Tasmanians take the plunge as Australia marks the annual Winter Solstice and shortest day of the year
Winter solstice has arrived — the day Australia experiences its shortest amount of daylight in the whole calendar year.
Each winter solstice, thousands of swimmers in Tasmania turn out to mark the day with a freezing dip in Hobart's beach.
More than 3,000 people took part in the event on Saturday morning, which is also the final event for Hobart's Dark Mofo winter feast festival.
Saturday is the day the Southern Hemisphere is officially at its furthest tilt away from the sun, meaning all Australians experience a much shorter day, followed by the longest night into Sunday.
At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere is celebrating the opposite, with the longest amount of daylight followed by the shortest night.
Earth is currently sitting at a tilt of 23 degrees, meaning the Southern Hemisphere is the furthest away from the sun it will get all year.
Earth rotates around an axis —a line from the North Pole to the South Pole, through the centre of the Earth once every 24 hours and we orbit the Sun once every year.
Our rotation axis is tilted relative to the plane of our orbit around the Sun.
The hours of daylight Australians see today, also may vary today, with BOM expecting those who are more south to experience a shorter day.
Hobart, for example, only sees around nine hours of daylight at the winter solstice — but 15 hours of daylight at the summer solstice.
While in Darwin and other Queensland towns at the top of Australia, daylight hours can vary from 11.5 hours of daylight at the winter solstice to about 12.5 hours of daylight at the summer solstice.
The change to the amount of daylight Australians experience on each solstice can also have a significant impact on sleeping patterns with health experts encouraging people to avoid sleeping in so they can maintain their body clock.
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7NEWS
6 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Tasmanians take the plunge as Australia marks the annual Winter Solstice and shortest day of the year
Winter solstice has arrived — the day Australia experiences its shortest amount of daylight in the whole calendar year. Each winter solstice, thousands of swimmers in Tasmania turn out to mark the day with a freezing dip in Hobart's beach. More than 3,000 people took part in the event on Saturday morning, which is also the final event for Hobart's Dark Mofo winter feast festival. Saturday is the day the Southern Hemisphere is officially at its furthest tilt away from the sun, meaning all Australians experience a much shorter day, followed by the longest night into Sunday. At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere is celebrating the opposite, with the longest amount of daylight followed by the shortest night. Earth is currently sitting at a tilt of 23 degrees, meaning the Southern Hemisphere is the furthest away from the sun it will get all year. Earth rotates around an axis —a line from the North Pole to the South Pole, through the centre of the Earth once every 24 hours and we orbit the Sun once every year. Our rotation axis is tilted relative to the plane of our orbit around the Sun. The hours of daylight Australians see today, also may vary today, with BOM expecting those who are more south to experience a shorter day. Hobart, for example, only sees around nine hours of daylight at the winter solstice — but 15 hours of daylight at the summer solstice. While in Darwin and other Queensland towns at the top of Australia, daylight hours can vary from 11.5 hours of daylight at the winter solstice to about 12.5 hours of daylight at the summer solstice. The change to the amount of daylight Australians experience on each solstice can also have a significant impact on sleeping patterns with health experts encouraging people to avoid sleeping in so they can maintain their body clock.
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Wild scenes as hundreds run naked to water
At sunrise on the shortest day of the year, thousands of naked bodies surged into Hobart's icy River Derwent, baring all to farewell one of Australia's most daring festivals. The annual Nude Solstice Swim marked the end of Dark Mofo 2025, with 3,000 people shedding their clothes for the final 'cleansing' ritual. When the swim was first proposed in 2013, police threatened to arrest participants, sparking controversy around the provocative event. Since then, it has become an officially sanctioned and wildly popular highlight of the festival, selling out every year as thousands embrace the daring winter tradition. The infamous ritual has become a beloved part of the festival. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Thousands ditched their clothes and towels by the water. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Wrapped in towels and donning matching red swim caps, swimmers gathered in the dark before sprinting into the water to the sound of drums as the first rays of daylight hit the horizon on Saturday morning. With the mercury dropping to 10 degrees at 7.42am, many only dipped in briefly, but dozens lingered on the pontoon taking in the sunrise over the hill. After a cancelled 2024 festival, Dark Mofo Artistic Director Chris Twite said organisers had worked hard to rebuild the provocative event. 'This morning, after two years of hard work, it was tremendous to see 3,000 courageous souls gathered once more on the shore of the Derwent to brave the freezing waters for the Nude Solstice Swim to cleanse us and bring this year's Dark Mofo to a close,' he said. 'The response in 2025 has been incredible. The streets of Hobart have come alive with locals and visitors celebrating winter and Dark Mofo again.' Organisers describe the event as a 'cleansing' and a final embrace of the winter darkness. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Swimmers take to the water at sunrise on the shortest day of the year. Nikki Davis-Jones/ NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia The 2025 program was the first full-scale edition of the festival since the pandemic and drew massive crowds, with more than 480,000 entries and $4.6 million generated at the box office. Dark Mofo's Executive Director Melissa Edwards praised the overwhelming support behind the festival's return. 'We could not be more thankful for the ways that everyone has come together to return Dark Mofo to Tasmania this year,' she said.
