There is no wrong time to visit Queensland, but knowing more about the weather and the high and low seasons can help you choose the best times.

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If you have a particular type of accommodation in mind or want a wide range of choices, I suggest booking in advance. This is particularly true in the Christmas summer holidays and in July and August in places like Cairns, Noosa and the Gold Coast.

Winter sees Australians from the southern states head north in large numbers, so May – September can be busy in most coastal towns.

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Weather in Queensland

With almost 300 sunny days a year, it’s no surprise that Queensland is nicknamed “the sunshine state” The other phrase that gets thrown around a lot is “Beautiful one day, perfect the next”, unless there is a cyclone or a flood that is!

The second-largest state in Australia has three climate zones. From the NSW border to about Mackay is considered to be subtropical. While you will get four seasons, the winters are very mild. Inland of this part of the state, you will find hot, dry summers and warm winters.

From Mackay to Cape York, the area is known as North and Far North Queensland. It becomes more of a two season situation, known as the wet and the dry. The wet season begins in November and ends in May. Things are a lot drier from June to October. Summers here are humid, and winters are warm.

Brisbane

Month	Average maximum	Average minimum	Average rainfall (mm)
January	29.2	21.2	115mm
February	28.9	21.0	144mm
March	27.9	19.3	108mm
April	26.0	16.7	104mm
May	23.6	13.7	109mm
June	21.2	10.6	65mm
July	20.7	9.3	46mm
August	21.8	9.7	41mm
September	24.1	12.6	33mm
October	25.6	15.5	81mm
November	26.8	17.9	89mm
December	28.4	19.9	136mm

Cairns

As you will see in the chart below, Cairns gets significantly more rain than Brisbane. Those periods of high rainfall are pretty humid, and I would recommend you make sure your accommodation is air-conditioned.

Month	Average maximum	Average minimum	Average rainfall (mm)
January	28.5	24	379mm
February	28.5	24	448mm
March	27.5	23.4	378mm
April	26.1	22.1	215mm
May	24.4	20.4	89mm
June	22.8	18.8	41mm
July	22.3	18	31mm
August	23.1	18.1	29mm
September	24.9	19.4	35mm
October	26.4	21.1	18mm
November	27.6	22.5	112mm
December	28.5	23.5	178mm

Queensland Event Calendar

Below are some of the most significant events on the Queensland calendar. We will update this as new information becomes available, but you should also check the official regional tourism pages when you book.

Queensland School and Public Holidays

School holidays see prices go up and availability reduce. If you don’t need to be travelling at this time, you can save quite a bit by avoiding it.

Public Holidays in Queensland 2024-2025

Holiday	2024	2025
New Year’s Day	01 January	01 January
Australia Day	26 January	27 January (holiday)
Good Friday	29 March	18 April
Easter Sunday	01 April	10 April
Easter Monday	02 April	21 April
Anzac Day	25 April	25 April
Labour Day	06 May	05 May
Royal Queensland Show Day*	14 August	13 August
Kings’s Birthday	07 October	06 October
Christmas Day*	25 December	25 December
Boxing Day	26 December	26 December
New Year’s Eve	31 December	31 December

School Holidays in Queensland 2024-2025

Period	2024	2025
Autumn break:	29 March-14 April	5 April-21 April
Winter break:	22 June-7 July	28 June-13 July
Spring break:	14-29 September	20 September-6 October
Summer break:	14 December – 27 January 2025	13 December -26 January 2026

Got a question? Head over to our Australia Travel Tips Facebook Group and ask a local.