Australia - Weather

Australia Weather for Sailors

Australia covers a large range of climate zones, from the tropical zone in the north, the subtropical zone across much of the centre and temperate zones in the south.

Seasonal weather patterns in Australia

While much of Australia's weather year is typically divided into four seasons (summer, autumn, winter and spring), northern Australia has two seasons based on rainfall patterns. The wet season occurs from October to April and the dry season from May to September. When the heavy rains arrive varies by year and location. The Australian cyclone season officially runs from 1 November to 30 April, although very few have occurred in November.

Find out more about Australia's climate zones and climate influences, and view average conditions by location and month via the Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website.  This website is useful to use before starting your trip and to get the most up to date marine forecast: http://www.bom.gov.au/marine/

If choosing to sail the southern coasts of Australia expect cold temperatures even during summer months.  While the overall temperatures are generally pleasant, the wind tends to be chilly.

Weather Forecasting Around Australia

When planning your trip, check the BOM Five Vital Weather Safety Checks. Make the right choice on when and where it's safe to go boating and consider how the weather could change during your activity.

Cruisers who chose to sail the southern route of Australia via Eden, Melbourne, Adelaide and then across the Great Australian Bight  (Jan - Mar 2024) said their experience with weather forecasts in Australia was challenging. They found forecasts to be rarely accurate, with up to 10-15 knots difference and typically in a range of 20 degrees or so for direction. See this report for some very useful information:

• Australia:  Heading South From Sydney then West (Noonsite March 2024)

Weather links for mariners include:

• Bureau of Metereology marine weather forecasts, warnings and observations
• MarineLite - text-only forecasts and warnings, and 'lite' charts
• MetEye - map-based forecasts for Australia and its coastal waters
• Seven-day weather and wave maps for the Oceania region
• Accessing weather at sea - BOM's services via VHF, HF and satellite
• the Marine Weather Knowledge Centre — a one-stop shop for marine educational information and resources for offshore yacht races.

A useful guide to South Pacific weather resources complied by a Noonsite contributor, Rory Garland.

MetBob publishes a weekly sailing weather blog for the South Pacific.

For links to free global weather information, forecast services and extreme weather information see the Noonsite Weather Page.

Last updated:  August 2025