It’s a little-known fact to those who are not from there, but it does snow in some parts of Australia. In fact, it may be one of the most pleasant winters you’ll ever experience anywhere in the world, thanks to the fact that the temperatures rarely drop too low, allowing you to enjoy the season. Snow in Australia happens for three months every year in some parts of the south, turning them into winter wonderland destinations for locals and tourists alike.
Places like New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, and other destinations become filled with snow-filled activities and adventures, whether you plan on taking to the slopes or exploring the snowy wilderness.
We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.
1.The winter season
Winter in Australia starts in June and lasts until the month of August, making for a total of three months per year. During this time, the nation experiences cooler climates overall, though not all parts experience snowfall. So, you’ll have to go to certain locations to see the snow.
Most of the snowy regions are characterized by mountainous terrains, such as the Victorian Alps, the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, and the mountains of Tasmania. Meanwhile, the temperatures in the northern tropics hardly go below 75°F. The central regions of Australia have warm temperatures, between 64°F to 75°F. But it does get cold at certain times, so bundle up wherever you go when it’s winter.
As for the southern areas, the temperatures range from 53°F to 64°F. This makes the weather more tolerable than most regions. But again, you’re going to need the added layers to stay warm, especially at night.
As you reach the more mountainous areas, you’ll experience temperatures going as low as 42°F on average, although it can go higher or lower.
2.Winter rainfall in Australia
With the exception of Tasmania, rainfall in Australia is mainly low during the winter season. Rainfall measures from an average of 0.5 inches in the north during the dry season, going up to 3.8 inches in New South Wales and even 7 inches in Victoria. As of 2016, the average measurement is 1.9 inches.
3.Can you go skiing or snowboarding in Australia
Yes! In fact, many Australians go to the snowy areas of the nation to do just that. Australian skiing mainly began during the gold rush that took place in New South Wales two years after the discovery of gold mines. In 1861 the miners created their own skis and introduced the idea of recreational skiing to other people. In 1936, they made the first towrope on Victoria’s Mount Buffalo, which took skiers to the slopes. Since then, skiing has become a popular activity for locals and tourists alike. Most Australian resorts even have schools for skiing and snowboarding, catering to people of all ages and skill levels.
The more popular ski resorts in New South Wales include Thredbo, Selwyn Snowfields, Charlotte Pass, and Perisher. They cater to a huge number of locals and tourists, who come here to go skiing and snowboarding every year. Meanwhile, Victoria is home to five resorts, namely Mount Hotham, Mount Buller, Falls Creek, Mount Buffalo, and Mount Baw Baw. Those going to Tasmania will want to check out Mount Mawson and Ben Lomond. The skiing and snow activities, however, are not limited to these resorts, since there are many national parks and other areas that are ideal for snow play across south Australia.
Those who want to enjoy the snowy season of southern Australia will want to check out the Victorian Interschool’s Snowsports Championships, where each year more than 5,000 school kids represent their schools in snow sporting events. They all compete to get a chance to represent their state in a national competition, and this is where most of Australia’s winter Olympians start their competitive careers.
Note that skiing and snowboarding aren’t the only activities you can do during snow season in Australia. There are other activities like snowtubing, tobogganing, and sledding, which are all popular at different resorts. People also enjoy snowball fights and snowman making. For those who want to go sightseeing, dog sledding is a good choice as well.
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4.Spotting the wildlife
Perhaps one of the more unique parts of Australia’s winters is getting to see native animals thrive in the snow. Go to the right place and you’ll find possums, kangaroos, wombats, wild horses, as well as a wide variety of bird species and other wildlife in the snowfields.
5.Christmas in July
Sounds weird, doesn’t it? The Yulefest takes place on 20-26 July at the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. Here, you’ll see log fires, taste mulled wine, listen to singalongs, and pretty much experience Christmas fare in the month of July. Tourists take up vacation packages that include this incredibly unique experience.
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6.Want to go hiking
Try Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. Not only is it ideal for trekking, but the snow-capped peaks offer you a breathtaking sight that’s worth the trip. The place is indeed a popular expedition spot throughout the year but going through it during the winter season is an entirely unique experience.
