Best Time Of Year To Visit Australia - Visual Itineraries

Ayers Rock, photo courtesy Pete Edgeler on Flickr.

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
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• Temperature by month
• Precipitation by month
• Best time to go by region
• High season/low season prices
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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.

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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: Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique HotelPort Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel 5 nights from 1,675 per person<b>Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel</b>Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel where tropical luxury awaits...Our Port Douglas luxury accommodation offers a boutique style hotel experience – enjoying an unrivalled beachside location overlooking Four Mile Beach and is the only hotel in Port Douglas with beach and ocean views. 40 metres to the beach and a 2 minute stroll to the heart of Port Douglas with its cosmopolitan boutiques, restaurants and entertainment options.<b>Unique Inclusions</b><ul><li>Complimentary Full Buffet Breakfast served poolside<li>Daily ECO room servicing<li>Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel</ul>50 minutes north of Cairns International Airport, the 34 modern tropical beachfront one bedroom suites enjoy stunning views, and offer a unique concept in Port Douglas holiday accommodation with the comforts and facilities, friendliness and personal service that only a small property can provide.From your large private balcony that allows you to relax with a tropical cocktail or listen to the calmness of the waves lapping on the beach. An oasis of tiered heated pools and jacuzzi spa, offers a quiet tranquil setting whilst relaxing on the sun lounges or in your suite. The Peninsula Boutique Hotel is an adult only haven for those wanting to indulge and enjoy. Little things like fresh flowers, aromatherapy burners coupled with individual, personal service sets this Port Douglas Hotel apart from the rest. The discreetly concealed kitchenette in all suites provides self catering options for those looking for a beachfront apartment but with the convenient facilities of a hotel including lift access to all levels, and complimentary guest laundries.This is the perfect relaxing escape from the world. Complimentary Wi-Fi and off street undercover parking service is available for all guests.Peninsula Boutique Hotel's popular licensed restaurant – Hi Tide, with stunning views over the Coral Sea, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner – "discover" the locals best kept secret.Learn more about Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique HotelLocated directly on Four Mile Beach, the Peninsula Boutique Hotel is the only hotel in Port Douglas offering beach and ocean views. Located at the quiet end of Macrossan Street, Port Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel is an adult only property offering stylish accommodations just 350 feet from shops and restaurants. Full buffet breakfast is included and served poolside each morning.

Best time of year to go to different parts of Australia

Photo courtesy Jon Haase.

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.

Cairns, in Queensland, is pretty tropical--summers are hot and humid, and winters are dry and mild. Along the coast, you can get cyclones from November through May. Cairns is one of the places from which you can access the Great Barrier Reef, pictured at right. Ayers Rock, seen at the top of this page, is in the Northern Territory (which isn't actually the northernmost part of Australia--that's referred to as the "Top End"), has a distinctly different climate, with a wet season running from October to April and a dry season May to September. In winter, nighttime temperatures can fall below freezing; in the summer, daytime temperatures can approach 100F, with cool, dry nights.

Photo courtesy ynwa2005 on Flickr.

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.

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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.

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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.

How we work with you to plan the perfect trip:

• We'll talk with you to find out what you're looking for, what you like/don't like, etc.
• We'll use our first-hand knowledge of the destination to pick out a handful of resorts we think you'd like
• We'll create a custom mini website for you, with photos, videos, maps, etc. of the resorts we are recommending
• We'll follow up with you to help you make your decision
• We'll go to work with our suppliers to get you the best deal available on what you've decided on.

Map of all resorts in Australia