Winter Solstice Meaning in Australia

The winter solstice is right around the corner, so it’s time to prepare for this interesting day. Keep reading to find out all you need to know about the winter solstice in Australia.

Winter solstice is coming up in June, but what is this day and how should we spend it? We’re answering frequently asked questions about the winter solstice in Australia with additional ideas for how you can spend this annual day.

As the shortest day of the year, there are many ways you can take advantage of the long night-time. From exercising while it’s cool to having a movie marathon, there’s endless possibilities for how you can spend winter solstice in Australia.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash. 

Top 5 Winter Solstice Questions Answered

1. What is the winter solstice?

Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year with the longest night. Since the path of the Earth around the Sun is not a perfect circle and our planet is off-centre on its axis, our days and nights go through a cycle of slowly increasing or decreasing hours of sunlight.

So, leading up to the winter solstice, the days start to become shorter and after the winter solstice, the days become longer again.

2. When is the winter solstice in Australia?

The winter solstice will occur on Monday, 21 June 2021 in Australia. However, it usually occurs on 22 June, but can happen between 21 June and 23 June.

3. How long is the winter solstice day?

The winter solstice day on 21 June 2021 will have a sunrise at 7:00am and sunset at 4:53pm, with 9 hours and 7 minutes of daylight.

4. Why does the winter solstice exist?

The tilt of the Earth and our orbit around the sun determines our seasons, and when this tilt is pointing the furthest away from the sun or the most towards the sun marks our winter and summer solstices.

So, when the southern hemisphere is pointed the furthest away from the sun, this day is marked as winter solstice.

5. How can you celebrate the winter solstice?

You can embrace this cold short day in any way you like, but these are some of our favourite ways to spend it in Australia.

Go camping

Since it’s the shortest day of the year, camping is a great way to spend the winter solstice in Australia. With a long night, it’s the perfect opportunity to stargaze and have a good long look at constellations and planets. So, get away from the city lights, grab a telescope (if you have one) and head to your favourite campsite to enjoy great views of space (definitely check it won’t be a cloudy night before you go).

Host a movie marathon

What better way to spend your day than by hosting a movie marathon! Grab the popcorn and choose a variety of your favourite movies or a movie saga and hit play. With less daylight, it’s better conditions to watch movies inside while it becomes dark outside. Snuggle up with a hot chocolate and some snacks and begin your movie experience.

Plan a relaxing day

Plan to have a relaxing day for winter solstice in Australia, with candles ready and a hot bath to soak up. A great day for self care, you can spend it relaxing and even go for a walk before bed to look at all the beautiful stars and planets above.

Have an active day.

Although June is already one of our colder months, it’s a great opportunity for outdoor activities and exercise with minimum daylight. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, those working the 9–5 can run before work while it’s still cooler, or run after work, because it will be getting dark then too!

If you’re not a fan of running, then you can take your dog for a walk while it’s cooler, go biking, skateboarding, rollerblading or whatever activity you enjoy doing while it’s cool. It’s also a great opportunity to go for a walk to get some fresh air while admiring the beautiful view of the stars. 

Thinking about going camping? You can find camping equipment on Localsearch.com.au!

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      Chloe Thistle

      Junior Marketing Administrator

      Chloe Thistle is a Junior Marketing Administrator at Localsearch, bringing her talents and background in digital and social media marketing to her role. She has sharpened her marketing skills across many different industries, including entertainment, fashion and in the B2B field. In her spare time, Chloe can be found either lounging at the beach or five coffees deep at one of her favourite local cafés. No stranger to adventures, she’s trekked to Mt. Everest Base Camp — fueled by coffee of course — has completed the Kokoda Challenge and is always looking for the next mountain to climb! Chloe loves looking for ways to combine her passions for adventure, sustainability and marketing, always chasing the latest trends in both marketing and fashion. Now, she’s utilising her vast life and digital marketing experience to blog and assist in the content with the Localsearch Marketing Team.