If you are an international student in tropical Queensland or in Darwin you would not believe that Australia is the driest continent in the world with large deserts covering most of its surface. Many Asian international students, used to monsoon rain, are amazed by the dry heat in places like Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. In the midst of summer, temperatures can soar to over 46 degrees in the cities and over 50°C in the desert. Walking outside in those conditions is like `stepping into hell`: especially if a hot Northern wind blows in your face like a 3000 watt blow hairdryer. Your laundry on the cloth line dries in minutes and at the end of the day, plants have shrunk into miserable creatures. The dry heat can be extremely dangerous if you are exposed for a longer time without protection as the tragic story of the young Austrian couple Karl Goeschka and Gabriele Grossmueller illustrates. Read more about it in Bert's blog.