7.Snowshoeing on Mount Kosciusko
Go beyond the ski-fields in Thredbo and enjoy the snowshoe tours as guides take you through open and icy terrain surrounded by breathtaking scenes amidst the winter silence. This is an activity that everyone can take on no matter the experience level, making it a great alternative to skiing and snowboarding. Mount Kosciusko happens to be a nice setting for lunch picnics, too.
So yes, it does snow in Australia. But more importantly, locals and tourists have learned to make the most of this season by taking part in amazing snow activities and going to beautiful snowy destinations each year. So even if you’ve been to Australia before, you might want to consider visiting again, but this time during the winter.
Does it Snow in Australia?
- The winter season, Photo: Michael Walker/stock.adobe.com
- Winter rainfall in Australia, Photo: otman/stock.adobe.com
- Can you go skiing or snowboarding in Australia, Photo: Taras Vyshnya/stock.adobe.com
- Spotting the wildlife, Photo: TashaBubo/stock.adobe.com
- Christmas in July, Photo: Joscha/stock.adobe.com
- Want to go hiking, Photo: Sander/stock.adobe.com
- Snowshoeing on Mount Kosciusko, Photo: kurgu128/stock.adobe.com
- Cover Photo: Courtesy of Michael Meijer - Fotolia.com
More Ideas: Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest is located in Australia. Visitors to the rainforest will enjoy its pristine nature, untouched by artificial structures and real time wildlife sightings. The rainforest takes its name from the photographer and geologist, Richard Daintree. Daintree was born in 1832 and dies in 1878.
History
The Daintree Rainforest encompasses the Daintree National Park, privately owned land that includes a residential community with a population of five people, and some parts of State Forest. The land north of the Peninsula Range is gradually purchased from private owners and is used for conservation.
The rainforest is home to thirty percent of the marsupial, frog, and reptile species in Australia, ninety percent of the butterfly and bat species. Seven percent of the bird species in Australia are located in this part of the country. The Daintree Rainforest boasts twelve thousand species of insects. The diversity of the rainforest makes up 0.1% of Australia’s landmass.
Roads north of the Daintree River wind through the forest. They were developed in a way that minimizes the impacts of travel on the ancient ecosystem.
Tours
Daintree Rainforest practices genuine ecotourism with interpretation from expert long-term resident guides. The rainforest contains the World Heritage centerpiece and is the oldest rainforest in the world. There are several tour options for the rainforest, but tours are generally two or four hours of guided walking through the rainforest. Packages include the following:
· Greater Wilderness Experience- This tour uses the knowledge of inhabitant guides to present the old-growth rainforest. The tour is intensive and provides insight into the intricacies of the ancient ecosystem. The tour lasts four hours and is about a six and half kilometer walk.
· Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour- This tour takes visitors to the heart of the rainforest. The local guides are experts on the biodiversity and complexity of the ecosystem. The evolutionary progress through the last one-hundred and eighty million years has made the rainforest a living museum of primitive and rare animals and plants. This tour is two hours and requires a moderate level of fitness to traverse the flat terrain.
· Walk Cruise Combination- This tour combines the Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour and a one-hour cruise through the most diverse mangrove area in the world. The cruise explores the habitats of crocodiles and cassowaries. The tour and cruise combo allow visitors to explore the Cooper Valley at the base of Thornton Peak. It has rich ecosystem that includes primitive fauna and flowering plants that cannot be found in the world anywhere else. The guides are experts and will explain the Daintree Rainforest beginning with it’s development and evolution through time, to the numerous primitive, endemic, and rare species located there. The tour and cruise combination lasts three hours.
· Walk Cruise Extension- This package combines the Greater Wilderness Experience and a one-hour cruise through the mangrove community. The tour and cruise combined will last five hours. The combination tour and cruise explores an old growth Gondwanan rainforest and the mangrove community that is home to a diverse set of wildlife including the estuarine crocodiles.
· Daintree Rainforest River Combination- This package combines a two-hour wildlife cruise with either the Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour or the Greater Wilderness Experience. If combined with the Grand Fan Palm Gallery tour, it will last four hours. If combined with the Greater Wilderness Experience, it will last six hours.
· Walk Cruise and Dine- This package combines the Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour with a cruise that last one hour and is interpreted by experts and a lunch at one of the nearby Heritage Lodge, followed by a tea in the afternoon at one of the local tea houses. The total time for this package is five hours.
