Travel guide
Australia holidays: a travel guide for UK visitors
Sydney Harbour, Uluru at sunset, the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns and the Great Ocean Road: a practical guide to Australia holidays and tours, with the best time to visit Australia month by month.
Why visit Australia
Australia asks a lot before you arrive: a day in the air each way, and a holiday long enough to make that worthwhile. What it gives back is a country unlike anywhere else, and several countries’ worth of landscape in one. Sydney is built around one of the great harbours of the world, with the Opera House and the bridge at its centre and ferries doing most of the commuting. Melbourne is the cooler, more European of the two cities, and west of it the Great Ocean Road runs along cliffs above the Southern Ocean. In the middle of the continent, several hours’ drive from Alice Springs, Uluru rises out of flat red desert, and its changing colour at dusk is worth the flight on its own. In the tropical north-east, Cairns is the way out to the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest behind it, and in the Top End, Kakadu has rock art and wetlands full of birds and crocodiles. Kangaroos are easy to see in the wild almost anywhere outside the cities. A tour joins it all together, with internal flights for the long distances.
Best time to visit Australia
The best time to visit Australia for a tour that covers the whole country is spring, from September to October, or autumn, from March to May. Australia’s seasons are the reverse of Britain’s, and the country has three climates at once. The south, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, has a warm to hot summer from December to February and a cool, sometimes damp winter from June to August; spring and autumn are mild. The Red Centre around Uluru is very hot in summer, when some walks close by late morning, and comfortable from April to May and September to October; winter days there are clear and mild but nights can be frosty. The tropical north, Cairns, Darwin and Kakadu, is best in its dry season from May to October; from about November to April it is the wet season, hot and humid, with heavy rain, the chance of cyclones, and stinging jellyfish in the sea. So the British winter, tempting as it is, is the hardest time for a tour that takes in Uluru and the north, and the shoulder seasons suit it best.
Australia month by month
- JanuaryAvoid
- High summer: hot in Sydney and Melbourne, fierce heat in the Red Centre, and the wet season in Cairns and Darwin.
- FebruaryAvoid
- Still hot in the south and the Centre; the tropical north is at its wettest and most humid.
- MarchGood
- Autumn begins in the south, warm and settled, while the rains ease in the north.
- AprilBest
- Mild in the cities, comfortable at Uluru, and the dry season starting in the tropical north.
- MayBest
- Crisp autumn in the south, warm days in the Centre, and clear, dry weather from Cairns to Kakadu.
- JuneGood
- Winter in the south, cool and sometimes damp; the north and the Centre are dry and sunny.
- JulyGood
- The coolest month in Sydney and Melbourne, frosty nights at Uluru, and the north at its best.
- AugustGood
- Late winter in the south, with clear days in the Centre and dry, warm weather in the tropics.
- SeptemberBest
- Spring in the south, comfortable at Uluru, and still dry in the north: one of the best months to tour.
- OctoberBest
- Warm in the south and the Centre; humidity starts to build in Darwin towards the end of the month.
- NovemberGood
- Warm to hot in the south; the Centre heats up and the tropical north turns humid and stormy.
- DecemberQuiet
- Summer and Christmas in the south; very hot in the Centre, with the wet season under way in the north.
Top things to do in Australia
- 1
See Sydney from the harbour
Every one of our Australia tours includes Sydney, and the harbour is the reason. The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge face each other across it, the old stone streets of The Rocks run down to the water, and the harbour ferries are the easiest way to see it all from the water. Our tours leave free time in the city to explore on your own.
- 2
Watch the sun set on Uluru
The great red rock in the middle of the continent, sacred to its Aboriginal owners, the Anangu, who ask visitors to walk around its base rather than climb it; climbing has been banned since 2019. Our tours reach it from Alice Springs, and the time to see it is sunset, when the rock changes colour as the light goes. In hot weather, walks around the base are done early in the morning.
