When is the best time to visit Melbourne?

20.11.2023 - 20:33 / lonelyplanet.com

Though its visitor numbers ebb and flow, Melbourne is a great city to visit any time of year.

With cooler weather than more northerly Australian favorites such as Sydney and Brisbane, this cosmopolitan city is renowned for its indoor cultural attractions – including dining, bars, theater, live music and shopping – which can be enjoyed at any temperature. The same “anytime” rule applies to Melbourne’s role as the nation’s sporting capital – cricket and tennis are the key summer drawcards, and Australian Rules football (also known as AFL) has a huge following in winter.

If weather is a key factor in deciding when to visit, consider coming to Melbourne in the early autumn (March to April), when days are often sunny but not too hot. Any earlier and you’ll be hitting the hottest and busiest time of the year; Australia’s school holidays run from December to January, resulting in peak prices.

To minimize contact with the traveling crowds, drop by in the chilly winter months (June to August). Melburnians will still be out and about in numbers – nothing stops them from enjoying their city in any season – but tourists are less present. The spring months (September to November) are warmer but have the most unpredictable weather and the most rain.

Melbourne’s summer technically starts in December, but that month often feels like an outlier of spring with some cold days and unpredictable rainfalls. This phenomenon is well known to the traditional custodians of Melbourne, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. They call the December season Garrawang, separating it from the hot, dry season of Biderap in January and February.

These first two months of the year are the best time to hit the beach, perhaps at the bayside suburb of St Kilda (take trams 16 or 96) or at the west-side haven of Williamstown (catch a train to Williamstown Beach railway station). Longer, warm summer nights are also perfect for enjoying the grand slam Australian Open tennis tournament, which takes place in the impressive Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct,next to the city center.

When the sun gets too hot – the temperature can exceed 30°C (86°F) in summer – head to Melbourne’s plentiful parks and gardens with their lush green spaces and large trees providing welcome shade. Top of the list is the Royal Botanic Gardens, an oasis of greenery and lakes.

Another highlight of summer is the Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown (one of the world’s oldest such neighborhoods) with costumed dragons roaming the city streets. Melbourne’s annual LGBTIQ+ pride festival, Midsumma, also stages events across the city from January to February. And for live music, book a ticket to the one-day Laneway Festival in Flemington, which features multiple