When is the best time to visit Queensland?
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.
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”, except when 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 to 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 get significantly more rain than Brisbane. Those periods of high rainfall are pretty humid, and I would recommend you make sure your accommodation is airconditioned.
| 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.
| January | Ginger Flower and Food Festival |
| 25 February – 6 March | Apple & Grape Festival, |
| 19 March | Sunshine Coast Asian Food Festival. |
| 13 – 15 May | Regional Flavours. |
| 14 – 15 May | Hampton Festival. |
| 21 – 22 May | Paniyiri. |
| June | Taste Bundaberg Festival. |
| 25 June – 3 July | Scenic Rim Eat Local Week. |
| 4 June | Relish Food & Wine. |
| 29 July – 7 August | The Curated Plate, |
| May | Noosa Food and Wine Festival |
| May | Port Douglas Carnivale |
| July | Birdville Big Bash |
| August | Mount Isa Rodeo |
| August | Brisbane Marathon |
| September | Hamilton Island Race Week |
| November | Wonderland Festival |
| December | Woodford Folk Festival |
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 2022-2023
| New Year’s Day + Monday Holiday | 01 and 03 January | 01 – 02 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January | 26 January |
| Good Friday | 15 April | 07 April |
| Easter Sat. | 16 April | 08 April |
| Easter Mon. | 18 April | 10 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April | 25 April |
| Labour Day | 04 May | 01 May |
| Ekka Wednesday* | 10 August | 16 August |
| Queens Birthday | 4 October | 02 October |
| Christmas Eve** | 24 December | 24 December |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December | 26 December |
**Queensland has a part-day public holiday for Christmas Eve from 6 pm to midnight.
Correct as of 17 August 2021, the Information presented is from the QLD Government sources website – https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/travel/holidays/public
School Holidays in Queensland 2022-2023
| Period | 2022 | 2023 |
| Autumn break: | 02 April – 18 April | 01 April – 22 January |
| Winter break: | 26 June -11 July | 16 April – 24 June |
| Spring break: | 18 September – 04 October | 11 July – 14 September |
| Summer break: | 11 December – 23 January 2022 | 04 October – 9 December 2024 |
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