- 3
Go out to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns
Cairns, in tropical Queensland, is the base for a day out on the reef, by boat to the outer reef to snorkel or to see the coral from a glass-bottomed boat, and for the rainforest in the hills behind the town. In the warmer months, roughly November to May, swimmers wear stinger suits against jellyfish.
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Australia travel questions
- When is the best time to visit Australia?
- For a tour of the whole country, March to May or September to October. The south is mild, Uluru is comfortable for walking, and the tropical north is dry. December to February is summer in Sydney and Melbourne, but very hot in the Centre and wet in the north.
- Is three weeks enough for Australia?
- Three weeks covers the classic route: Sydney, Melbourne, Uluru and Cairns, often with the Great Ocean Road, Darwin or Adelaide. Our Australia tours run from three to four weeks, flying between regions so the time is spent seeing places rather than driving between them.
- Can you combine Australia and New Zealand in one trip?
- Yes. Several of our Australia tours can be extended with New Zealand, and some with the Cook Islands as well, adding a couple of weeks or more. It makes for a long holiday, but it saves a second journey to the other side of the world.
- How do you get from Alice Springs to Uluru?
- Uluru is several hours’ drive south-west of Alice Springs, across open desert; it also has its own airport nearby. Tours either drive the road or fly in, and the transport is arranged for you either way.
- Is there a lot of travelling on an Australia tour?
- The distances are huge, so tours fly between the main regions: Sydney to Uluru, for instance, or Uluru to Cairns. Road days are kept for the parts worth seeing from the road, such as the Great Ocean Road. There are early starts for flights and sunrises, and most itineraries include free time in the cities.
- How fit do I need to be for an Australia tour?
- No more than for a busy city holiday, with some longer walks, such as the path around the base of Uluru, if you want them. Heat is the main challenge in the Centre and the north, which is why walks there start early. Tour pages describe how active each trip is.
- Will I see kangaroos and koalas in the wild?
- Kangaroos, very likely: they are common in the countryside, especially at dawn and dusk. Koalas are harder to spot in the wild, though some places along the Great Ocean Road are known for them. Wildlife parks guarantee a sighting if you want one.
- Is Australia good for solo travellers?
- Yes. Many people travel there alone on a group tour, which takes care of the long distances and internal flights. Just You’s tours are for solo travellers, and other group tours take single travellers too.
- Is it safe to swim in Australia?
- Swim at beaches patrolled by lifeguards, between the red and yellow flags; rip currents are the main danger. In the tropical north, stinging jellyfish are in the sea for much of the year and crocodiles live in rivers and some coastal waters, so obey the signs and swim only where it is allowed. Read the UK government’s advice before you go.
- How do I deal with jet lag after the flight to Australia?
- Many people break the journey with a night or two at a stopover in Asia or the Middle East. On arrival, get into daylight and stay up until the local evening. Tours usually start gently, with a free day or an easy first day in the city.
- Do I need cash in Australia?
- Very little. Cards and contactless are used almost everywhere, though some places add a small surcharge for card payments. A little cash is handy for remote areas and markets. Tipping is not expected, though it is welcome for good service.
- What can’t I bring into Australia?
- Australia’s biosecurity rules are strict. You must declare food, plant and animal products, including wooden souvenirs, on your arrival card, or throw them in the bins at the airport. Undeclared items can mean a heavy fine. The UK government’s advice links to the full rules.
- Do I need vaccinations, and can I use the NHS in Australia?
- See your GP or a travel clinic at least eight weeks before you go; TravelHealthPro publishes the current advice. A reciprocal agreement gives UK visitors free essential and urgent hospital treatment, but not ambulances, medicines outside hospital or medical evacuation, so you still need travel insurance.
- Can I take my prescription medicines to Australia?
- Some medicines are regulated differently in Australia. Check the UK government’s advice, and ask the Australian High Commission in London if you take anything stronger than everyday medicines. Carry them in their original packaging with a copy of your prescription, and declare them on arrival.