Sydney heatwave: NewsLocal’s ice block melting competition

Feeling hot today? NewsLocal put Sydney’s temperatures to the test today to see how quickly ice blocks would melt in different parts of the city. Find out where they melted fastest.

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We all know you can cook up a Sunday breakfast on the pavement or in the car if the conditions are just right — but how quickly can you melt an ice block?

As temperatures scorched parts of Sydney today — rising up to 45C in areas such as Penrith — NewsLocal teams sweetened the warm conditions and went head-to-head on the experiment.

Here is what we found

First

In first place, the Macarthur Chronicle said it only took 9.58 minutes for them to melt their lemonade ice block after placing it on a steaming Oran Park footpath.

It was not long before it transformed into a sticky pool of liquid, with the area experiencing its forth successive day of heatwave conditions.

Journalist Daniel McGookin confirmed it was 35C at the time of the 12pm experiment.

The Canterbury-Bankstown Express’s popsicle at 12pm today, which melted in 16 minutes in 39C temperatures.

Second

The Liverpool Leader melted a popsicle in just 12 minutes at 12pm.

It was placed in the pavement in the heart of Liverpool, which the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicted would sizzle with a maximum temperature of 43C.

Journalist Cindy Ngo confirmed it was 35C at the time of the experiment — hot enough to deter anyone from accessing the park where the icy pole was located.

Third

Journalists from the Parramatta Advertiser closely followed the team’s winners today, with their ice block melting in 13 minutes.

It was 33C at the time of the experiment, where the icy pole was laid on the concrete along the Parramatta River.

Journalist Mary Anne Taouk said: “The wind was blowing and, in the shade, it was nice — but out in the direct sunlight it was tough.”

Manly Daily’s Bryn Kay confirmed their team’s popsicle melted in 16.4 minutes in Manly, which was 30.2C at the time of the experiment.

Fourth

It was a tie between the Manly Daily and Canterbury-Bankstown Express at 12pm today, with both teams melting their lemonade popsicles in 16 minutes.

It is a surprising result, considering temperatures at the Chullora office were almost 9C higher than Manly with 30.2C.

Chullora journalist Lawrence Machado said it may have been the result of a slight breeze.

However, before we could confirm his iPhone shut down due to overheating while in standing in the sun.

“My iPhone was reaching dangerous levels due to the heat and it stopped recording, warning me to cool it before it could be reused,” he said.

“Naturally, I got a better tan too.”

Fifth

The Central News team was not far behind those from the Manly Daily and the Canterbury-Bankstown Express — melting their ice block in 18 minutes with a temperature of 31C at 12pm.

The team conducted the experiment in a carpark along Holt St at Surry Hills.