Did you hear that? Cicadas get Melbourne chirping, but…

Ross came into the 3AW offices fizzing at the bung this morning.

‘Cicadas are back!’ he pronounced.

‘They’ve been gone for years but last night they were back!’

Ross, who was in Melbourne’s east, rang Ela Carte on teh other side of the West Gate Bridge last night to see if she could hear them.

She told the household to be quiet and then confirmed it: She could hear the cicadas, too.

3AW Breakfast callers agreed, confirming cicadas were also heard in:

• Boronia
• Safety Beach
• Caroline Springs
• St Kilda
• Frankston

But then Peter, an invertebrate expert, called in and poured cold water on our excitement.

‘They’ve been here all summer,’ he told Ross and John, saying that hearing them was simple matter of ‘right place, right time’.

Ross wasn’t convinced.

Click play to listen.