikinis.
In Perth, the holiday season was predicted to be the hottest since 1915, but in Sydney forecasters were expecting rain. They warned that already grey skies would darken as the holiday progressed.
Along with messages of peace and hope from clergy came the obligatory health and safety warnings from police and doctors.
"Excess alcohol consumption is responsible for billions of dollars worth of illness and tragedy in Australia each year," Australian Medical Association President Rosanna Capolingua said in a cheerless Christmas message. "In addition to what it's doing to your body, excessive drinking can be the cause of all kinds of accidents."
She urged those who had planned a day at the beach to drink water rather than wine, eat small, balanced meals and go for a brisk walk rather than a long drive.
Dentists also advised the public of Christmas perils. Oral health expert Lanny Chor said that people not only ate more sugar but ate it more frequently during the Christmas period.
"Frequency is as bad as quantity," Dr Chor said. "One of the problems with the Christmas cake, chocolate-coated peanuts, candy canes, glace cherries and champagne is that there is often a continual period of eating between Christmas and New Year, exposing teeth to continuous acid attacks."
A single slice of Christmas cake can contain 12 teaspoons of sugar and a glass of champagne eight spoonfuls.
- SAPA
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