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: Reef View Hotel

Reef View Hotel 5 nights from 1,210 per person

The Reef View Hotel has many amenities, including a 35-metre swimming pool, the Reef Lounge bar, and in-house Pool Terrace Restaurant serving buffet breakfast, light lunches and à la carte dinner menu. Reef View Hotel guests have complimentary use of non-motorised water sports and the hotel has a Tours and Activities desk, lobby shop and fully serviced Business Centre.

Choose from a range of rooms and suites at the four-star Reef View Hotel Hamilton Island. All rooms are spacious and well appointed, with a furnished balcony, internet access and bathroom with separate bath and shower. Garden View rooms have leafy views and ocean glimpses, while each Coral Sea View room has spectacular views over Catseye Bay and nearby Whitsunday Island. The Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island is the perfect destination for your next Great Barrier Reef holiday or Whitsunday Island getaway.

Learn more about Reef View Hotel

Daily housekeeping
On the beach
Restaurant and bar/lounge
Outdoor pool
Breakfast available
Free airport shuttle
Free area shuttle
Free ferry terminal shuttle
4 outdoor tennis courts
Fitness center
Sauna
Beach towels

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: Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach

Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach 5 nights from 620 per person

Newly refurbished Castaways Resort & Spa is your absolute beachfront escape. Bound by the Great Barrier Reef and the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics Rainforest, Castaways Resort & Spa is the perfect destination for couples, families with children and groups traveling together. Click on the images in the right hand columns for stunning high definition videos of Castaways Resort & Spa, the beach directly in front of the resort and a secluded rainforest swimming area and walking trails just 6km from the resort.

Learn more about Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach

Daily housekeeping
On the beach
Restaurant and bar/lounge
Full-service spa
2 outdoor pools
Breakfast available
Fitness center
Free beach club on site
Beach umbrellas
Beach sun loungers
Beach towels
Beach bar

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: Mercure Adelaide Grosvenor

Mercure Adelaide Grosvenor 5 nights from 430 per person

Built in 1918, Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide is an historic hotel right in the middle of all the action in Adelaide.

This four-star hotel is superbly located opposite the Convention Centre, Casino and Festival Centre in the heart of the cultural boulevard of North Terrace. Just seconds from the shopping precinct of Rundle Mall, visitors to Adelaide can enjoy theatre, festivals, sporting events, Museum, Botanical Gardens and the famous Adelaide Oval all within walking distance from the hotel. Or take the tram outside the hotel to the Central Market, Entertainment Centre and Glenelg Beach.

Ideal for Corporate, Conference and Leisure Guests, the hotel offers a variety of room types to fit the needs and budgets of all travelers.

Hotel facilities also include the Federal Restaurant and Bar, 24-hour reception and room service, parking, internet kiosk, hair & beauty salon and exercise room.

Learn more about Mercure Adelaide Grosvenor

Daily housekeeping
Breakfast available
Self parking
UNESCO Sustainable Property
24-hour front desk
Air conditioning
Front-desk safe
Vending machine
Laundry service
Self-serve laundry
Multilingual staff
Concierge services

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

Overlooking 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.

Map of all resorts in Australia