October's windy weather: from Melbourne

You've heard the expression to run like the wind. Well in Melbourne the past month, the wind didn't run - it flew.

But exactly how far did Melbourne's persistent spring winds travel? Put it this way: if you hitched a ride you'd need a passport.

In October the wind that passed through the Bureau of Meteorology's Tullamarine observation station travelled at 18,165 kilometres.

That's the equivalent distance of a return trip to Beijing. Or a one-way jaunt to Europe's most westerly point, Cabo da Roca west of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

Read Bridie Smith’s story in the Melbourne Age - “October's windy weather: from Melbourne.”