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Best Time of Year to Visit Australia

Explore > Travel Planning Articles > Best Time of Year to Visit Australia

Date published:
2023-05-07


Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru
Ayers Rock, photo courtesy Pete Edgeler on Flickr.


Michael Cottam  

About the author, Michael Cottam


Founder of Visual Itineraries, Michael lives in Bend, Oregon. He's an avid traveler, scuba diver, photographer, and a private pilot, and also the founder of Bright Yonder, which offers marketing tools to travel agents. He's been to Fiji, Thailand, Vietnam, Seychelles, Kenya, France, England, New Zealand, Jamaica, Belize, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, British Virgin Islands, Mexico, and the major islands in French Polynesia. He's been in Rotary for 23 years, currently on the board of the Greater Bend Rotary Club. Here's his LinkedIn and Pinterest.

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Australia is enormous, with a wide range of climates. The northern states are typically warm year-round, while the southern states have cooler winters. December to February is summer; March to May is autumn; June to August is winter; and September to November is spring.

TRAVEL SPECIAL: Lizard Island


Lizard Island 5 nights from 9,265 per person
Lizard IslandIt begins with a special place. Your place - your own personal island retreat on the Great Barrier Reef. Beautiful, natural and wild and the most northern Great Barrier Reef resort, Lizard Island is a place reserved for the fortunate few.

The beaches are plentiful, 24 in all, with fine powdery white sand, undisturbed but for the occasional footprints. Your island is for snorkelling, if you choose, or deep-sea game fishing, or diving at The Cod Hole, one of the world famous dive sites just a short boat ride away. Enjoy secluded picnics on private beaches, five star cuisine and indulging spa treatments.

It's for splendid accommodation - room for only a few but a choice between private villas, suites, or a pavilion. Watching the sunset on a day-bed overlooking the water, it's easy to be lulled into the deep peace that comes with being in your own beautiful world on Lizard Island.

Little wonder your island consistently makes the Top 10 Hotels of the World list.
Learn more about Lizard Island

At the northern most resort on the Great Barrier Reef, and a member of the Luxury lodges of Australia, Lizard Island is truly secluded from the rest of the world. Offering a range of 40 beautifully appointed rooms and suites, this all-inclusive resort offers guests the opportunity to escape to their own private beach for a day exploring the reef.





Typical airfares from LAX to Sydney, Australia




Airfares vary by season, but also day of week, and are definitely affected by holidays. The chart above shows the typical minimum and maximum fares for a economy class ticket from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD), by month.

 
TRAVEL SPECIAL: Holiday Inn Darling Harbour Sydney


Holiday Inn Darling Harbour 5 nights from 1,235 per person
Holiday Inn Darling Harbour SydneyStay at the contemporary Holiday Inn Sydney Darling Harbour hotel in the city's popular entertainment district.
The contemporary, heritage-style Holiday Inn Sydney Darling Harbour is a former 1890s wool store in the heart of Sydney's cosmopolitan Darling Harbour. You'll find us opposite Sydney Entertainment Centre music venue, steps from bustling Chinatown and Cockle Bay Wharf. You can hop on a shuttle service to arrive from Sydney Airport, 8km away.

You can whizz around the city centre on the efficient Monorail and Light Rail from the nearby stop at Paddy's Markets, where you'll bag discount clothing and souvenirs. Marvel at sealife through a glass-bottomed boat at Sydney Aquarium, a 10-minute walk away, and take in the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House on a harbour cruise.

Our location on the city-side of Darling Harbour means it's a breeze to get to the Central Business District, 500 metres away, and Circular Quay, 1km away. It's less than a 10-minute stroll to meetings at big companies like PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Nestlé, Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Events at the huge Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre are 5 minutes on foot from Holiday Inn Sydney Darling Harbour.

Learn more about Holiday Inn Darling Harbour Sydney

Visiting the Holiday Inn Darling Harbour puts you right in the center of all the action. Sydney’s nightlife, famous attractions, high-end restaurants and the breath-taking beauty of the harbor are all just a few steps away. The building was home to a wool store in the 1890s and thus gives this hotel its unique charm.





Best time of year to go to different parts of Australia



The famous Sydney Opera House
Photo courtesy Jon Haase.


Sydney, in New South Wales, is in Australia's temperate zone. The Great Dividing Range is a major climate factor, as it creates 4 distinct zones: the coastal strip, the highlands, the Western Slopes and the flat countryside to the west.

Sydney typically sees about 340 sunny days a year, with humidity in summer around 65%.

Pictured above is the famous Sydney Opera House.

Cairns, in Queensland, is pretty tropical--summers are hot and humid, and winters are dry and mild.

Along the coast, you can get cyclones from November through May.

Cairns is one of the places from which you can access the Great Barrier Reef, pictured at right.

Ayers Rock, seen at the top of this page, is in the Northern Territory (which isn't actually the northernmost part of Australia--that's referred to as the "Top End"), has a distinctly different climate, with a wet season running from October to April and a dry season May to September. In winter, nighttime temperatures can fall below freezing; in the summer, daytime temperatures can approach 100F, with cool, dry nights.

 

The Great Barrier Reef

Photo courtesy ynwa2005 on Flickr.

Barossa Valley, wine country northeast of Adelaide
Photo courtesy Amanda Slater on Flickr.
 

Adelaide, in South Australia, has mild, wet winters (averaging about 60F) and hot, dry summers (averaging 84F).

June is the wettest month, but still averages only a little over 3 inches of rain. In the summer, it's not uncommon to have months with no rain.