· 7-Hour Package- This package combines the Daintree Rainforest Walk, Cruise, and Dine Package with the Greater Wilderness Experience. The cruise last one hour and is interpreted by experts. For more information on what this package includes see the website.
· Private Charters- The Daintree Rainforest provides private tours that can tailored to specific interests. Those who prefer the private tour may choose to focus on interests such as plants, insects, photography, or the part humans play in changing the environment. Depending on the amenities and type of tour a visitor is looking for, the times for these tours will vary.
Educational Opportunities
The Daintree Rainforest allows field trips for university and secondary schools. Guides with expert knowledge interpret the rainforest and its uniqueness and evolutionary process. The Rainforest also provides boundless opportunities for research as it is the most diverse rainforest, biologically in the world.
Daintree Rainforest, Australia, Phone: +61-74-09-89-16
More Places to Visit in Australia
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More Ideas: Australian War Memorial
For those who have served with the Australian Army, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of their nation, and those who still serve, honorably, fighting injustice in the world alongside Australia's allies, this war memorial serves them, and the people who wish to honor the sacrifice, courage, dedication, selfless service, fortitude, and commitment to their great nation. The Roll of Honour dedicates the achievements and sacrifices of over 102,000 Australians who gave their lives, and everyone else who'd served at home, and abroad.
History
This war memorial is unlike most others. It has spent all the years since November 11th, 1941, on Australia's national Remembrance Day, to fill the archives, gather the documents, display the war paintings, preserve the artifacts, and educate the population. The history of the war memorial is just as fascinating and rich as the history within its walls. The Australian War Memorial is internationally recognized as one of the greatest memorials and national monuments in the world. The building itself has Byzantine style architecture, with etchings, carvings, and contrast among distinct Australian settings around eucalypts and lawns surrounding the large ceremonial avenue.
Charles Bean was the inspiration and main lobbyist for the war memorial being built in 1941. Charles Bean and others had tried for several years to lobby for it, and it was accepted, but during the period between 1927 and 1941, there was no local architectural designers that were worthy of winning the contest that was made to find the best architect for the huge job. Two stood out from the rest though, John Crust and Emil Sodersteen were encouraged to collaborate instead of introducing individual bids, and finally, their proposal was accepted, and the building was successfully constructed on that Remembrance Day in 1941. The perfect collaboration occurred when Emil envisioned and designed the overall building and wings, and with John designing the Roll of Honour to name 60,000 heroes.
Along with Charles Bean, who was the official war correspondent during the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915, a man named John Treloar, who was a Captain in the Australian Imperial Force at the time, was appointed to lead the Australian War Records Section, located in England. He was then responsible for acquiring relics, artifacts, records, and all the other history of Australia's military history. John Treloar was nominated to be the director of the Australia War Museum in 1920, and he worked in that position until the day he died. John Treloar influenced so much of the museum, along with Charles Bean, and the architects, and it remains a place to continue to grow and honor all those who serve, today.
Permanent Exhibits
The Australia War Museum was the most visited place in Australia in 2017, and the following will explain why. The historic building is something of wonder and beauty and is a permanent exhibit in itself. The walls contain hidden historical treasures and education that needs to be explored. Here are the other exhibits you can experience:
Last Post Ceremony- This ceremony is conducted to honor Australians who've sacrificed themselves for their people, and their country, and you can actually capture it live on the museum's website every single day at 4:55 pm AEDT.
Commemorative Courtyard- The front entrance of the memorial, where the stone lions of Menin road at Ypres once stood, opens the door to the commemorative area, where many of the museums incredible features lie:
· Pool of Reflection
· Over 26 Statues
· The Eternal Flame
Roll of Honour- On both sides of the Commemorative Courtyard are several archways that lead to the Roll of Honour, which spans the wall's surface and extends all the way down the length of both sides of the building. There are just over 102,000 names, all inscribed in bronze, of the people that have died in Australia's conflicts and wars since 1885. Most people who visit the memorial have a tradition of inserting poppy flowers in the nooks of the Roll of Honour, near a loved one's name. The gesture is really an emotional and beautiful thing.
