Best Time of Year to Visit Australia

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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• Airfare by month
• Travel specials
• See all resorts in Australia
• Temperature by month
• Precipitation by month
• Best time to go by region
• High season/low season prices
• Map of all resorts

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: Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort

Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort 5 nights from 800 per person

Stay with Riley, a five-star luxury hotel in Cairns, and rediscover fun. Live in the moment and indulge in the little luxuries. Leave your worries at check-in and stake your claim by the pool. Welcome to the great escape - stay a while.

Learn more about Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort

Housekeeping once per stay
Restaurant and bar/lounge
Outdoor pool
Breakfast available
24-hour fitness center
Self parking
Pool bar
Spa services
Massage/treatment rooms
6 meeting rooms
24-hour front desk
Air conditioning

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: Sheraton on the Park

Sheraton on the Park 5 nights from 970 per person

Located in the heart of Sydney's retail and business district, this luxurious hotel is offering magnificent views over Hyde Park from many of its 557 rooms and suites. Enjoy elegant surroundings and service that goes above and beyond to create memories that last a lifetime. Everything the city has to offer including premium shopping and dining is right at your doorstep. Go ahead, indulge.

Learn more about Sheraton on the Park

Daily housekeeping
Restaurant and bar/lounge
Full-service spa
Indoor pool
Breakfast available
Health club
Sauna
Steam room
Valet parking
Self parking
Spa tub
24-hour room service

Best time of year to go to different parts of Australia

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.

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.

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: DeVere Hotel

DeVere Hotel 5 nights from 435 per person

Located in the trendy bay side suburb of Potts Point, our accommodation hotel is 2 km from Sydney CBD and 10 km from the airport. With 117 well appointed rooms and family studio apartments, the DeVere Hotel offers convenient location, modern facilities, friendly and professional services and good value and comfort for leisure and business travellers. Book online now to check out our Best Available Rates and pay No Booking Fees.

This 3.5 star budget hotel in Sydney is within easy reach of major attractions such as the Sydney's Opera House, Harbour Bridge, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Art Gallery of NSW, Australian Museum, Wooloomooloo Bay and Sydney's night entertainment capital - Kings Cross and very close to the Oxford Street Precinct.

For guests travelling on business, our hotel in Potts Point is within 15 minutes walking distance to destinations such as the Garden Island Naval Headquarter, the Office Towers along William Street and the St. Vincent's Hospital complex. DeVere Hotel is perfect for low cost accommodation near Sydney CBD.

Learn more about DeVere Hotel

Weekly housekeeping
Restaurant
Room service
Babysitting
Conference center
Business center
Airport shuttle
Air conditioning
Front-desk safe
Laundry service
Self-serve laundry
Meeting room

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: Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort

Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort 5 nights from 905 per person

Beautiful tropical surrounds and modern contemporary style is waiting for you at Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort.

Each of the resorts 314 rooms feature a private terrace or balcony facing either the lagoon swimming pool, lush tropical gardens or Cairns city.

The city location is ideal with easy access to the award winning Esplanade and Cairns attractions.

Learn more about Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort

The Novotel Oasis is a 4.5-star resort featuring a gorgeous lagoon pool, complete with a sandy beach, children's pool and a swim-up bar. The hotel is a short walk from the Esplanade, Cairns city center and the Reef Casino.

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.

Map of all resorts in Australia