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#1
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Best time of the year to visit Australia?
Best time of the year to visit Australia?
My wife and I (late 40’s) are planning to visit Australia for the first time. We live near Los Angeles and are interested in a combined package flying Quantas and staying 4 nights in Sydney, 4 in Melbourne and 4 in Cairns-Great Barrier Reef. We are considering going either in April (for her birthday) or in late December, for the holidays. We know December is the beginning of summer and should be warmer than April, but what about rain? We would not want to go in full rainy season, if there is such thing. And although we could look up the weather at many other sites, I believe nothing is better than to hear from people who have been there. The question is: How is the weather in April or December for the 3 cities we plan to visit? Any additional comment or suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Paul |
#3
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"Paul" wrote in message ... Best time of the year to visit Australia? My wife and I (late 40's) are planning to visit Australia for the first time. We live near Los Angeles and are interested in a combined package flying Quantas and staying 4 nights in Sydney, 4 in Melbourne and 4 in Cairns-Great Barrier Reef. We are considering going either in April (for her birthday) or in late December, for the holidays. We know December is the beginning of summer and should be warmer than April, but what about rain? We would not want to go in full rainy season, if there is such thing. And although we could look up the weather at many other sites, I believe nothing is better than to hear from people who have been there. The question is: How is the weather in April or December for the 3 cities we plan to visit? Any additional comment or suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Paul For the statistics, go to http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/ April isn't bad normally for Sydney and Melbourne, though it does fluctuate considerably in terms of rainfall and temperature. In Cairns, neither month is ideal, on average, as you're either going into or out of the tropical wet season. It should be quite humid, but in the tropics you often get heavy showers with a fair amount of sunshine. Regards David Bennetts |
#4
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dont forget the electrical storms during the tropical wet season are some of the most spectacular you will ever see. seems you live in a city, why bother with others during so short a hoilday. |
#5
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December's great in the southern two-thirds of the country - where
Sydney and Melbourne are. It's not so great in the top third. It's in the Tropics. Very hot and very humid, with loads of rain, maybe even a cyclone. Afterall, it's their "Wet" season up there. Best time for northern third is from late April to October. But you can luck out and get some fine weather up north during the "Wet". You may not get any rain at all, or if there is, it'll be heavy but brief, leaving you most of the day to enjoy, although it'll still be quite humid. That's not to say you won't get rain in Melbourne or Sydney during December either. They can get a bit of odd, stormy summer weather during summer, like yesterday - practically flooded out in Melbourne. Be aware that during the "Wet", beaches near the shore in the northern part (north of Tropic of Capricorn) are unsafe due to poisonous jellyfish. Outer reef okay though. And beaches in Cairns are yukky, mostly mudflats. Head 20km north and then all along there toward Port Douglas, to get fantastic beaches. Some beaches have jellyfish nets, so stick to those if you come in December and head north and want to enjoy the beach. Other tips: can't stress sunscreen enough. Our summer sun can be lethal. Ozzie Osbourne described his 20 minute attempt to get a suntan during a visit to Perth, as akin to being f****** nuked or napalmed. As a rule, we don't tip, although I keep hearing that goes on, mostly in the east. Grrrrr. I'd rather you didn't, as we don't exactly want this encouraged. We have lots of BYO restaurants (not the posh ones), so you can save a bit if you want to enjoy a good Aussie wine, or beer, while eating out, by hitting the bottle-o (liquor store) first. Restaurants will charge something for corkage. Use Sydney's ferries as much as you can, it's actually a great way to sightsee the harbour area which is so pretty. Lots to see and enjoy there. Melbourne too - they have these great old-fashioned trams but they're real, useful public transit, not tourist traps. Have fun. Hope you have a great time. |
#6
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April is normally well out of the wet season nad cooled down, but still
