Great Barrier Reef for Xmas?
 

I've heard mixed reviews on visiting Australia for the Christmas/New Years season. My husband & I have 2 weeks of vacation during this time, and we've always wanted to visit GBR & Sydney (we are from the US). Would you recommend that we pick a different time of year?

We have heard there could be torrential rains up north & that you can't swim GBR because of jellyfish swarms?

Does anyone have any experience during this time of year in GBR or Sydney?

Thanks very much,
Diane

Well - I live in Sydney, so I've had some experience of Sydney!

Christmas / January can be quite hot and humid - but don't let this discourage you. In January especially, the Festival of Sydney is on, and there's a heap of entertainment. And don't forget the after-Christmas sales - even with the Oz dollar making a bit of a fightback, it'll still be cheap for Americans.

The Reef, however, is not at it's best, although people still go there. The humidity, I understand, is just awful, and the stingers in the water mean you can only swim in pools or protected beaches. Search this site for other mentions of the Reef in summer.

In general it is peak holiday season here...school holidays...after new years sydney empties out as ppl take of for everywhere...bit like France in august.

If you decide on that time you should book early and accept that discount flights and hotels are going to be scarce.

Sydney is good for xmas and new years..stay by the beach at Manly or elsewhere...get into the aussie summer lifestyle...morning surf,sailing,sleeping in front of the cricket on tv,bbq,...etc etc..leaves california in the shade..

As for GBR..think about keeping south.

Weather in FNQ is tropical...sauna bath heat and humidity...probably with a late afternoon torrential shower or storm.Stingers around the mainland beaches.But imho it is manageable...early morning and after the storm are pleasant...you are close to the pool and water..and you can retreat to your a/c room for a siesta in the middle of the day.

You would have to be dead unlucky to encounter a cyclone at that time.

ddd, you could look into a reef flight up to Lizard Island for the day. Check out the web site at "daintreeair.com" Email Greg and get his opinion. He is a wonderful guide/pilot that will show you a great time if the time of year is right (?). Have fun, Australia is a blast to visit !!!!

Hi dddiane,
We will be in Australia for most of Dec with Christmas spent on Moreton Islands (off the coast of Brisbane) Tangalooma Dolphin Resort.
New year in Sydney.
We decided not to go any further north than Brisbane because of the climate which as everyone says can be quite uncomfortable. I guess Tangalooma will be sooooo hot too with copious amounts of rain. We were there 2 years ago in October and that was hot !
We intend to swim, snorkel, dive and swim again to keep cool. Not sure about the stingers off Moreton but they have pools anyway.
The time is school hols so we decided on an island due to the limited amount of visitors likely compared with a mainland beach area.
Not sure if this helps but anyway
Have fun

Muck