Local residents are adapting their gardens to deal with rising temperatures and extreme weather conditions

Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick explains how the Shire's June climate is changing. Plus, how will rising temperatures impact green thumbs?

DATA from the Bureau of Meteorology suggests the Shire's June climate is warming.

Back in the early 1970s the coldest June night dropped to three degrees.

Now, it's more like seven degrees - almost four degrees warmer than 50 years ago.

And these changes are set to continue - in 70 years time, the CSIRO expects that the Shire will have a warmer and drier winter climate more like present day Bundaberg.

So what does this mean?

This could make it harder for gardeners to grow winter veggies like spinach and cauliflower which need cool temperatures to thrive.

As a result, green thumbs are considering drought and heat tolerant species.

One such species is a native known as "Warrigal greens" - an alternative to spinach more suited to a warming climate.

Local community members have also been impacted.

Hear from Jessica Small, a Heathcote resident:

Want more information on how your climate is changing? Check out the last article in this series.

Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick is a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales.

This column is part of a collaboration between Monash University and News Corp to deliver hyperlocal weather and climate information.