Just came in from a good observing sessions on a really pretty nice clear night in Melbourne. Not the most transparent I've ever seen, but frankly some people here seem unable to accept anything other than 100% perfect dark still skies. There was some very pleasant observing to be had. If all you can do is complain about the excellent astronomy conditions here, maybe best to move to a desert?
And I'm with stephenb on the DSE's work. Reducing fire fuel loads is really rather important in Victoria, unless you fancy the next Black Saturday being even worse than the last one. More power to them, they mostly do a very good job. "Limited clear weather in Melbourne"?? Where have you been all summer?!
Given the very
large number of clear nights over the whole summer here, I'll happily sacrifice a bit of transparency on the odd night (and it was only a bit tonight), for a reduced overall fire risk.
Go on. Partake in our great hobby. It's nice and clear outside!