juliet12345

Hello all, I am new here and really hoping to get some advice.
My boyfriend and I are looking to go to Austrlia for the first time for approx 4 weeks. Are must see destinations for far are..
*Sydney
*The whitsundays
*The Great Barrier Reef
We would also love to fit in a bit of rainforest and would love to go to Ningaloo but not sure if we would have enough time?
So we really need to know the best time weather wise for when we are at The Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays. Now I like it hot, but I have heard that the humidity in the OZ summertime is unbearable. Is it really that bad? I have experienced temperatures up to about 40 degress in Cambodia, which was fine near the beach but can get too much when sightseeing!
We have both been snorkelling in The Maldives and love that kind of temperature constantly around 30 degrees and warm waters. We are flexible around dates but our preference for this trip is either April/June or Sept/Oct/Nov/Dec or poss even Jan. I know the temperature varies widely in OZ, we just want to go when it is nice and warm (80+ with warm sea temps) and not get stuck in loads of rain!
Any advice would be so great so we can start planning our trip... Thank you. x

eliztravels

We travelled in a rented caravan from Perth to the Ningaloo reef at Coral Bay in early November. Such a fabulous trip and the the snorkelling was amazing. We found it cooler on the coast than we had expected due to the so called 'sea breeze' , but still pleasant. Inland was hot and dry. I think the trip was about 10 days, but we were dawdling. A great way to travel as there are caravan parks everywhere and you get to meet travelling Aussies, not just the tourists. it is such a vast country a month doesn't give you time to do much more than get a taste of it, but if you
make it to W.A. you won't be sorry.

lavandula

I live in Sydney and my favourite time is March - April (autumn). The days are long enough, warm and pleasant without being scorching, but the nights are just starting to get cooler, so you can sleep comfortably at night with a light covering. Daytime temperatures are around 25 degrees. It often seems to rain in the first week or two of March (I always notice this, we have a regular event at work that seems to coincide with the rain).

There is also often a wet season of heavy rain sometime between September and November. It's often still cool weather, warming up a little by November, but you largely avoid the worst weather (freezing cold or scorching heat) at that time. I'd avoid December / January, partly for reasons of weather (hot!) and partly for reasons of university holidays and school holidays towards the end of the month. A lot of people are on the move during this time. Many businesses are closed in January and school doesn't go back until late Jan. If you absolutely must travel at that time, book now, if it isn't already too late for some accommodation.

Lavandula

AlanJG

Not sure where in Australia there is a "wet season of heavy rain sometime between September and November."

October is a wonderful month in most parts of Australia.

With regards to climate I suggest you not take our subjective views but check out the facts at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/

lavandula

There's always about a week or so of quite heavy rain in Sydney in the spring - we have it as early as September. Perhaps 'season' is the wrong word. It's not 'the wet season' like you get in the Top End, but for subtropical Sydney, it's about as unpleasant as it gets.

Lavandula

AlanJG

I see.

juliet12345

Wow, Thank you so much for all the responses. So from what I can gather both Mar/April and Sept/Oct are nice times to visit for what we are looking to do (lots of sunbathing and snorkelling!) So I have narrowed it down to March/ April vs Sept/ Oct?? What do you think???? Many thanks.x

AlanJG

As you want to visit the reef I suggest September/Oct.