“Did someone say snowfall in Melbourne?” a surprised voice interjected. We are gathered here at the Melbourne – Bureau of Meteorology station 086338. You might be surprised to learn that this station, located in Olympic Park, holds the key to Melbourne’s meteorological past. Before the skyscrapers cast long shadows upon this city, before the hum of trams filled the air, Melbourne’s weather story was being written. It all began in 1835, with a certain John Pascoe Fawkner. He diligently jotted down temperatures and rainfall in his diary, chronicling the city’s first European summer.
Official records, however, commenced in 1840 at Flagstaff Hill. The aim? To understand the weather and reduce deaths at sea. Imagine the rudimentary instruments of the time, capturing the city’s first and only recorded snowfall in August 1849. Over the years, the Melbourne – Bureau of Meteorology station changed hands and locations. It journeyed from Flagstaff Hill to Latrobe Street. Finally, it arrived at its current home. Today, this station in Olympic Park represents more than just weather readings. It holds within its data logs the whispers of Melbourne’s past. Each data point whispers a tale of scorching summers, chilly winters and those rare, magical snowfalls.