VRT's Eveline Masco discovers EOFYS down under
It's late May and it feels like Christmas here in Perth indeed. People have taken up the habit of wearing scarves and hats some weeks ago. In the shops it's hard to miss the huge piles of electric blankets. And in the food courts you get the good advice to get yourself a nice cup of hot soup to warm up to. Yes: it's autumn in Australia, and the scorching sunny days we enjoyed only a couple of months ago seem like a distant memory. The temperatures have dropped considerably, to only about a third of their summer peaks. On average, this comes down to no more than 10 degrees Celsius during the evenings and nights.
Now you have every right to raise your eyebrows and laugh. I do realise this weather is much better than what you have to put up with in Belgium, where it is now spring, at least according to the calendar.
But in a country were houses are built without central heating and insulation, temperatures of ten degrees or lower are well, freezin'!
With winter approaching, the beaches have emptied, and people have turned to indoor activities instead. The number one pasttime activity for the moment seems to be: shop till you drop. Unlike in Belgium, the end of the financial year is in June. As retailers try to get rid of their stock and get those last dollars in their registers, for shoppers it's the most wonderful time of the year to score some amazing bargains. Right now the window displays are all shouting "Happy EOFYS!", or Happy End Of Financial Year Sales. So now is the time to get new household goods, fashion and computers at seriously reduced prices. Meanwhile, businesses are spending their last dollars on company cars to maximise their tax returns.
With the chill in the air and the sales on offer everywhere, all you need is a decorated tree and some twinkling lights to complete the Christmas picture. And the occasional Elf definitely adds credibility to it all.
Eveline Masco is a VRT journalist and Editor of VRT Television News. After several long visits to Australia, she decided she wanted to be more than a tourist. Since January 2013, she lives in Perth, Western Australia, together with her husband.