Courier-Mail
12 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Winter solstice arrives in Australia, as icy temperatures hit the country's south east
Don't miss out on the headlines from Environment. Followed categories will be added to My News. Millions of Australians are battling icy temperatures, with much of the country's southeast expected to experience widespread frosty conditions on Australia's shortest day of the year. Large parts of New South Wales, Victoria, and some parts of Queensland are forecast to see cold temperatures, frost and possible fog over the weekend. 'The first cold outbreak of the winter season is impacting southeastern Australia this weekend, with damaging winds, heavy snowfall, widespread showers, thunderstorms, gusty winds, and some very cold air,' Bureau of Meteorology Meteorologist Dean Narramore said. 'Severe weather warnings are current for coastal and elevated parts of South Australia … that does include the Adelaide metropolitan area and the Mount Lofty Ranges.' Gusts of wind at or above 90km/h are expected in these regions, Mr Narramore added, as well as showers and thunderstorms. The winter solstice arrived on Saturday, meaning Australia will have its 'shortest day of the year', or the day with the least amount of daylight hours. A severe cold front set to hit South Eastern Australia over the next few days. Picture: BOM The first cold outbreak of the winter season is impacting southeastern Australia this weekend. Picture: Perisher A second cold front is also expected to hit the country's southeast on Sunday morning, bringing further icy conditions as it makes its way across Western Australia and into South Australia. Some parts of the southeast might dip below freezing temperatures on Sunday morning, Sky News Weather Presenter Nikolina Kharoufeh said. The second cold front is expected to bring heavy rainfall and very widespread, strong and gusty winds across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. Here's what those in Australia's capital cities should expect this weekend. Sydney Sydneysiders should expect a partly cloudy day on Saturday with a high of 19C and a low of 11C, with light winds. On Sunday, Sydney will see a mostly sunny day with a high of 20C and a low of 12C. Melbourne In Melbourne, a cloudy day, with a chance of showers is forecast on Saturday with a high of 15C and a low of 8C. On Sunday, a partly cloudy day is expected with a high of 16C and a low of 9C. Brisbane Those up in Brisbane are expected to see a sunny day on Saturday with a high of 24C and a low of 14C. On Sunday, Brisbane is forecasted to have a mostly sunny day with a high of 25C and a low of 15C. Perth Over in Perth on Saturday showers are expected with a high of 18C and a low of 10C. On Sunday, a partly cloudy day is expected with a high of 19C and a low of 11C. Adelaide In Adelaide on Saturday a cloudy day and a chance of rain is expected with a high of 17C and a low of 9C. On Sunday light winds are expected with a high of 18C and a low of 10C. Hobart Down in Hobart, a chance of showers is expected on Saturday, with a high of 13C and a low of 6C. On Sunday, a partly cloudy day is forecast with a high of 14C and a low of 7C. Canberra In the nation's capital, chilly temperatures are expected on Saturday, with a high of 15C and a low of 2C. On Sunday, Canberra should see a mostly Sunday day with a high of 16C and a low of 3C. Darwin Up in Darwin, a sunny day is forecast on Saturday with a high of 31C and a low of 21C. On Sunday, a high of 32C and a low of 22C is forecast. Originally published as Winter solstice arrives in Australia, as icy temperatures hit the country's south east
