Australian Climate

Seasons in the states

Uluru, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, NT. Photo credit: Tourism NT

Climate? You Mean It’s Not Hot All The Time?

Well, it depends which bit of Australia you’re exploring. Each state has its own identity and climate.  In the far north there are only two seasons: the wet and the dry.

Australian seasons

Even where the seasons are the same as those in the UK, they’re the opposite way round as you’re in the southern hemisphere.

Northern Territory Adelaide River Floodplains

Northern Territory Adelaide River Floodplains. Photo credit: Peter Eve/Tourism NT

Here’s an Australian climate breakdown, state by state:

  • Sydney, New South Wales Bags of year-round sun and even in the winter it’s pleasant. 16° is average June-August. It’ll be more like 26° in summer. Wettest parts of the year are between March and June.
  • Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide is the driest of all the Australian capital cities. June is the wettest month of the year, averaging around 80 millimetres, but it’s not uncommon for the city to go whole months without rain during the rest of the year. Adelaide’s summer average temperature is 29°C. 15–16°C in winter.
  • Melbourne, Victoria It may have a reputation for changeable weather but if you’re from the UK you’ll find it’s all relative. Summers are warm to hot, averaging 25°C, winters average a cooler 14°C. Highest rainfall is May to October.
  • Perth, Western Australia Hot summers are tempered by ‘The Fremantle Doctor’ a sea breeze that helps take the edge off things. Summer averages 31°C. If you’re not a fan of the heat visit in the Australian winter as averages are still a pleasant 18°C. Wettest months are May to September and rain can be heavy.
  • Brisbane, Queensland Warm or hot for most of the year, Brisbane’s summer averages are around 30°C. Summer is also the wet season and rainfall can be torrential. Brisbane winters are generally sunny and dry with average temperatures of 17°C.
  • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Warm summers (averaging 28°C) with lots of sunshine. Cool winters with snow in the mountains. In July (the coldest winter month) the daytime temperature averages 11°C and can drop below freezing at night.
  • Alice Springs, Northern Territory Wet season is October to April. Dry is May to September. Northern Territory summers are hot with temperatures well into the 30s. In winter, night time temperatures can plummet below freezing. Expect storms (of hail, thunder or dust) in spring.
  • Hobart, Tasmania Tasmania is further south than any other Australian state. As a result, the seasons are far more pronounced here. Summer averages are around 21°C; Tasmanian winters are much cooler and wetter.

 

Find places to stay in Australia

Climate Control

Summer is between December and February.  Winter is between June and August.  

The state capital of the Northern Territory, Darwin, is closer to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta than it is to Canberra.It has a subtropical climate.

During the wet season great swathes of the Northern Territory are submerged under metres of water and many roads are impassable. Time your journey!

Tasmania is the most southerly state and has a temperate, island climate. Ask anyone from the Top End and they’ll tell you it’s cold.

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