When’s the best time to take an Australia holiday and what events are on? Our seasonal highlights will help you decide when to take your holiday and what to do when you get there.

January to March

What’s the weather like?

• In Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, days are warm, hot and dry. Evenings are cooler.
• In Brisbane, Darwin and Broome, days are humid, sticky and wet. Rainfall is interspersed by giant bursts of sunshine. It’s slightly cooler at night.
• In Alice Springs, days are very hot with cool nights. Humidity can bring thunderstorms and temperature drops. Monsoon rains occur regularly.

What’s on?

Adelaide – Catch Adelaide's Tour Down Under during January, attracting Lycra-clad cyclists racing against each other on a tarmac circuit.

Sydney – Each February/March, Sydney hosts the month-long Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, featuring the renowned parade, alive with exotic costumes and body art.

Melbourne – During March, catch all the high-speed action from the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Canberra – Visit Canberra for the Canberra Balloon Festival. Each day during the festival which normally takes place in March or April, 50 hot-air balloons will float through the air.

 

April to June

What’s the weather like?

• In Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, days are autumnal with shorter hours of daylight. The leaves are falling and bright days combine with cool or cold nights.
• In Brisbane, Darwin and Broome, days are mild, dry and sunny – the perfect weather for sightseeing.
• This is the best time of year to visit Alice Springs, with warm days and cool nights.
  

What’s on?

Sydney – Don’t miss Sydney Film Festival, taking place throughout June.

Darwin – This is the perfect time of year to take a trip from Darwin to Kakadu National Park, visiting amazing scenery and learning about Aboriginal history.

Broome – Visit this small town of Broome, famous for its pearling history, and on certain dates be lucky enough to see the Staircase to the Moon - a natural phenomenon where the when the tide is out and moon rise’s over the mud flats the illusion of a staircase to the moon is created.

 

July to September

What’s the weather like?

• In Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, days are shorter, cool and, though it’s winter, temperatures compare to early spring in the UK. The Australian alpine season is in full swing in the Victoria and the New South Wales Resorts.
• In Brisbane, Darwin and Broome, days are dry and sunny and nights are cool. This is a beautiful time to visit.
• In Alice Springs, temperatures at night can fall to below zero. Thick morning frost can resemble a carpet of snow. Afternoon temperatures are usually pleasant but, when it rains, temperatures can drop to 10°C with thick cloud.  

What’s on?

Ningaloo – This time of year you can see humpback whales migrating through the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, located off the coast of Western Australia.

Melbourne– In late September, see the annual Australian Rules Football League final, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Great Barrier Reef – With cooler temperatures and lower humidity the Australian winter is an excellent time to take a cruise, snorkel or scuba dive on the amazing Great Barrier Reef. For your visit choose from the Queensland resorts of Cairns and Port Douglas.

October to December

What’s the weather like?

• In Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, days are warm and sunny without being overly hot. It’s a great time to go sightseeing. Nights are cooler.
• In Brisbane, Darwin and Broome, the humidity escalates, signifying the start of the hot and wet season. Thunderstorms, monsoons and bursts of sunshine are common.
• In Alice Springs, temperatures fluctuate and sun, thunder, hail and dust storms can be expected.

What’s on?

Sydney– Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sydney with a dinner cruise sailing along the harbour. As the clock strikes midnight, watch the spectacular fireworks for an unforgettable holiday moment.

Perth – Visit Perth to see the Redbull Air Race which, scheduled for November 2009, is an incredible spectacle where the world's greatest pilots fly between inflatable gates at high speed.

Melbourne – Watch the turf fly up during November’s Melbourne Cup, the largest and finest event in the horse racing calendar.

Brisbane – Scheduled for the days before Christmas, make sure you attend the Night the River Sings in Brisbane. Boats decorated with lights and Christmas displays sail down the Brisbane River, accompanied by live bands and DJs to a grand finale of fireworks.

Note: Please note, that the information in this article was checked at the time of writing and is subject to change. For individual events, readers are advised to check the dates with the organising body before booking their holiday.

More about holidays to Australia

Read more about Australia holidays or Australia hotels.

We feature holidays to Australia in New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

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