Temperatures in Australia

Temperatures and climate in Australia vary considerably, which is not suprising - it is, as we've said elsewhere, is a big place, ranging from about 10 to 45 degrees south latitude. The temperatures for Australia cities below are average, and will vary from year to year. Apart from the tropical regions - Darwin and Cairns - rainfall and temperature are unpredictable, much more so than in many other parts of the year. It's also variable - Melbourne is famous for temperatures that may soar past 100, then drop to 60 within an hour as a front comes through. Any city can experience temperatures above 100 in summer, but in the mainland coastal cities winter snow is a once in a lifetime event down south, and never north of Sydney. It's a bit more common in Hobart, but we're only talking a sprinkling. In the Snowy Mountains, though, there's more snow than in Switzerland in winter, and good skiing for a short couple of months.

Although Sydney gets more rain than Melbourne, Melbourne rainfall is of the drizzle variety, where it rains all day with little effect beyond greyness, the blahs, and dirty windshields. Melbourne originated the saying: "if you don't like the weather, wait an hour." Due to the humidity, the same temperature feels cooler in Melbourne than in Adelaide; the reverse happens in Brisbane, where it's muggy in summer.

In The Centre - Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock) - even the locals spend the day inside during summer, venturing out early morning and late afternoon. During the cooler months, when most people visit, spectacularly blue and vivid sunny days are followed by equally amazingly clear - and cold - nights, with more stars than its possible to imagine. This should be remembered when including the Sounds of Silence outdoor dinner in your plans. In Darwin, there's a saying - gone troppo - meaning the wet season has got to a person, and reality no longer has the same meaning as for the rest of us. (Mind you, Darwin, wet season or not, has traditionally been the home of people for whom the normal reality held little appeal).

Perth has a very mediterranean climate, tempered in the afternoons by the "Fremantle Doctor" - a cooling breeze blowing in off the Indian Ocean.

A selection of commonly visited cities is below. Temperatures inland will be a little hotter during the day, and cooler during the night. Naturally at elevation - Blue Mountains, Atherton Tablelands, Lamington National Park - temperatures will be cooler day and night, and rainfall usually a little more.

Melbourne

Sydney

Brisbane

Hobart

Adelaide

Perth

Darwin

Alice Springs

Cairns

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