I am considering this TT for December next year. Would this be a good time and what is the weather like then. I don't mind the heat but would I be finding cold in any areas? I would like to see as many of the "must sees" as possible since the flight is so long. Would this be a good tour, or is there one that would be even better? I have never traveled out of a suitcase for that long of a period, but from reading this board, it seems like it just takes a little planning. It seems that I would be going solo. How can I find out what the single supplement would be so that I can judge the affordability?

1. Weatherwise, December is hot to warm anywhere in Australia with the possible exception of Tasmania and even then it's warm compared with North America.

2. Your travel agent should be able to find out what the single supplement is going to be if it's not in the brochure for some reason. It should be reasonable, given that Australian hotels don't usually charge extra for single occupation or $A 5 - 10 per night at most.

I toured solo to OZ and NZ a few years ago in mid to late November so will be hot in December...Melbourne stay tuned for weather shifts. It's so bizaar to see the Christmas decorations and celebration prepartions going on in warm/hot weather.

Re the single supplement, check the amount for 2007 and you will come within a couple of hundred dollars for 2008...depending on how much they raise the rates.

It's a loooong trip, but definitely a grand visit, camel ride and all , and until they engineer a sonic boom flight, 23 hours flying time is a once in a lifetime for me. Kudos to you Aussies and Kiwis who do it every year when touring.

Hello justducky, you are going to get a mixed bag weather wise in December.

For example December in Darwin, Kakadu and Katherine is classed as the suicide season, it is extremely hot and humid with lots of rain, it is the wet season there.

Adelaide you should have reasonably nice warm to hot weather with very little humidity, Port Augusta, Wilpena Pound and Coober Pedy will be hot.

Alice Springs and Tennant Creek will be very hot (around 40 degrees celsius). Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef will also be hot and humid with rain off and on.

Sydney should be lovely especially anywhere around the water, but it can get pretty humid there also.

One thing is for sure it will be totally different to Michigan, definitely NO SNOW but I am sure you will love the experience, do a little bit of homework before you come because we are a BIG dry country, lots of red dirt and dust.

Hummmmm Maybe I should do some research on the weather. I'll try and see if I can find a less rainy time period. I am blessed that I was able to retire this year, so I am not restricted to December.

Missy: If you were a tourist, coming to visit your country, when would you go?

Hi Susie,

I personally do not like a lot of heat and humidity, so if I were touring Australia I would go early September or early May. September being the first month of spring and May being the last month of autumn (fall).

At this time Adelaide and Sydney will be a little cooler, you may need to wear a jumper/cardigan/polofleece in these cities, but everywhere else in Australia will be magnificent, warm but not overly hot.

I live in Adelaie so please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Hi Susie ~ Happy retirement

If I was suggesting a time to visit Australia my choices would be April/May or September/October.

Susie.

There's no guarantees as to temperatures at any time of the year. Australia is an extremely large country with weather extremes, depending on your itinerary.

We were there in September/October of this year and had extremely cold weather (windy and rainy) in Tasmania, and extremely hot weather (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) in Alice Springs, Uluru, Port Douglas, and Cape Tribulation. The weather was great in Adelaide and Sydney, and cool in Melbourne. We fell in love with Australia, despite the weather extremes. Just make your plans, pack for changeable weather conditions, and have a great time.

I found on our trips across the "ditch" that October/November had fairly settled warm weather, although it is difficult to tell these days as the seasons appear to be changing everywhere. We did however experience the '4 seasons in one day' scenario when in Melbourne....got off a tram, started in to Victoria market in the beautiful warm sun and within half an hour we had a cold change, rain, a bit of hail, wind then lovely sunshine again....very odd for all this weather to turn full circle in such a short period.....odd

Thank You for all of the suggestions. As I make my final decision and plan my trip, I may have additional questions. I love the way that everyone on this board is willing to help and give advice. It makes it a lot easier to find answers.

I met two older American couples in the lobby of my tour hotel in San Francisco earlier this year. They proudly told me that they had booked an Australian tour for January next year as their travel agent had insisted that this was best time to go.

After they recognised the shock/horror on my face, we got into a conversation about the weather in some of the places they were intending to visit and it became clear that they had no idea what they were in for.

Luckily they had booked but not yet paid, and they stated their intention to appear on the TA's doorstep first thing on the Monday morning and change the trip to September of this year.

I never recommend visiting 'outback' areas any later than Sept/Oct or earlier than Apl/May.
The capitol cities are a different matter, but if you are doing a comprehensive tour you need to be very aware of 'outback' weather conditions.

Colleen, SandyS was in Adelaide in early October this year and the temperature was around 23-25 degrees Celsius, but the next day they were flying to Alice Springs where the reported temperature was going to be 41 degrees Celsius, these are the extremes that people should expect when travelling to Australia.

Missie,

It doesn't help if US (or other) Travel Agents (the supposed experts) are telling people that January is the best time to come here. Can you just imagine these four old souls in the outback in January??? their dentures would have melted. Their TA obviously had no idea about travelling in Oz, yet was recommending and booking people for that time of the year !!

They said that meeting me in the lobby was the best stroke of luck they could have had.

Well Colleen, at least we have been able to give our friends from North America a free "tip" to stay away from Australia between November and April.

quote:

Well Colleen, at least we have been able to give our friends from North America a free "tip" to stay away from Australia between November and April. Big Grin

I thought that Aussies never tipped!!!