Queensland Islands Weather & Climate

Characterised by their golden beaches and stunning natural environment, the Queensland Islands enjoy some of the best weather Australia has to offer. Best of all water temperatures vary between a balmy 25 °C in summer and a still pleasant 19 °C in winter, meaning you can enjoy the crystal clear waters of these regions no matter what time you're visiting.

Anytime is a great time to visit the Queensland Islands and seasonal changes occur beginning with summer from December to February, Autumn between March and May, winter from June to August and spring during September to November.

Scattered along Queensland's east coast, the Queensland Islands experience a variety of weather conditions throughout the year. Starting with the northernmost islands near Cape York, the Tropical North Queensland climate is rather warm and humid consistently throughout the year with average temperatures reaching 29°C (85°F) Temperature variations during summer and winter are far more subtle than in other regions of Australia, Europe or North America.

The Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef region enjoys a tropical climate offering mild temperatures, cooling sea breezes and plenty of sunshine. As such, they also average less rainfall and the summer months are characterised by warm sultry conditions. Winter is still warm and is known as the 'dry' season. Lasting from May to October the low humidity is in contrast to the 'wet' season's tropical rainfall during November to April.

The Fraser Coast on the other hand features a subtropical climate meaning that although the weather is pleasant year round, the seasonal changes and temperature variations are more distinct. During December to February, summer temperatures fall between 23-32 °C while Autumn sees March to May hitting 18-28 °C. Winter cools to 13-26 °C during June to August and Spring is just a little warmer at 17-28 °C from September to November.

Following Queensland's coast south all the way down to Brisbane, the subtropical climate tends to mellow and the warm sunny weather remains mild and fairly consistent all year. The fine days give way to balmy nights with temperatures averaging 21-29 °C during summer and 10-22 °C in winter. Although summer can be quite warm, winter is pleasant as the weather remains sunny even as the temperature drops.