geeen April is best both north and south - go APRIL, vote 1 APRIL, in fact any month that starts with the letter A. (unless its during Easter) "David Bennetts" wrote in message ... "Paul" wrote in message ... Best time of the year to visit Australia? My wife and I (late 40's) are planning to visit Australia for the first time. We live near Los Angeles and are interested in a combined package flying Quantas and staying 4 nights in Sydney, 4 in Melbourne and 4 in Cairns-Great Barrier Reef. We are considering going either in April (for her birthday) or in late December, for the holidays. We know December is the beginning of summer and should be warmer than April, but what about rain? We would not want to go in full rainy season, if there is such thing. And although we could look up the weather at many other sites, I believe nothing is better than to hear from people who have been there. The question is: How is the weather in April or December for the 3 cities we plan to visit? Any additional comment or suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Paul For the statistics, go to http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/ April isn't bad normally for Sydney and Melbourne, though it does fluctuate considerably in terms of rainfall and temperature. In Cairns, neither month is ideal, on average, as you're either going into or out of the tropical wet season. It should be quite humid, but in the tropics you often get heavy showers with a fair amount of sunshine. Regards David Bennetts |
#7
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Look at getting a Sydney pass to get around Sydney
www.sydneypass.com.au Freda "GTRad" wrote in message oups.com... December's great in the southern two-thirds of the country - where Sydney and Melbourne are. It's not so great in the top third. It's in the Tropics. Very hot and very humid, with loads of rain, maybe even a cyclone. Afterall, it's their "Wet" season up there. Best time for northern third is from late April to October. But you can luck out and get some fine weather up north during the "Wet". You may not get any rain at all, or if there is, it'll be heavy but brief, leaving you most of the day to enjoy, although it'll still be quite humid. That's not to say you won't get rain in Melbourne or Sydney during December either. They can get a bit of odd, stormy summer weather during summer, like yesterday - practically flooded out in Melbourne. Be aware that during the "Wet", beaches near the shore in the northern part (north of Tropic of Capricorn) are unsafe due to poisonous jellyfish. Outer reef okay though. And beaches in Cairns are yukky, mostly mudflats. Head 20km north and then all along there toward Port Douglas, to get fantastic beaches. Some beaches have jellyfish nets, so stick to those if you come in December and head north and want to enjoy the beach. Other tips: can't stress sunscreen enough. Our summer sun can be lethal. Ozzie Osbourne described his 20 minute attempt to get a suntan during a visit to Perth, as akin to being f****** nuked or napalmed. As a rule, we don't tip, although I keep hearing that goes on, mostly in the east. Grrrrr. I'd rather you didn't, as we don't exactly want this encouraged. We have lots of BYO restaurants (not the posh ones), so you can save a bit if you want to enjoy a good Aussie wine, or beer, while eating out, by hitting the bottle-o (liquor store) first. Restaurants will charge something for corkage. Use Sydney's ferries as much as you can, it's actually a great way to sightsee the harbour area which is so pretty. Lots to see and enjoy there. Melbourne too - they have these great old-fashioned trams but they're real, useful public transit, not tourist traps. Have fun. Hope you have a great time. |
#8
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Think about this.
It is summer in Oz now! 1st February Melbourne's max. temp. was 36º 2nd February was max. temp. 13º 3rd February was the wettest day in over 150 years. Official fall was 155 mm i.e. 155 litres per square metre. Wild weather with much flooding and damage. Are you sure you want to visit Melbourne? Ross "Paul" wrote in message ... Best time of the year to visit Australia? We live near Los Angeles and are interested in a combined package flying Quantas and staying 4 nights in Sydney, 4 in Melbourne and 4 in Cairns-Great Barrier Reef. |
#9
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"Ross" wrote in message ... Think about this. It is summer in Oz now! 1st February Melbourne's max. temp. was 36º 2nd February was max. temp. 13º 3rd February was the wettest day in over 150 years. Official fall was 155 mm i.e. 155 litres per square metre. Wild weather with much flooding and damage. Are you sure you want to visit Melbourne? Ross You should base your decision on averages rather than extremes. Average annual rainfall for Melbourne is 653 mm. By comparison Sydney is 1217 mm and Cairns 2003 mm (see www.bom.gov.au) . So are you sure you want to visit Cairns? Regards David Bennetts |
#10
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who cares about the weather, you will have a great time depending on your
adventurous spirit. cheers Jeff "David Bennetts" wrote in message ... "Ross" wrote in message ... Think about this. It is summer in Oz now! 1st February Melbourne's max. temp. was 36º 2nd February was max. temp. 13º 3rd February was the wettest day in over 150 years. Official fall was 155 mm i.e. 155 litres per square metre. Wild weather with much flooding and damage. Are you sure you want to visit Melbourne? Ross You should base your decision on averages rather than extremes. Average annual rainfall for Melbourne is 653 mm. By comparison Sydney is 1217 mm and Cairns 2003 mm (see www.bom.gov.au) . So are you sure you want to visit Cairns? Regards David Bennetts |
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