When to visit Down Under?

[Whisperingwillow]

Hi Kerri,

Would love to help you out with some advise here!  Australia is a wonderful place to come and visit.  Can't comment on New Zealand, as I've never been.  I guess it depends on the type of weather you like, but I like the Spring to Summer months, probably Nov - Feb?  I do tend to like the warm weather though!  I don't know about anyone else, but I've been finding the weather rather unpredictable.  With Summer seeming more like Spring (and sometimes like Winter[]) etc.

As for where to visit, I guess that depends on what you like doing?  Tasmania is a beautiful spot - so much to see, gorgeous landscapes, history, etc.

[Tayesin]

Hi,
Spring is nice here, and a little cooler between September to November.  Summer this year was a scorcher with temps up to and over 100 degrees and very high humidity here in Queensland.

The northern coastal areas are tropically beautiful, there are long mountain ranges for hiking, cycling, kayaking etc.  And this will be true for many places all over Australia.  Tasmania is Beautiful, any time of year.  Snow in Winter etc and amazing colours in Spring.

New Zealand is also very beautiful, far more compact too.  Most of the thrill seeker stuff is in the South Island as is the arctic Winter conditions at times as low as -20 then add in the wind chill ! While the North Island varies from bleak in Wellington (South)to sub-tropical in the North.  Beautiful Islands in sparkling blue water etc.

So the basic rule of thumb would be to avoid Winter unless you are into WInter Sports.  Hope you enjoy your stay here and there.

Love Always. []

[Euphoric Sunrise]

It is a great place down here, and i really should go and see more of it. I've been living here for just under 18 years now (basically my whole life) and i still haven't budged from the east.

Anyway, it does depends on what weather you like. Down here, in Melbourne at least, it seems to get hotter around Feb/March. My favourite time would be somewhere around Nov/Dec.

And just a quick little fact: i believe Melbourne was once again voted the most livable city in the world. Unless my source was incorrect of course []

[James S]

No, you're source is correct Euphoric. And Gold FM are shoving the fact down our throats like nobody's business! []

Melbourne was voted the world's most liveable city followed very closely by Vancouver.

It really does depend on where you want to go and what kind of weather you like Lighthouse. If you like the warmth, but not humidity, around our way in Melbourne in the summer to early autumn is good, though it can get quite hot (sometimes up just over 110 degrees F).

If you want to visit the more tropical areas, like some of the spots on the north Queensland coast or Great Barrier Reef, our winter time is the best time to do that. Northern areas of Australia are in the tropics - you don't get hot and cold seasons, just wet and dry seasons.

Other than that, generally spring or autumn anywhere in Aus is good, and March, April probably has the most stable weather.

If you want more of an idea of what's on offer here in Aus, check these state tourism sites out, they'll give you a pretty good idea of what's what and where:

http://www.destinationqueensland.com/tq.cfm
http://www.tourism.nsw.gov.au/
http://www.visitvictoria.com/
http://www.southaustralia.com/home.asp
http://www.northernterritory.com/northernterritory/index.htm
http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/

Have fun []
James.

[Lighthouse]

Hello folks,

My husband and I are anticipating a one month sabbatical that he must take in 2005 or 2006.  Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to live in Australia and it looks like this vision is finally coming to fruition... at least for a month.  We're talking about using that sabbatical to make that trip to Australia & New Zeland.

When is the best time of the year to visit (what months) and what is a must do while we're there?

Thanks for your input,
Kerri