Climate Tips for travellers

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Climate tips for travellers

"It’s warm, it’s fun and it won’t break the bank" goes the ad for a well-known package holiday group. The top billing given to temperature in the slogan illustrates just how important climate is to holidaymakers. It’s one of the first things you notice when you step off the plane - part of the "sense of place" which academics talk about.

Australia is a big country, stretching from the tropics to the roaring forties, and it has a correspondingly wide range of climates. There’s something to suit everyone! Scuba-divers like the warm waters off the tropical Queensland coast; sunlovers feel at home in central Australia’s hot, dry climate. The cool temperate climate of the Australian Alps in the southeast of the continent attracts skiers in winter and walkers in summer.

What is the best time of year to visit Australia? It depends on what part of the country you will be visiting and what you would like to do (more about this below). If you can stay for several months, you can plan your trip to catch the best weather everywhere.

Australia can be divided into six main climatic regions or zones on the basis of air temperature and humidity. Our map shows where each region is. A description of each region's climate is given below, from the viewpoint of someone accustomed to a temperate climate. People from tropical climates will tolerate the heat better than indicated in the zone descriptions, but will feel less comfortable in the cooler parts of the country. The climate zones are:-

THE HOT HUMID ZONE	THE WARM HUMID ZONE (Click on the boxed area for enlargement)
THE HOT DRY ZONE WITH WARM WINTER	THE HOT DRY ZONE WITH COOLER WINTER
THE TEMPERATE ZONE (WARM SUMMER, COOL WINTER)	THE COOL TEMPERATE ZONE (MILD TO WARM SUMMER, COLD WINTER)

See our tips on thermal health and safety for travellers in Australian climates.

International Travel and Health advice is also available from the World Health Organization, if you search their site for "travel medicine". More detail on the climate of particular places is available from our Climate Averages.

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