Best Time to travel to Australia

When is the Best Time to travel to Australia for your vacation?

Answering this question is not as simple as it may seem.  It can be significantly influenced by your interests, your budget and your preferences for what you believe is your ideal climate for your Australia vacation. Here are some factors to consider when deciding the best time to travel to Australia for your vacation:

1.       Australia’s Weather & Climate

When will the Australian climate be most comfortable for you based on your planned vacation activities?  Here are some useful Facts and Resources on Australia’s Climate Averages, Rainfalls and Water Temperatures to help you decide.

 Seasons in Australia

Spring: September – November (lovely)
Summer: December – February (hot)
Autumn: March – May (lovely)
Winter: June – August (cool, but not really cold)

 Temperatures in Australia

Australia is only slightly smaller in size (land mass) when compared to continental USA. So there are large variances in temperatures across Australia on any day.  The further north you travel (closer to the equator) the hotter it gets, which is the opposite for the USA.

 The coldest it gets in Australia’s most visited tourist destinations is around 32F (freezing) in places like Uluru or Canberra during winter nights in July/August.  There are not any snowbound cities in Australia.

Table: Climate Averages: Minimum Temperature (at night) for popular
Australian Tourist Destinations. Measured in Degrees Fahrenheit (F).

 

Month of the Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sydney	66	66	63	57	52	46	45	46	50	55	59	63
Melbourne	57	57	55	50	46	43	41	43	45	48	50	54
Brisbane	70	70	68	63	57	52	50	50	55	61	64	68
Cairns	75	75	73	72	68	64	63	63	66	70	72	73
Great Barrier Reef	74	73	72	69	66	63	61	61	63	67	70	73
Uluru	70	70	63	55	46	41	37	43	48	57	63	68
Perth	63	63	61	55	50	48	46	46	48	50	55	59
Canberra	55	55	52	45	37	34	32	34	37	43	48	52
Adelaide	61	61	57	54	50	46	45	46	48	52	55	57
Hobart	54	54	52	48	45	41	39	41	43	45	48	52
Darwin	77	77	77	75	72	68	66	70	73	77	77	77

 

 

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The hottest (dry heat) is about 100F at Uluru in the peak of summer in December/January.  And with 100% humidity it can reach about 90F in Cairns and Darwin during those same months.

Table:  Climate Averages: Maximum Temperature for popular Australian Tourist Destinations.
Measured in Degrees Fahrenheit (F).

Month of the Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Adelaide	82	82	77	72	64	61	59	61	64	70	75	79
Brisbane	84	84	82	79	75	70	70	72	75	79	81	84
Cairns	88	88	88	84	82	79	79	81	82	84	88	88
Canberra	82	81	75	68	59	54	52	55	61	66	72	79
Darwin	90	88	90	91	90	88	86	88	91	91	91	91
Great Barrier Reef	89	88	87	84	81	78	78	79	82	85	87	89
Hobart	72	72	70	64	59	55	54	55	59	63	66	70
Melbourne	79	81	75	68	63	55	55	57	61	66	72	75
Perth	90	90	86	77	72	66	64	64	68	72	79	84
Sydney	79	79	77	73	68	63	63	64	68	72	75	79
Uluru	100	97	93	84	73	68	68	73	79	90	93	99

 

For more detailed weather information see the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology: http://www.bom.gov.au/
Other useful statistical information on Australia can be found at the various Official Country and State Australia Tourism websites.

Australia Rainfall (Tropics)

Wet Season: November – May  (Most rainfall occurs in January, February & March.)

Dry Season: June – October

 

The “Tropics of Australia” is the region north of the “Tropic of Capricorn” (approximately the top third of Australia) and includes cities like Cairns & Darwin.  Rainfall is an important consideration if you want to spend some of your vacation exploring the Outback at Kakadu National Park in Australia’s far north – the “wet season” is not the time to do it.  However if Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef is more up your alley, then it won’t matter if you travel in the wet season – either way you’re going to get wet and have fun!

