Best time to visit Tasmania

The best time to visit Tasmania is between December and April. The summer is perfect for outdoor activities, leading into the warm autumn with glorious colours in the foliage. But Tassie is lovely year-round, with fantastic woollen products to make the winter manageable too. All in all, you’ll find the weather in Tasmania so different from the rest of Australia, it’s almost astounding, with maritime and mountain climates, plus rainforest, thrown into the mix.

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Best time to visit Tasmania

For the Southern Lights in winter, look out for clear nights and head into more remote areas - luckily, not very difficult in Tasmania

Tasmania’s weather varies greatly, with maritime, mountain and myriad other microclimates keeping meteorologists busy. The best time to visit Tasmania is not clear-cut. In summer (December-February), the average maximum temperature is around 21°C. Autumn (March-April) is a guessing game but still gorgeous, and winter brings snow and sunshine from June to August, with white-topped mountains as late as October. The west and south-west coasts get more rainfall than the east – but a lot fewer tourists enjoying the gorgeously green landscapes.

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When to see the Southern Lights in Tasmania

The aurora australis (Southern Lights), like its equivalent in the Northern Hemisphere, is a mesmerising spectacle, as tongues of green, red and purple flicker across the night sky. The best time to see the Southern Lights in Tasmania is during the winter, so between June and August, when the sky is darker for longer. As for the best places to see the Southern Lights in Tasmania, you’re spoilt for choice. We recommend Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park for a beautiful backdrop, or Bruny Island.

A month by month guide on when to go to Tasmania

January in Tasmania

Great for walking

Warm and sunny

Peak travel season

January is the midst of peak season, but that needn’t mean crowds, especially if you’re walking. Many trails can lead you into wonderful wilderness. The warm and sunny weather in Tasmania in January is perfect for getting out and about; it tends to be a few degrees cooler in the Central Highlands. Lavender fields are in bloom with rich, deep colours and fragrance.

February in Tasmania

Great weather

Coastal cruising

Festivals

Every other February, Hobart celebrates the Australian Wooden Boat Festival along its historic waterfront – so no surprise that this is a good month to enjoy a small ship cruise around Tasmania too. There are lots of wine festivals going on around Tasmania in February such as the Tasmanian Wine Festival in Hobart.

February is great for our Tasmania coastal cruise

March in Tasmania

Start of autumn

Harvest produce

Mild weather

As Tasmania rolls into autumn, things get a little quieter. The weather is changeable, but generally nice and warm in the daytimes, growing milder in the evenings. Tasmania in March is all about the harvest, so this is a great month for visiting farms and vineyards. With such a favourable climate, walking and self drive tours remain some of the popular activities in March.

April in Tasmania

Turning of the Fagus

Self drive tours

Chilly by night

Though temperatures fall a little, Tasmania in April is a particularly fab month for scenic self drive tours. This is the best time of year to visit Tasmania for the Turning of the Fagus. Avid landscape admirers turn up in droves to see places like the Derwent Valley and Cradle Mountain ablaze with colour, as the island’s only winter-deciduous tree takes on bright hues of red, yellow and gold.

April is a great month for our B&B self drive tour of Tasmania

May in Tasmania

Whales in the east

Wet on west coast

Autumnal weather

May is one of the best months to visit Tasmania for whale watching, with southern right and humpback whales beginning their migratory path along the east coast. You can catch them on their return journey in spring. As autumn deepens, Tasmania in May can see a fair amount of rain, particularly in the west, where fungi carpets the floors of the primeval rainforest.

June in Tasmania

Dark Mofo Festival

Southern Lights

Chance of snow

Tasmania in June welcomes the start of winter, and Hobart celebrates the solstice with the wild Dark Mofo Festival. Temperatures between June and August are an average of 12°C. But it’s still wonderful for hiking, with high areas getting snowfall at this time too. This is also the best time of year to see the Southern Lights in Tasmania. Look for clear nights and head into more remote areas.

I first visited in August and I’ll never forget standing on the shores of Lake Saint Clair in the snow with a wild wallaby just a metre away.

– Susie de Carteret from our partner Tasmanian Odyssey

July in Tasmania

Winter

Cold and damp

Cheaper vacation prices

As winter sets in, Tasmania in July sees frosty mornings in parts of the country such as Launceston, while snow is not unlikely on the summit of Mount Wellington. Nevertheless, if you don’t mind the blustery chill, and the threat of occasional showers doesn’t put you off, July is still fine for walking. This is the start of low season, and one of the least expensive months to travel to Tasmania.

August in Tasmania

Snow possible

Wassailing

Wintery walks

The cold, and occasionally snowy, weather continues throughout Tasmania in August, making for some lovely wintery walks. There are some especially lovely routes in Cradle Mountain-Lake Saint Clair National Park that look gorgeous when festooned with snow. Get out your pots and pans for a wassailing session in the Huon Valley’s apple orchards to help usher in a good harvest.

