It's like you're sitting in front of an oven': surviving the summer in one of Australia's hottest towns

"Lyn Cheedy, a Yindjibarndi elder, takes her grandson to the pool most afternoons. At first, the cold water is refreshing. Then a gust of wind hits. The wind burns you, she says. I have to keep splashing my face, and your hair is drying that quick it's like you're sitting in front of an oven. In the Pilbara, heat and cyclones are nothing new, says Cheedy. Her people have survived extreme conditions for millennia."

"The storms are stronger and the temperatures higher three years ago Roebourne hit 50.5C for the first time in recorded history. The town of Roebourne, where temperatures can exceed 50C. Photograph: Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd Indigenous people across Australia are on the frontline of the climate crisis. As the world gets hotter and natural disasters become more frequent and intense, they are more likely to live in the worst-hit areas often in substandard housing. Extreme weather also threatens to destroy sacred sites and cultural practices."

Roebourne experiences extreme heat and frequent cyclones, with recorded temperatures exceeding 50C. Yindjibarndi elder Lyn Cheedy describes intense heat effects at the local pool and says traditional cooling practices have been disrupted. A key waterway has been dammed and trees cleared, increasing storm strength and temperatures. Many Indigenous residents live in flimsy public housing, often without air conditioning or with cheaply installed units paid by tenants. Overcrowding drives dozens into single houses, raising electricity use and unaffordable power bills. Extreme weather risks destroying sacred sites and cultural practices, while limited infrastructure and housing increase vulnerability to climate impacts.

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