Does anyone know where the Canberra “rule” about heating staying off till after Anzac Day comes from?

It’s one of those things I’ve always known but can’t remember how I came to know it.

A comment on an earlier RiotACT post on how to survive your first winter here indicates that Canberrans have stuck to the rule since oil heaters warmed our homes.

Personally I’m not a believer in the rule anyway. I can’t think straight when I’m cold, and I start work before the sun comes up. The heating has been on more than once in recent weeks. I switched it from aircon to heat on March 19, when the temperature fell to zero, and haven’t looked back.

I wondered whether the average temperatures for April backed up the Anzac Day theory, and found some charts on San Francisco-based Weatherspark.com’s website that answered that question instantly (and made me shiver a little too).

So, what happens at your place? Have you turned the heater on yet? Is the Anzac Day rule cruel or cool with you?