SUMMER – we’re in it.
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After a fairly desultory start, summer arrived this week in central Victoria with a hot blast.
But there were few complaints when the Bendigo Advertiser went out and about in Bendigo yesterday, with many confessing they love the heat.
Larissa Hudgson, 20, from Marong and her friend Emma Keulen, 21, from the Netherlands, were found enjoying the peaceful natural surrounds of Crusoe Reservoir.
Emma said she “doesn’t like the cold” and was not finding the fierce southern Australian sun too hot. “It’s better than Queensland,” she said.
“I love the hot weather in Australia.”
Larissa meanwhile couldn’t wait to swim out to the deep lake’s pontoon, which was back on Thursday after being out of action for a couple of weeks.
Nancy Davey from Elmore, daughter Christine Treacy and her children were also getting cool at Crusoe.
Although Nancy often cools off in her backyard pool, yesterday’s trip was “a family adventure,” she said. “It’s a nice little spot.”
Aside from a refreshing dip, Christine said other good ways to cool off were in a sprinkler, using wet towels, and drinking lots of water.
Crusoe reservoir park ranger Miles Geldard said about 100 people had come for a swim on Thursday night and he was expecting as many, if not more, yesterday afternoon.
In central Bendigo as the afternoon sizzled, Riccardo and Gelya Samtagati from Point Cook, with one-year-old daughter Emily, were literally cooling their heels in the street fountain.
Riccardo said they had stopped in Bendigo on their way back to Melbourne after a “lovely hot” week at Echuca.
The dragon trampoline was a popular spot for a group of children who were apparently oblivious to the rising mercury.
Not far away on Mitchell Street, a shop selling ice cream was doing brisk trade.
Bendigo Hospital recorded no admissions from heat stress yesterday and police reported no incidents related to the heat.
Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said there were three incidents in central Victoria that could be put down to heat-related illness.