When is the best time to visit Australia? – This is a good question. When it’s summer or winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the opposite season prevails in Australia, a principle that becomes harder to apply to the transitional seasons of autumn and spring. To confuse things further, the four seasons only really exist in the southern half of the country outside of the tropics. We do have distinct seasons, though, so it’s well worth taking time to match your hopes and desires to the best season and location.

Australian Seasons Explained

• Summer in Australia is December, January and February
• Autumn/Fall in Australia is March, April and May
• Winter in Australia is June, July and August
• Spring in Australia is September, October and November

Two Extra Seasons: The Wet and the Dry
But Australia doesn’t stop at just four seasons. There are a couple more to contend with…

In the tropical northern parts of Australia, there is a Wet Season and a Dry Season. You’ll find this in the northern parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

• Wet Season: Roughly November to April
• Dry Season: Roughly May to October

The Wet Season’s weather is hotter and wetter, while the Dry Season is cooler and dryer.

All foreign visitors to Australia need a visa, irrespective of the country they are travelling from (unless you are a New Zealand passport holder, then you won’t need a visa). Visitors to Australia must apply for one of five visas, depending on the purpose of their visit, and the length of their stay.  You must apply for a visa before leaving your home country. 

1) Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa (subclass 601)

This visa allows you to visit Australia as many times as you like, for up to a year, and stay for three months on each visit. This visa is available to passport holders from a number of countries and regions, who live outside Australia. There is no visa application charge for an ETA, however, a $20 service charge applies for online applications only.

To qualify for an ETA, applicants must hold a valid passport from an ETA-eligible country, be in good health, and be outside of Australia at the time of application and the time of grant. Applicants with a criminal conviction may not be able to apply for an ETA online and may need to apply for a visitor visa instead.

ETA Eligible Countries:

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SAR of China), Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Republic of San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State.

Apply Online for an Electronic Travel Authority visa (subclass 601)

We know it can be daunting to arrive in a new country for the first time, especially after a long flight. Don’t worry, the information supplied below will make things run as smoothly as possible for you on arrival to Australia.

After your plane lands, you will:

• Head to Passport Control to show your passport/visa
• Collect your bags from the baggage carousel
• Dispose of any items (eg food from the plane) that aren’t allowed into Australia
• Proceed to Customs & Border Protection, where your bags may be inspected
• Leave the airport and begin the holiday of your lifetime!

Our top tips for a smooth arrival in Australia

• Before you leave home, read the official guide to what you can bring into Australia and repack if necessary
• Pack a pen in your carry-on bag – you’ll save time by filling out the Incoming Passenger Card during your flight
• Write down the address of your first night’s accommodation – you’ll need it for the Incoming Passenger Card
• Bringing hiking boots to Australia? Clean any dirt off them before you go – they will be inspected.
• Ask a Border Control Officer for help if you’re unsure – get rid of any fruit you may have in your bag –  officers are happy to advise if you’re unsure if an item is permitted.

Having sailed through the arrivals process, it’s time to start the holiday of a lifetime!

The International Date Line has confused navigators, explorers, and the everyday traveller for nearly five centuries since humans first began circumnavigating the globe. It is important you know what date you actually land in Australia – don’t let it baffle you!

The International Date Line is the boundary where each calendar day starts and ends and is also known as the “Line of Demarcation” because it separates two calendar dates: When you cross the date line travelling east, you subtract a day, and if you cross the line travelling west, you add a day.

When you travel from North America, you travel across the International Date Line which means you journey forward in time to get here. So when you leave San Francisco on Friday night you land in Australia on Sunday morning. Of course, you may feel like you’ve lost a day but you’ll gain that back on your return journey, arriving home just a few hours after leaving – it’s like time travel!

Tourism to Australia has boomed in recent years, mainly due to the growing global interest in Australia’s unique landscapes, exotic wildlife, and world-leading food and wine scene. Travellers have also realised Australia offers a safe, friendly holiday destination with tons of fun things to see and do. With visitor numbers increasing we experience certain seasonal bottlenecks, so to avoid disappointment, reserving parts of your holiday well in advance is strongly recommended.

The best way to travel to Australia is by air (unless you want to spend a lot of time on a boat). Most major airlines offer direct flights to Australia. It’s easy to get here on a non-stop flight from New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Or you can get a connecting flight from these countries to Australia from anywhere in the world.

When flying to Australia you may well want to take advantage of the various stopovers available.

From Europe: flight times are around 24 hours (two flights of around 11-12 hours). Most travel experts recommend a 24-hour stopover in Asia (think Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore, and Tokyo.)

From New Zealand and Asia: Australia is a three-and-a-half-hour flight from the North Island of New Zealand, and around 10 hours flight from most places on the Pacific Rim, like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

From North America: Many flights from the West Coast of the USA leave in the evening, taking about 15 hours on a non-stop overnight flight from the United States.

Think about incorporating New Zealand or the Pacific Islands into your itinerary. Talk to one of our Travel Designers – we are the experts in creating combination tours of the South Pacific.