Best Time to Visit Australia

With an entire continent for a country, Australia can be visited anytime depending on what you want to do. The summer season, December to February is the best time to visit the south. You can lie on the beaches, visit Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra or Tasmania and enjoy great weather throughout. This is the time to hike, bike and have a good all round holiday. The central part of the country is hot during this period while the north is damp and humid. Swimming in the coastal waters of northern Australia in summers could include being bitten by 'box jellyfish' even though the water is incredibly tempting and green and perfect for fishing.

The winter season, June through August, is the time to visit the north. Queensland and other northern areas are relatively free of humidity and make great holiday destinations. Even central Australia is cool and do-able by road and the bush-flies that can drive you nuts in the summers stay away. The south, on the other hand, offers great skiing opportunity in the Victorian Alps or the Snowy Mountains - do check the snowfall before departure. Spring and autumn are probably the times of the year that you can go everywhere. Then its temperate weather all over the country, spring is the season for a riot of stunning wildflowers to bloom in the Outback.

Whatever the season be, avoid going when schools are off or you'll find yourself in a traffic jam all the way across Australia. Christmas is quite avoidable for those who want peace and quiet.

Climate

For most of us in the northern hemisphere, the thrill of going to a continent with diametrically opposite climatic conditions is always exciting. Summer starts in December and winter begins in July, spring is in September and autumn begins in March! As a result, Christmas is generally spent on the beach. So if you who want a break from the cold, Australia is the natural choice and the Australian Alps, perfect as a foil to the northern summer.

The climate is relatively temperate, unless you are in the extreme south. In the north, there are only hot and wet and hot and dry months. It only snows in NSW and Victoria, where good ski options exist. The rest of the outback is hot and dry during the day and bitterly cold at night. The climate is temperate in the south and east; tropical in the north while the rest of the country is arid to semi- arid.