Best Time To Visit Melbourne > Weather, Temperature & Season

What is the best time to visit Melbourne?

March to May and September to November are the best times to visit Melbourne. Autumn is the pick: mild days, the food and arts festivals, and prices well below the summer peak.

Melbourne is the coolest of Australia's big cities. July averages about 10°C and January and February about 21°C, several degrees below Sydney in both directions.

It is also drier than its reputation, with less annual rain than Sydney, Brisbane or the Gold Coast. What Melbourne actually has is volatility: cold fronts that bring wind, hail and a ten-degree drop and then clear to sun within the hour, several times a day.

Pack layers in every month, and a light waterproof. Its wettest month is November, in the middle of spring.

Monthly Weather in Melbourne

Month	High/Low (°C)	Rain
January	26°/ 15°	6 days
February	24°/ 15°	9 days
March	23°/ 13°	4 days
April	20°/ 11°	7 days
May	18°/ 10°	10 days
June	15°/ 8°	8 days
July	15°/ 8°	8 days
August	15°/ 6°	9 days
September	17°/ 8°	11 days
October	21°/ 10°	3 days
November	22°/ 11°	9 days
December	24°/ 13°	2 days

Melbourne Travel Packages

Compare quotes from upto 3 travel agents for free

6 Nights / 7 Days

Discover Australia in 6 Nights Tour Package

Sydney(2N) → Gold Coast(2N) → Melbourne(2N)

₹119,000/person

9 Nights / 10 Days

Wonders of Australia Package

Sydney(3N) → Gold Coast(3N) → Melbourne(3N)

₹339,985/person

7 Nights / 8 Days

Australia Dreamscape Package: 8 Days Through Sydney, Melbourne & the Great Barrier Reef

Sydney(3N) → Cairns(2N) → Melbourne(2N)

₹182,000/person

12 Nights / 13 Days

12-Night Australia Itinerary (Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast & Port Douglas)

Melbourne(3N) → Sydney(3N) → Gold Coast(3N) → Port Douglas(3N)

₹350,000/person

13 Nights / 14 Days

Mesmerizing Australia Tour

Melbourne(3N) → Sydney(3N) → Cairns(2N) → Gold Coast(3N) &r...

₹245,999/person

13 Nights / 14 Days

Mesmerizing Australia Tour

Melbourne(3N) → Sydney(3N) → Cairns(2N) → Gold Coast(3N) &r...

₹245,999/person

View All Packages For Melbourne

More about Best Time to Travel to Melbourne

Autumn in Melbourne: March to May

March to May is the best window. Days ease from the mid-twenties to about 17°C, the light turns golden and the plane trees in the Fitzroy and Carlton gardens colour up.

The summer crowds have gone and prices drop noticeably. This is the festival stretch: the food and wine festival in March, the comedy festival from late March, and the Yarra Valley at harvest.

Spring in Melbourne: September to November

September to November is the other good window, and the most unpredictable. Temperatures climb from about 14°C to 21°C, and this is when the four-seasons-in-a-day reputation is most deserved.

November is Melbourne's wettest month, and September and October are not far behind. It is also the biggest month in the city's calendar: the Melbourne Cup and its public holiday shut the city down for a day.

Summer in Melbourne: December to February

December to February averages about 21°C, but it comes in spikes. Days in the mid-twenties are punctuated by 40°C northerlies off the desert that last a day or two and then break.

It is peak season with Christmas and school holidays, so prices and crowds are at their highest. The Australian Open in January fills the city for a fortnight. Bushfire smoke can drift in on the worst days.

Winter in Melbourne: June to August

July is the coldest and driest month, averaging about 10°C. That is cool rather than freezing, and it does not snow in the city.

Prices are at their lowest and Melbourne is an indoor city by design: the laneway cafes, the NGV, the Queen Victoria Market and the bars are all better in the cold. The ski fields at Falls Creek and Mount Buller are three to four hours away.

Four Seasons in One Day: What It Actually Means

The reputation is earned, but it is about variability, not rain. Cold fronts sweep in off the Southern Ocean bringing gales, thunderstorms, hail and a sharp temperature drop, then clear to sun within minutes, sometimes several times in a day.

Melbourne actually gets less annual rain than Sydney, Brisbane or the Gold Coast. The practical consequence is the same in every month: dress in layers, carry a light waterproof, and do not plan a day around a morning forecast.

Events and When the City Is Full

January: the Australian Open. Two weeks of full hotels and high rates across the city, and the reason a lot of Indian travellers pick January.

November: the Melbourne Cup, with a Victorian public holiday and the whole city on it.
March: the food and wine festival, then the comedy festival
Mid-December to late January: Christmas and school holidays, the priciest stretch of the year

Best Time to Visit Melbourne by Interest

City laneways, galleries and coffee: any month, best March to May
Great Ocean Road drive: March to May, September to November
Yarra Valley wineries: March to May at harvest
Phillip Island penguin parade: any month, and it is cold at dusk in every one
Australian Open: January
Melbourne Cup: November
Skiing at Falls Creek or Mount Buller: July and August
Cheapest: June to August
Wettest month: November
Driest: July