Before the 1950s, people generally didn't jump onto planes to head off to other states or overseas.
It meant there was great interest at times like Easter in what the weather would hold closer to home.
A quick scan of newspapers from Melbourne and Victoria in the 1920s and 1930s reveals a definite craving for outdoor events, sports and picnics.
"Lists of holiday arrangements" and "Programmes of Attractions" featured prominently, and naturally, the weather forecast was front and centre.
Easter is a moveable feast, occurring on different dates each year. It's observed on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, so there really isn't such a thing as typical Easter weather.
But there is evidence of it being hotter the earlier it comes in autumn.
Historical highs and lows
The record maximum for the Easter period in Melbourne came on 24 March, 1940, when it reached 34.9 degrees Celsius after an exceptionally hot March.
Conversely, the coldest day during Easter was on 20 April, 1924 when it struggled to reach 13.9C.
As for rain, in the past it has varied between none at all and the 188 millimetres that fell on Laverton in Melbourne's west in 1977.
Most of that rain fell in just four-and-a-half hours, and there was flooding across Melbourne's west going into Good Friday.
In 1883, The Age newspaper trumpeted that there would be "exceedingly fine weather" for a match at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Situated on the corner of Wellington Parade and Jolimont Parade near the MCG, it was demolished in 1921 to make room for an extension of the Flinders Street rail yard, and the new-fangled electric trains.
There weren't too many happy campers during the Easter of 1917. To quote The Age "grumbling was universal".
"As a holiday Easter has been a failure," claimed the newspaper.
But "occasional stoics braved the elements in great coats and mufflers" amid "piercingly cold winds and showers of heavy rain".
It was the reverse for Easter 1923. The Age reported that it was "a delightful holiday".
"For miles around Melbourne the countryside rang with the spontaneous gaiety of thousands of healthy citizens of all ages and classes" read the newspaper, and a little bit of social opinion was thrown in: "A holiday is a truly democratic institution."
In 1929, the year of the crash on Wall Street and the subsequent Great Depression, Easter had not been a good one.
"Weather spoils holiday" was The Age's headline. There was a "tremendous rush to theatres and picture shows" with many turned away. Despite the foul weather, "people still travelled to the Easter Cup [horse races] at Williamstown, racing at Hanging Rock, and motor racing at Aspendale".
Predicting the weather, early 20th century style
The Bureau of Meteorology didn't exist until 1908. Each colony, and then state, had its own weather service. It used to fall to the government astronomer, a Mr Barrachi in Victoria, for predictions of Easter weather.
These days you can just look at an app to see what will happen with the weather seven or more days ahead.
But in 1937, with no internet or seven day outlooks, the forecast was met with bated breath.
"With the whole state awaiting his pronouncement, the Commonwealth Meteorologist at noon today predicted these mixed ingredients for the Easter holiday weather: 'Fine and warm until tomorrow evening,'" reported The Herald.
In 1947, after World War II, The Argus pronounced it the best Easter weather in years.
"Holiday makers packed guest houses at Belgrave, Upwey, Emerald, Macedon and Warrandyte", while "thousands lolled in the sunshine around the beaches".
But one year later, in 1948, The Herald labelled the holiday "the bleakest Easter for 16 years" and snow fell in the Alps. Such is the changeable nature of the holiday.
In more recent times, Easter Sunday in 1995 saw 33 millimetres of rain drenching Melbourne, most of it falling in a three-hour period.
It made a mess of the all-day concert at Olympic Park starring Lou Reed, Nine Inch Nails and Faith No More.
In 2021, Melbourne had its hottest Good Friday in more than 80 years, with parts of the city hitting 30.6 degrees in the early afternoon.
It was in early April that year, and the Bureau said it was "quite warm, but [we are] still transitioning to that cooler weather".
And cooler it will be this year in Melbourne and across Victoria.
At the time of writing, the forecast for Melbourne is for 1 to 9 millimetres of rain on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures dropping from 22C on Good Friday to just 15C on Easter Sunday, 5C below average for April. A fresh south westerly wind will make it feel even colder.
If you're looking for the word to describe that, perhaps a 1912 copy of The Age can fill in the blanks, as the Bendigo fair was described as an attractive event despite "unpropitious" weather.
Guessing it wasn't a great day, and that the copy was written by a crossword or Scrabble master.