At left is Jacob's Creek vineyard in the Barossa Valley, one of the important wine regions of Australia.


Melbourne, in Victoria, has a reputation for changeable weather, but generally the climate is temperate with warm summers (averaging 77F), mild spring and fall seasons, and cool winters (averaging 57F).

Pictured are the limestone formations known as the Twelve Apostles, located on the Great Ocean Road about 100 miles west of Melbourne.

Perth, in Western Australia, the rainfall is greatest from May to September. The hottest month is February, averaging 88F; winter temperatures average about 65F. A cooling breeze known as "The Fremantle Doctor" blows in from the sea to keep the city comfortable.

  The Twelve Apostles, about 100 miles west of Melbourne
Photo courtesy Rich Mulvaney on Flickr.

Tasmania, the island southeast of the main continent, the climate is mild and temperate. With no part of the island more than about 75 miles from the water, the ocean has a big effect on the climate. Because it's much farther from the equator than the rest of Australia, the seasons are more distinct. January and February are pretty dry, with temperatures averaging about 70F.

See the Australia tourism website for a detailed description of the seasons in Australia.


TRAVEL SPECIAL: Sofitel Brisbane Central


Sofitel Brisbane Central 5 nights from 725 per person
Sofitel Brisbane CentralHotel Sofitel Brisbane Central
French luxury and local cuisine in the worlds most exciting cities

Located within walking distance of the city centre, Eagle Street Pier, South Bank Parklands and the Convention Centre, Sofitel Brisbane Central also offers direct access to Central Station, with easy transportation to the airport and Gold Coast. Its many attractions include 433 elegant rooms, a fitness centre, heated pool and spa, plus delicious restaurants and bars. Sofitel Brisbane Central is the largest meeting facility in Brisbane with 11 conference rooms accommodating up to 1,000 people.

With its exceptional location in the heart of the city, Sofitel Brisbane Central offers access to many of Brisbane's finest attractions. Guests staying at this spectacular Brisbane hotel have Central Station on their doorstep, allowing them to explore the city, and access its surrounding suburbs and Brisbane Airport. Guests are within easy reach of many of Brisbane's excellent restaurants, bars, cafés and shops, as well as attractions such as the Botanic Gardens, Treasury Casino and Suncorp Stadium.
Learn more about Sofitel Brisbane Central

Daily housekeeping
Restaurant and bar/lounge
Full-service spa
Outdoor pool
Rooftop terrace
Breakfast available
Fitness center
Valet parking
Self parking
24-hour room service
Coffee shop/cafe
In-room childcare





 



Storms in Australia

In Cairns, on the coast of Queensland, tropical cyclones can occur sometimes between November and May. Around Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, you can see thunderstorms, hail and dust storms in the spring months. In Western Australia, tropical cyclones can occur between November and April--most commonly though in January and February.




TRAVEL SPECIAL: Park Hyatt Melbourne


Park Hyatt Melbourne 5 nights from 1,075 per person
Park Hyatt MelbourneOverlooking St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fitzroy Gardens and the cosmopolitan mix of Victorian and modern architecture of the central business district, Park Hyatt Melbourne offers an exclusive sanctuary in the heart of the city. Our hotel in Melbourne CBD provides a warm ambience and exceptional levels of personalised service and luxury amenities.

Renowned for having the largest 240 luxury rooms & suites in Melbourne with walk in robes, Italian marble ensuites and open windows, our luxury hotel in Melbourne provides an unparalleled experience of elegant, contemporary luxury. Guests are invited to enjoy the award-winning 'radii' restaurant & bar, a decadent Tea Lounge and Park Club Health & Day Spa featuring an indoor aquamarine pool, spa, sauna, gym and private sun deck.

Our Melbourne hotel is only 25 km from Melbourne Airport, and is convenient to most city attractions around the city centre. It is within walking distance to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), home of the Australian Football League (AFL) and test cricket, the world renowned Tutankhamen exhibition at Melbourne Museum and the best boutique shopping, cafes, restaurants and theatre districts.
Learn more about Park Hyatt Melbourne

Daily housekeeping
Restaurant and bar/lounge
Full-service spa
Indoor pool
Breakfast available
Health club
Sauna
Steam room
Valet parking
Spa tub
Room service
Coffee shop/cafe





Airfare and Resort Prices

High season is from about Christmas through the end of January, when children are on their summer holidays, and the popular resorts fill up with the locals. In the north, June through August is peak season as Australians from the southern areas travel north to escape winter. Typically the airlines will discount airfares April through June.

Water temperature, SCUBA diving and surfing in Australia

On the Great Barrier Reef, you can dive year-round, although the best conditions for diving are from late August to early December. For liveaboard diving, the best time to go is July through November. In the Coral Sea, the visibility is best in June and in September. If you want to see the Minke whales, they're seen mostly from June to August. From April through June, the whale sharks can be seen near Ningaloo, in Western Australia. Australia Tourism has an excellent reference on dive locations and regions here.




How we work with you to plan the perfect trip:

  • We'll talk with you to find out what you're looking for, what you like/don't like, etc.
  • We'll use our first-hand knowledge of the destination to pick out a handful of resorts we think you'd like
  • We'll create a custom mini website for you, with photos, videos, maps, etc. of the resorts we are recommending
  • We'll follow up with you to help you make your decision
  • We'll go to work with our suppliers to get you the best deal available on what you've decided on.
 

Map of all resorts in Australia



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