Australian Winter

[Amy G]

Has anyone been to Australia in the winter? We are considering taking a cruise from Sydney to Fiji and back in June 09, and then travel the west coast of Australia afterwards (late June). I know Sydney will be cooler and wet, but what about in the northeast? Are we crazy for thinking of going in their winter (I teach high school, so summer is the only time we can go)?

[sayaguru]

I've spent the last 49 years having winter in Australia (does that count?)

It's not like you are planning to go to Alaska in the winter. It only snows in the south. It doesn't even get cold enough to buy really thick coats in Sydney.

In Queensland I still go to the beach and swim (sometimes) in July.

Search weather to see if you think it's too cold.

[MMDown Under]

Winter is the best time to visit Queensland and the north - enjoy!!

 

We have dry winters and wet summers. You can swim in the water in the winter, but you can't swim in the water in summer, because of the stingers.

 

Your winter is the worst time to visit northern Australia, because it is too hot, too humid, and there is a high "cyclone/low" risk, when the rain buckets down for days. This summer we've had lots of flooding.

 

We go north every year May/June, before the peak season when crowds of southerners flock north for the winter (until September).

 

The west coast of Australia has wet winters, so you'll need to check their weather, if that is a problem.

[Aussie Cruisers]

I think the best thing to do is research...!

 

Check out the Australian Bureau of Meterology. Here is the link!

 

good luck.

 

http://www.bom.gov.au/

[cruisechickee]

Has anyone been to Australia in the winter? We are considering taking a cruise from Sydney to Fiji and back in June 09, and then travel the west coast of Australia afterwards (late June). I know Sydney will be cooler and wet, but what about in the northeast? Are we crazy for thinking of going in their winter (I teach high school, so summer is the only time we can go)?

Northeast would incorporate Queensland and that means sub-tropical climate. Winters are very mild (around 75F) in Queensland, especially eastern Queensland. My friends from USA came out for holidays to Queensland in our winter and they thought it was very warm... :)

[Amy G]

Thanks everyone- I am excited again and will start planning. I had checked vearious websites and climate maps over the past few weeks so I knew what to expect, but a weather website does not say it all, you know? I want a real person confirming that it would be a great time to go!!! :)

[jane02]

I cruised from Darwin to Broome a couple of years ago and spent a few weeks in Broome in May/June. The weather was superb - about 30C every day and the water was beautiful to swim and snorkel in. I would highly recommend a visit there - time permitting of course. I think that Broome has once of the best beaches in the world.

Kellie;)

[Jakdgr]

Hi, I'm a Perth person who has lived in the Pilbara and travelled around WA - let me know if you have any questions. But off the bat, could recommend the following places (and not sure if they are on P&O cruise destinations but think so:)

 

- Broome (north west). Hot/Humid in summer - best time to visit is late May-August (no humidity but lovely and warm)

- Shark Bay/Coral Bay (mid north west) - visit May-August.

- Margaret River/Dunsborough/Albany/Bunbury (south of Perth) - summer is best - winter can be cold however on a cold night you can cosey up to a nice bottle of the region's wine in front of a fire.

- Perth/Fremantle (major port) - good any time (yes I'm biased) but wet weather is mainly June-early Sept (winter/early spring)

Hope that helps - happy travelling

Jo

[Amy G]

I just realized that I said West Coast of Australia, but I meant East Coast! I would love to do it all, but if we do the cruise first, we wont have time for it all! If we skip the cruise we could travel more of Australia... Decisions, decisions!

[Jakdgr]

Amy - you'll just have to do another cruise and then you can come to the West Coast ... :) The East Coast is lovely - enjoy your trip.

[Carlz]

you will have a wonderful time here...just pack for all four seasons!

 

(Last week in melb it was 40 degrees C and yesterday it was 14 degrees C! go figure!)

 

There is no snow in the major cities and up north (ie: Queensland) it is lovely all year around.

 

Our first cruise was from Sydney in July and we had a ball!

 

C

[tangles00]

I live on the Far North Coast of NSW and we can swim here almost all year round. Some years the air temperature is quite cool but the water temp very rarely changes.

 

We have just had the wettest summer on record but winter is usually not too bad.

 

Enjoy your trip to our beautiful country.