I was going to bring along my tip-sensitive digital thermometer and help-out at a sausage sizzle for the kids today before tomorrow’s national holiday, but days of rain have thwarted any plans for the barbie.

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove on Jan. 26, 1788, and the proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of New Holland. The Brits viewed the settlement as necessary because of the loss of the 13 colonies in North America. The locals didn’t think it was that necessary.

The Aussies have fabulous parks everywhere, especially in Brisbane because so much of the city is in a flood plain. And there are free electric and wood-burning grills at almost every park.

So someone thought to test the cleanliness of the BBQs.

Of eight public barbecues across Melbourne surveyed by an accredited food safety specialist, all cooking surfaces were deemed safe at the time, but not so for benchtops around communal barbies.

Port Phillip Council acting mayor Frank O’Connor, whose municipality takes in St Kilda, said barbecues were cleaned twice a day between November and March with operation checked weekly. Contractors also regularly checked their heat output.