Planning Australian Travel

Being a big country, Australia's climate varies from wet and tropical... dry and hot... and hot or cold and snowy depending on where you are. Sydney is the southern temperate zone and does not suffer extremes of cold or heat. Seasons in Australia are the reverse of North America and Europe.

• Summer: December to February.
• Autumn (fall): March to May.
• Winter: June to August.
• Spring: September to November.

The Sydney climate is similar to coastal California and the northern Mediterranean. Summer temperatures can exceed 30 degrees Celsius with high humidity, particularly around February... In general, Australian winters are mild, comparable to the southern U.S. or southern Europe, but while snow is infrequent except in the alpine regions of Victoria and NSW, in winter it's too cold to have much fun at the beach. In the south of Australia the peak holiday season falls roughly between November and April.

The further north you go, the hotter it gets with a definite 'wet' season in tropical north Queensland - Great Barrier Reef and the Top End of the Northern Territory... Seasons here are defined by wildly varying precipitation rather than the generally constant temperature. During "the wet" (November to April), heavy downpours and violent storms plague Australia, especially in the north.

During "the dry" (May to October), nearly every section of Australia endures long periods without rain. Traveling in the wet is not recommended for the faint of heart, the heavy rains wash out unsealed roads making driving a challenge in outback Australia.

Scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef is seasonal as well; January and February are rainy months, and the water is clearest between April and October... The toxic box jellyfish is found along the northern coastline between October and April.

Ski season in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania runs from late June to September, and the famous wildflowers of Western Australia bloom from September to December.

Temperature conversion: For visitors more accustomed to using Fahrenheit for temperatures than celsius, the simplest method for an approximate conversion is to double the celsius temperature and add 32. Hence, 20 degrees celsius = (2x20) + 32 = 72 degrees fahrenheit.

Capital city temperatures:

Remember that the Australian sun is very powerful so sunscreen and a hat should be part of your everyday hand luggage. See Sun safety