I know I am dragging up my old thread but am glad I chose to live near the coast. Currently the app temp is 19 deg in Yeppoon and 29 in Rocky !

How that possible for such large difference? If Ballina is 19C, then Lismore would be 21Cish. Why massive 10C difference without geographical influence..... how weird...

Vin was referring to the 'Apparent Temperature', rather than the Air Temperature (Air temp at Rocky was around 27/28ºC and Yeppoon around 22ºC).
Mount Archer (about 600m ASL) and small to moderate hills to the east and northeast of Rockhampton would be to blame for the difference in temp (both air and apparent temp). Yeppoon has experienced a NE'ly seabreeze this afternoon, moderating the air temp but the increase in wind caused the 'apparent' temp to drop down to around 19 degrees). Meanwhile, Rockhampton has had light and somewhat variable winds and it is rather warm too, the moderating seabreeze has not arrived with the hills blocking the seabreeze. I believe it is a common occurrence for Rockhampton to not receive the seabreeze (or when it does, it tends to be later in the evening).

Yeah sorry for not being clear Matt, app temp or apparent temp - think of it as the "feels like " temperature.

Eg using Longreach as an example

Currently 15.8 degrees but the feels like temperature is 11.2 deg because there is a dry southerly blowing .

MattT, there is a massive geographical influence in that area.

In Spring and Summer it is not unusual at all for Rocky to be 38 while Yeppoon is only 28.
The reason is Mt Archer, it's a big hill about 600 metres (could be wrong) high that sits directly east of the city of Rocky. It blocks pretty much anything coming in from the east to the city, including afternoon seabreezes.

An example of this occured on 28th November 2011. Rockhampton's maximum was 34.7, while Yeppoon's maximum was only 29.3 (both of these were the hottest for both places for that month).

On of the biggest things you notice if you compare the observations from the two stations is the predominantly easterly winds.

Lol found this looking up something else.

Having lived here about 5 years the only thing annoying here is the humidity over Jan-March.

A dew point of 27 deg is hideous .

Probably the next place moving to is the Gold Coast. I assume this would be a less humid and slightly less warmer version of temps on the Cap Coast.

Lol was googling something and this came up again.

Having lived here nearly 7 years ...

I can say

It gets hotter earlier than Perth, late August / September instead of Perth being mid October - November.

Rocky really does hit 30 deg in winter sometimes ! I didn't believe it until I came here and saw it . Hottest Yeppoon has been last winter was maybe 3 days of 28 or 25-26 , though winter just gone wasn't a typical one.

It gets way more humid than Bundy ... but the breeze whichever direction off the ocean it comes, it makes it so much more bearable.

Townsville seems dryer than Rocky though?

Townsville's rainfall is variable, thats for sure, much more than Rockhampton's.

Townsville seems to go through repeating ~5 years periods of wetter weather, then drier. Some of these swings are extreme, leading to years where rainfall can be 800mm (or more) below and above average.

Townsville is (hopefully) just about to come out of a dry period.

Rockhampton seems to be much more consistent, usually staying within 250-300mm of it's mean yearly average of 815mm.

Even though their yearly averages are only 300mm apart, Townsville has seen 10 years in the last 67 where yearly rainfall has been 500m+ above average, Rockhampton has only seen 5.

On the other extreme Townsville has seen 9 years in the last 67 where rainfall has been 500mm+ below average, Rockhampton none.

So some years Townsville will seem drier than Rocky (and will be), but other years it is much, much wetter.