BudgetQueen

Sydney, Brisbane & Melbourne


I am looking at taking advantage of a current Quantas special for travel to one of these locations end of August. I am concerned about weather.

Are any of these locations better, and still have plenty to see and do for 7-10 days??

Is it even worth going in that timeframe??

LizzyF

Sydney and surrounds wins hands down but why not add Cairns to your trip at the same time if possible?

cookiescompanion

Sydney or Melbourne - there isn't much in Brisbane unless you planned on staying at the Sunshine or Gold Coast for a few days at the same time (and it will probably be too cold to enjoy the beaches at that time of year).

If you had 10 days you could do 5 in Sydney and 5 in Melbourne, which would be a great trip.

In August it will be the end of Australian winter. Temperatures will be pleasant during the day (jeans and sweater), and cooler at night. Melbourne will be colder than Sydney.

RalphR

I'd pick Sydney over Melbourne over Brisbane if you do not plan to explore outside the city. If this is not the case, and seeing cities is not your main interest, it's a different story, especially considering the weather and time of year. Brisbane arguably has the best year-round climate in Australia, significantly warmer than Sydney or Melbourne in August. There are also many wonderful destinations within an easy day's drive of the city - beautiful coastline, beaches (and yes, it is warm enough for sunbathing in August..you see many people doing it), rainforests waterfalls, wildlife, mountain scenery, etc. There are also excellent whale watching opportunites in the area in August.

BudgetQueen

I am definately not city orientated and do want nature, scenery etc.

So you are saying Brisbane would offer this the best??

Thank you for the input, greatly appreciated.

evecolorado

You can go to two of these locations in August for about 60 USD more.

I checked out LA to SYD and came up with $1130.47 (including taxes etc.)

LA to SYD; a few days later SYD to MEL; and a return MEL to LA a few days after that, came to $1189.96 (incl. taxes etc.)

Don't forget, crossing the international date line it will take you 2 days to get from the USA to Australia, but you will arrive back in the US on the day you left Australia.

RalphR

BQ: As a base for travels inland and along the coast for nature and scenery, Brisbane is at least as good as Sydney or Melbourne. In my opinion, the border region between New South Wales and Queensland (only an hour or two south and southeast of Brisbane) is one of the most beautiful areas in Australia. If you enjoy hiking ("bushwalking" as they say in Australia) there are many of nice walks to consider, with plenty of chances for wildlife encounters.

Suelynne

I live in Sydney, but would prefer to be in Brisbane in late August. While it won't be hot, it should be warm and sunny during the day. In fact winter is my favourite time of year in Brisbane. Spend a few days there and then explore north and south.

cookiescompanion

If you are leaning towards Brisbane then you would be best to rent a car if you want to see nature and scenery. There isn't that much in the actual city, but it would be a good place to base yourself and take day trips to the Gold Coast hinterland and Granite Belt etc.

Personally though, I would definitely go to Melbourne or Sydney. There is so much in the actual city, and they both (particularly Melbourne) can offer similar day trips to Brisbane. Though the temperature will be much cooler down South.

AustraliaZooIsGreat

August in Brisbane is about the worst month of the year for weather... but its still infinitely better than Melbourne or Sydney.

You can expect cold westerly winds. The Brisbane Exhibition (Ekka) is on at that time of year if you're into that kind of thing.

To be honest, I'd recommend somewhere further north. Cairns maybe... but I wouldn't go near melbourne or sydney. It's bitterly cold that time of year.

RalphR

Some people are more sensitive to cold than others, but to describe August weather in Sydney and Melbourne as "bitterly cold" is a bit over the top. To me, and to many other I'm sure, that evokes winter weather in places like Minneapolis MN or Anchorage AK. For one, snow and frost are rare, especially in Sydney. Also it is not uncommon to experience very pleasant winter weather in SE Australia in winter - days well into the 60s or even low 70s. And while August be may be Brisbane's "worst month of the year", you'll nonetheless often see plenty of people sunning themselves on nearby beaches, especially people from the south who head north to the Sunshine and Gold Coasts for the sun and warmer temperatures (like Americans who go to Florida in January).

cookiescompanion

Well put RalphR.

I think describing Sydney and Melbourne as 'bitterly cold' is a bit extreme. IMHO cold, yes - between 5 and 15 degrees (c.)for Sydney and Melbourne. I would not call this bitterly cold.

JohnFitz

The only thing to watch for in Melbourne in August are winds off Bass Strait which results in a chill factor lower than the actual temperature .But it is nothing like Northern Hemisphere winters and you do not need the weight of clothing which you do in the States or Europe .A pullover / sweater / jumper and jacket and an umbrella - if it ever rains in Melbourne again he says after days of 36-40 degrees celsius .

AustraliaZooIsGreat

"I think describing Sydney and Melbourne as 'bitterly cold' is a bit extreme. "

perhaps you're not accustomed to good weather

mnss

I would land in Brisbane then drive the Gold coast area unless you've never ever been to Sydney.

The Gold Cost has miles and miles of gorgeous beaches and the Surfer's Paradise area feels more like a real city with lots of shopping and endless dining options.

afterall

Nobody in their right mind would describe Sydney as "bitterly cold" in August! Clearly whoever did has never lived in the NE of England, and the icy winds in the winter there are still nothing compared to what I imagine residents of Toronto, or Moscow, or anywhere in Scandinavia experience.

It is NEVER really cold in Sydney. The trick for people who live here is to remember that as winter closes in you need to take an extra layer when you go out at night.

A cardi for autumn, a mid-weight jacket for winter. Number of days when night-time temp falls below 10C can be counted on your fingers. Below 8C - think one hand.

BudgetQueen - I wouldn't make your choice based on the weather. End of August Brisbane is likely to be a tad warmer than Syndey, which is likely to be a touch warmer than Melbourne.

Who can say? I remember going to an event at the Sydney Olympics ti,sye.
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afterall

sorry about that..

yes, an event at the Sydney Olympics mid Sept when the temp was 32C.

It could easily have been raining the week before. Temps here can change by as much as 7C in just one day.

AustraliaZooIsGreat

I remember the athletes at the Sydney Olympics complaining about the cold weather and saying things like 'this is supposed to be the summer olympics'.

The average daily minimum temperature in August is only 8.9 C. he average daily max is only 17.7 C.

but what really gets you is the wind chill. August is the windiest month of the year.

All data from the Bureau of meteorology...
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averag...6062_All.shtml

RalphR

"The average daily minimum temperature in August is only 8.9 C. he average daily max is only 17.7 C"

8.9C = 48 F; 17.7C = 64F

That's being more objective "AZG". Even with a wind, most people are not going to consider this "bitterly cold". It's clear that from a US standpoint August in Sydney is roughly like mid-spring (late April) in the northeast USA. Not that bad at all!

AustraliaZooIsGreat

That's my entire point. It depends what you're aclimatised to. It's completely pointless to go onto an international web site and start referring to climatic conditions as 'warm'; 'cold'; 'hot';. These are all subjective terms that mean completely different things to different people.

To me, 17.7 degrees (as a top temp for the day) plus wind chill is bitterly cold... and I wouldn't be too happy if I'd booked a holiday on the advice that the weather was going to be 'warm'.

The BOM web site has a plethera of data on Australian climate conditions. With such a great source at our disposal why are we going around telling people that a particular region will be 'warm and sunny during the day' or 'Temperatures will be pleasant during the day'.