Weather in Australia

There is no best time to visit Australia as each state offers something different in every season. For example, if you don't want to be in the tropical northern part of the country during summer (rainy, cyclone season), you can always head down the east coast towards New South Wales and Victoria and make the most of the country's stunning beaches. When it starts getting a bit too cold, make your way to Western Australia and the Northern Territory to wander around some of Australia's most fascinating natural landmarks (Uluru, we're looking at you) and picturesque national parks. 

While there's no particular 'popular' season to travel in Australia, school holidays are scheduled during summer between December and January so most beachy, coastal destinations and other popular tourist cities/spots will be more crowded than usual. This also means that availability is low if you haven't booked accommodation and activities well in advance and flight prices can also increase to keep up with demand during this time so be wary of that when planning out your itinerary. 

As one of Australia's southernmost states, Victoria can be more seasonal than other regions, with cool-to-cold winters and warm-to-hot summers. So you can enjoy hot and sunny beach weather during summer (December to February) and then enjoy the snow in the alpine regions during winter - the best of both worlds, really.

The state is loosely divided into three regions - coastal, inland and alpine. In the southern coastal areas, such as in its capital, Melbourne, winters won't be as cold as the rest of the state.

Sitting along a large portion of the East Coast and bordered by the tropics to the north, outback to the west and the Australian Alps to the south - New South Wales pretty well has a climate for any type of adventure.

Sydney and other coastal areas have a perfect summer climate sitting between 20°C and 30°C. Towards the central and western regions, the climate gets a bit hotter and drier as you near the Australian outback, with summers easily getting over 40°C, but winters don't get too cold. The Australian capital city, Canberra, sits within NSW's temperate climate and is known to get cool in winter.

Queensland occupies 13,352 km (8,295 miles) of the Australian coast, complete with white sandy beaches and the Great Barrier Reef just offshore. So, most of the climate here is warm and sunny, making it pretty perfect for the beach all year round.

But beaches aren't all that make up this state. Queensland also has the largest area of forest in Australia, home to the Daintree, as well as tropical, subtropical, grassland, equatorial and desert climates. In the northern regions, a wet season falls from November to April, affecting areas like Port Douglas.

We're in the desert now, so pack a hat and bring sunscreen because it'll get hot. Within the outback region of the Northern Territory, daily temperatures sit around 32°C but reduce during winters, even getting to near freezing overnight.

The tropical top end, home to the hotspots of Darwin and Kakadu, is a warm and sunny place for most of the time. However, this area experiences intense wet and dry seasons. Expect heavy rains, high temperatures and thunderstorms during the summer. This area is a great destination to escape the wider country's winter as it'll be in its warm and sunny dry season.

Western Australia takes up the entire western portion of the country, and because it's so large, it's home to almost every type of climate that exists in Australia. The majority of the state is desert, with tropical and temperate areas in the north and south, respectively.

Around Perth, summers do get hot and dry, but winters won't get too cool. In the northern regions, including Broome, the wet and dry seasons exist, bringing very hot and rainy months from November to April.

Most of the interior of South Australia is classified as desert, making up a good portion of the Outback, with the southeast part of the state having a cooler coastal climate. With so much desert, this state can get very hot, especially in summer, with highs even in the southern areas reaching above 35°C.

If you're not a fan of rain, SA could be the place for you, as Adelaide is both the driest and least humid of all the Australian cities. There is rainfall during the winter months, June-August, but temperatures won't drop as low as in other states.

Unlike its northern counterparts, the southernmost state has four distinct seasons that bring heavy rains and cool temperatures in winter with mild days in summer. Because its position is closer than other states to Antarctica, it is the state that gets the coldest, especially when the winds pick up.

Tasmania doesn't get very hot, even in summer, but the Australian sun can still heat you up quickly when outside, ensuring beach days are still on the cards. Warmer temperatures are commonly found in the northern areas, including around Launceston and the Bay of Fires coast.