Cicada 'super year': the familiar sound of Australian summer is louder than usual

More of the insects have emerged this year in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. One reason is rainfall

The buzz call of the cicada is a familiar sound of the Australian summer and this season is what David Emery calls a super year for our summer chorusing friends".

A veterinary immunologist at the University of Sydney and cicada expert, Emery has been monitoring the insects for decades and, along with many residents of coastal New South Wales and beyond, has registered that the volume is more ear-splitting than usual.