When is the best time to visit Australia? I would like to see Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, and the outback.

Best time to visit is probably spring (September to November) or autumn (March to May). The weather’s nice, not too hot or crowded, which is perfect for Sydney and the Reef. For the outback, definitely aim for the cooler months, like April to October, since summer can get super hot.

Around the middle of the year, our winter months, would be good, although Sydney could be cold then. Avoid November to April if you can, that's the wet season in the far north.

How long do you have for your trip? The places you mention are spread a long way apart, you would have multiple domestic flights. You could fly into Sydney and out of Cairns, to save backtracking.

We haven't planned anything in particular yet, but at least a month.