Long hot summer days with the cricket on TV, relaxing tunes on the Sonos and a frosty in hand: nothing beats summer in Australia. And the best complement to this bronzed scene is a sizzling steak, sausage or spatchcock, straight off the barbecue.

Rather than a quixotic vision of perfection, this is actually the reality, with the Australian Retailer Association (ARA) today revealing that barbecue sales spike more than any other category during the summer months, by a whopping 135 per cent!

Barbecue sales lead the list of booming summer categories, ahead of outdoor leisure equipment, perfume and aftershave and women’s clothing. This research was carried out by Roy Morgan and looked at sales in November through January, compared to the other months of the year.

“Australian’s have been born and bred to enjoy the great outdoors over summer and that includes heading away with the family on camping trips and regular social barbecues with friends,” said ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman. “We’re expecting to see a lot of tents, picnic gear, high-quality outdoor furniture and other leisure-based gifts under Christmas trees this year.

“These items are often able to be enjoyed by the entire family, therefore providing great value for money for the penny-conscious shopper.”

The ARA says Australians will spend an incredible $45 billion during the traditional pre-Christmas sales season (15 November through 24 December).

Readers interested in learning more about the Australian barbecue category should check out AR’s Ultimate Guide to Barbecues for Summer 2015 and also this hands on with the LotusGrill by Zimba. There’s also the news that Electrolux has bought Beefeater and Everdure partnering with Surfing Australia.

Meanwhile, the National Retail Association (NRA) has identified which states will benefit most from the expected splurge:

“Of the states and territories, New South Wales is expected to be the standout performer, closely followed by Tasmania and Victoria, with increases of 9 per cent, 8 per cent and 6 respectively from last year,” said CEO Trevor Evans. “Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory are likely to trail the other states, however, with projected growth of just 2 per cent compared with 2013.

“All in all, it’s beginning to look a lot like a great Christmas for the nation’s retailers.”

This author is on Twitter: @Patrickavenell