Hall of Memory- This gorgeous room sits at the center of the memorial. It is designed in this way, which it is only accessible by going past the Roll of Honour, so the visitor may remember those brave men and women. Napier Waller designed the Hall of Memory before it officially opened in 1959, after the second world war.
Hall of Valour- This part of the memorial honors 100 Australians who received the Victoria Cross. The Victoria Cross has been used to commend valor among sailors and soldiers since the Crimean War of 1854. The Hall of Valour also features nine Australian Defence soldiers who have been awarded the George Cross. The George Cross has been awarded to 22 people, 11 to the Australian Defence soldiers, and 11 to civilians who have exuded bravery in a time of crisis.
The Sculpture Garden- In 1999, the Sculpture Garden was opened, and serves as a quiet place to contemplate the sacrifices all those men and women have made over the years. The sculptures that are present in the garden are considered some of the best works in the world. Many sculptures resemble brave men and women in all branches of the Australian military, including Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop, which commemorates a scene in which medical personnel aided Australian POW's in WWII. Along the garden are hundreds of plaques, each telling a short history and story of many of the military units that are recognized for their bravery in war and conflict efforts. Here are just some of the sculptures and their meanings that you can find at the Australian War Museum:
Simpson and his donkey, 1915- This piece is a scene where a medic is putting wounded on his donkey to help in the war efforts. It was made for people to remember that there are heroes on front lines other than combat troops.
War- The locals nicknamed this statue "Bellona", which was given to Australia in 1920 when Bertram Mackennal made it in his effort to create something that represented the gallantry and courage of Australian troops.
Survivors- Australian merchant seamen are honored here because of their valor and duty manning ships in every port of the world in WWI and WWII.
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Bomber Command Memorial- This statue is huge, with intertwining steel beams going up, and a "splash" on the bottom, as it resembles a bomb being dropped, and the beginning of the impact as it hits the ground. It serves to honor the brave men and women of the RAAF who died during WWII.
Australian Serviceman- This elegant statue depicts a young man looking out into the future with hope for his people, and his nation.
Australian Servicewomen's Memorial- This piece bears a platform with a winding space in the middle, representing a river in land. Anne Ferguson designed the piece with the intention of evoking the woman's warrior spirit. The granite tiles were taken from every part of Australia, so represent all who served, and lost their lives, in all parts of the country. The "river" that runs through the piece separates the periods before and after the beginning of WWII.
Sandakan Memorial- This piece inspires memory and grief for those who died during the Sandakan death march in Borneo, 1945. While it looks like 5 long steps and a ramp, separated in the middle, it actually serves as an accurate sundial.
Animals in War Memorial- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals teamed up with the Australian War Memorial to create a piece to remember all the brave and courageous animals who helped Australia in every conflict and war. The piece inspires remembrance in how animals have served in practical ways, and also in helping the veteran cope with grief, war, loss, and tragedy. Animals continue to be a large part of Australia's military and they have the utmost respect for every one of them.
Patriotism- This ornate statue is small in size, but large at heart, as it inspires remembrance of the fallen of WWI. You can see a grand chariot being pulled by two lions, and at the helm, a child, who represents all the future people who will inherit the kingdom of freedom from their sacrifice.
Elevation of the Senses- This statue commemorates the working dogs of the military. You will see three broken pillars, and a dog on top with his handler, giving him praise. Dogs have been a vital ally in all wars and conflicts since WWI, and this statue serves as inspiration to honor Canids, and honor their sacrifice and bravery as well.
Special Events- There are hundreds of events that take place every year at Australia's busiest destination attraction. Here are a few of the special events:
Hearts and Minds: Wartime Propaganda- This collection displays government campaign posters that protest the Vietnam war, WWI, and WWII, as well as calls to action posters from recruiters.
The Holocaust: Witnesses and Survivors- This exhibit represents the millions of people who tragically lost their lives due to Nazi tyranny during WWII. It tells the stories of brave survivors, as well as outsider points of view, and stories of people who moved to Australia to leave that life behind them.
Shopping- There is a large online store that people can go to purchase all kinds of memorabilia and trinkets that represent the Australian War Memorial. You can buy military books, figurines, bookends that resemble the Menin gate lions, and art by famous military artists.
Treloar Crescent, Campbell ACT 2612, Australia, Phone: +61-02-62-43-45-23
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