044 Dress light for the World’s Longest heatwave

Most people think of marble as being cool, but visit Marble Bar in WA’s outback and you’ll almost certainly sizzle.

Most people think of marble as being cool, but visit Marble Bar in WA’s outback and you’ll almost certainly sizzle rather than chill. It’s known as the hottest spot in Australia and proved it decidedly in the 1920s.

A heatwave is declared when daily maximum temps stay above 100°F (37.8°C) for several consecutive days. Apparently Marble Bar’s reputation as a hot spot was at stake, so for 160 days from October 31, 1923, to April 7, 1924, the good residents of the town sweltered in maximums over the Fahrenheit century while the town burned itself into the history books as the place with the longest heatwave. Ever. Anywhere.

The town registers temperatures over 37.8°C on 154 days each year and the hottest days ever reached 49.2°C, on 11 January 1905 and again on 3 January 1922. Marble Bar isn’t a fading mining town. It may be hot, but it’s not thick. Originally established during the gold rush, today the mines bring out mainly tin, silver, lead, zinc, copper and jade. Well worth a visit, but pray it’s cooler when you get there!

Where // Marble Bar is 1476km north of Perth on the Great Northern Hwy, 192km southeast of Port Hedland.

Did you know? // They called it Marble Bar because of a deposit of jasper discovered at the river near town, which at first was thought to be marble. If you go, remember it’s illegal to fossick or cut jasper there.