 

Table: Rainfall Averages (inches) for popular Australian Tourist Destinations

Month of the Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Adelaide	0.7	0.7	0.9	1.4	2.2	2.2	2.5	2.0	1.9	1.6	1.0	0.9
Brisbane	6.2	6.8	5.5	3.5	3.9	2.8	2.5	1.7	1.4	3.7	3.8	5.0
Cairns	15.6	18.0	16.5	7.9	3.8	1.9	1.1	1.1	1.4	1.6	3.8	7.2
Canberra	2.4	2.1	2.1	2.0	1.9	1.6	1.7	1.9	2.1	2.6	2.6	2.1
Darwin	16.8	13.9	12.7	4.0	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.6	2.9	5.5	9.8
Great Barrier Reef	15.8	15.2	15.4	8.9	3.6	2.2	1.3	1.2	1.0	1.3	2.7	5.0
Hobart	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.8	1.4	1.1	1.9	1.9	1.6	1.9	1.8	2.2
Melbourne	1.8	1.6	1.5	1.9	1.8	1.6	1.5	1.9	2.0	2.3	2.4	1.9
Perth	0.4	0.6	0.6	1.6	4.1	6.7	6.4	4.7	2.8	1.9	1.0	0.4
Sydney	3.9	4.4	4.8	4.2	3.9	4.8	2.7	3.2	2.4	2.9	3.2	3.0
Uluru / Ayers Rock	1.9	1.8	2.0	1.0	0.9	0.8	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.9	1.4	0.7

 

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Stinger Season: November – May  (wet season)

Little marine critters and jellyfish that sting are collectively known “Stingers”.  They generally don’t affect the Great Barrier Reef.  Stingers aren’t overly energetic animals and have not caused any problems around the reef and islands but occur mainly around the rivers, creeks and beaches north of, and around, Bundaberg. They are easy to avoid, but cause discomfort if you are stung.  The more serious ones are ‘Box Jellyfish’ which have been known to be lethal.   Stinger season is from typically November through May.  If there are stingers present there will most likely be signs posted.  At these locations you will need to swim inside the stinger enclosures provided or wear a stinger suit.  A stinger suit is like a ‘sun suit’ – a long leg, long sleeve, one piece swimsuit typically made from lycra (or similar).

 

2.       Australian School Terms & Public Holidays

During Australian Public & School Holidays seat availability on flights, tours and accommodation may be limited, unavailable or priced very high due to high demand.  Chose your Australian vacation dates to avoid the busy seasons during Australia’s Public & School Holidays.

3.       Seasons for Flight prices to Australia (low or high season)          

Airfare pricing to Australia is significantly affected by the ”Dates” you chose to travel ranging from Basic Season (cheap) to Peak (expensive).

Airline Seasonality:

Basic (Cheap): 1MAY-8JUN and 24JUL-21SEP.

Shoulder: 1FEB-30APR, 9JUN-23JUL, 27SEP-8DEC.

Peak (Expensive): 9DEC – 31JAN.

Read our Airfare Pricing Tips and our Sale Airfares

 

4.       Activities that are “seasonal”

Seasonality of activities that are your “passion”, or events that you want to attend, may mean that all the other factors above become irrelevant.  For example, if you are a Diver, it may be a highlight of your trip to Dive with the Minke Whales which migrate to the Great Barrier Reef in June.  Or maybe you want to attend the Australian Open (Tennis) which then restricts you to dates surrounding that event irrespective of all other factors. Nevertheless, if you are at least aware of all the other factors, it may help you during the planning process to decide whether to spend more time vacationing after the event instead of before.

 

5.       The Best Time to visit Australia

For me, the best time to visit Australia is either Spring (September – November) or Autumn (March – May), not too hot nor too cold.  This avoids the busy Summer Break (School Holidays) and the peak Christmas traffic (most expensive flight prices).  If traveling up north to the tropics and with no other influencing factors, I’d choose to vacation in Spring, just before the wet season.

However, given I have family in South Australia, the deciding factor for me is to vacation around family events (Birthday celebrations & Mothers Day) which are in Autumn.

 

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