Australian weather

Visa Bureau is not affiliated with the Australian Government but is a website.

While it is common knowledge that Australian enjoys a very hot climate, with temperatures regularly surpassing 40℃ in the summer months.

Yet Australia is 75% the size of Europe and the climate can vary significantly from region to region. The climate can typically be separated into six separate zones:

Equatorial
Tropical - Darwin, Cairns
Subtropical - Brisbane, Perth
Desert - Alice Springs, Red Centre
Grassland
Temperate - Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne

How each area of Australia is classified can depend on many factors such as altitude and season but a typical distribution of the country's climate can be seen here:

As you can see from the picture above, the majority of the larger cities can be found in the cooler, temperate regions, meaning hot summers but moderate winters.

On the opposite coast, Perth is located in one of only five Mediterranean zones in the world, giving the Western Australian capital a warm climate with blamy nights and more days of sunshine than anywhere else in Australia.

The heat

One of the biggest concerns for many people moving to Australia is coping with the heat. While the temperature can indeed get very high, it typically stays in a much more comfortable range. Indeed, the average maximum and minimum temperatures for most Australian cities is lower than you might expect; putting them into context against British cities:

Rain

While certain areas of Australia receive relatively high levels of rainfall, as a whole Australia is a dry country which relies on complex systems to catch, store and supply water. Water is a precious resource in Austrlaia which is not to be wasted.

Snow

While it may sound unfeasible, several areas in the south-east of Australia can get very cold in the winter and it is not uncommon for regions of New South Wales and Victoria to receive thick snows. There are even ski resorts such as Thredbo, Hotham and Falls Creek dedicated to the winter sport.