If You Dislike the Summer Heat...

Soon it will be summer in the northern hemisphere. If you dislike the heat of summer, remember that May is the month before the southern winter begins. So the weather in Australia is getting cooler and colder, although not remarkably so in the tropical north. It's autumn, of course, and autumn and spring are among the best times to visit.

May festivals in Australia include the Whaleshark Festival in Western Australia, the Byron Underwater Festival in northern New South Wales, and the Writers Festival in Sydney.

With usually fine temperate weather without much rain, May would be a good month for walking, trekking, cruising, and taking short trips outside the cities.

Here are some short-trip suggestions from Australia's capital cities:

• In Adelaide, there's the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley
• In Brisbane, drive north to Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, south to the Gold Coast, or west into the Darling Downs.
• In Canberra, visit the Lanyon Homestead.
• In Darwin, there's Litchfield National Park and Katherine Gorge.
• In Hobart, visit the convict settlement of Port Arthur.
• In Melbourne, take the drive to the Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley wine regions. Or head southeast to Phillip Island and the penguin parade, or southwest through the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles.
• In Perth, drive south to Fremantle and from there take the ferry to Rottnest Island.
• In Sydney head west to the Blue Mountains, north to Port Stephens or the Hunter wine region, or south to Jervis Bay.

And this being the month before the southern winter begins, get ready to ski.

Photo: Swimming with a whale shark © Australian Tourist Commission