September in Tasmania

Spring wildflowers

Changeable weather

Baby animals

Tasmania bursts into colour in September, with spring ushering in lovely wildflowers, and lots of baby animals making their first appearances. Wine tasting at vineyards and wineries are popular, and seafood lovers should take note: this is also prime lobster season. Do pack layers – you can expect changeable, and still fairly cool, weather around Tasmania in September.

October in Tasmania

Tulips flowering

Whale watching

‘Roaring Forties’

Southern right whales can often be spotted off the east coast of Tasmania in October, while the north-west is buffeted by the ‘Roaring Forties’ – the term given by sailors to the strong winds affecting latitudes between 40 and 50 degrees south of the equator. October is the best time to visit Tasmania for the tulip farms that are in full beauteous bloom throughout the month.

November in Tasmania

Get outdoors

Warmer weather

Just before the busier summer

November is a great time to visit Tasmania, with the weather warming up but before the summer peak. What to do in Tasmania in November? Be outside. This is a great month for walking and largely sunny, although the odd shower can’t be ruled out. There are plenty of harvest festivals going on and beautiful colours in the foliage.

December in Tasmania

Lavender farms

Summer season starts

Festival of Flowers

Summer arrives in Tasmania in December, bringing higher temperatures and crowds in popular areas like Freycinet and the Bay of Fires. Capital Hobart is particularly affected, with day-trippers flocking down the gangplanks of their cruise ships. You can also catch the finale of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. December is the best time to visit Tasmania for lavender, during the Festival of Flowers.

Hobart Weather Chart

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Best times to visit Tasmania for festivals & events

Furneaux Islands Festival (January)

A counterpoint to the controversial Australia Day events, which many consider a celebration of violent colonisation, the Furneaux Islands Festival on Flinders Island is a three-day multicultural jamboree with a particular focus on Aboriginal art and music, bringing together people from across the 52 islands in Tasmania’s Bass Strait. Events take place across the island over the third weekend of January, but the big one is the community concert and BBQ.

Australian Wooden Ship Festival (every other February)

Hobart is flooded with cruise ship passengers every summer. But every other February, the capital’s historic waterfront plays host to many smaller and more attractive crafts as the four-day Wooden Ship Festival takes place, celebrating Tasmania’s rich maritime heritage. During this impressive celebration of sail you’re likely to see several hundred vessels on the waves, from historic tall ships to beautifully crafted sailboats.

The Turning of the Fagus (late April to early May)

The Turning of the Fagus may sound like a Shakespearean romp, but it actually refers to the autumnal change in colour of the island’s only deciduous tree. A beech species, it covers the glowing gamut of reds, oranges and yellows during the month of April. Seek it out in Cradle Mountain and Mount Field National Park, where the effects are particularly dramatic.

Dark Mofo (June)

One of the wilder festivals in the Southern Hemisphere, Dark Mofo is held in June around the southern winter solstice. Known to be unafraid of courting controversy with its performances and exhibits, and attracting big-name musical acts, Dark Mofo explores pagan rituals. The nude sunrise swim in the River Derwent is one for the brave of heart.

Tasmanian Craft Fair (October & November)

The Tasmanian Craft Fair, held in late October and early November, attracts around 250 local artists and artisans, and is one of the most renowned of its kind in Australia. If you’re after unique souvenirs or a taste of Tasmanian craftsmanship such as watercolours, sculpture or tableware, then make your way to the township of Deloraine in the north.

Taste of Summer (December & January)

Line things up right and you can have a rare old time of it in Hobart. The state capital plays host to one of Tasmania’s biggest festivals between 27 December and 6 January, as the waterfront is taken over by a huge market where eateries, breweries and wineries tout their wares. Brilliantly, the Taste of Summer also coincides with New Year’s Eve festivities that are also held on the Hobart waterfront, and the (often gripping) conclusion of the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Our travelers also ask…

Which is the best month to go to Tasmania?

The best months to go to Tasmania are between December and April. Summer is from December to February, when you can enjoy warm, sunny weather across the island that is perfect for everything from walking to self drive touring. But there’s much to be said for traveling a little later, into the autumn months, which continue to be very pleasant. You’ll encounter fewer crowds in popular locations such as the Bay of Fires, Freycinet and Hobart, while helping to extend the tourism season for local businesses.

What are the driest months in Tasmania?

The driest months in Tasmania are during the summer, from December to February. This is peak time for travel to Tasmania, with idyllic weather for walking, wine tasting and wildlife watching around the island. If considering a summertime self drive tour, do book early. Perhaps the biggest charm of this type of trip is the range of family-owned bed-and-breakfasts that you can stay in. These are usually small guest houses, though, so for the best range of choice, plan ahead.

What is Tasmania’s wettest month?

June, July and August, the winter months, are typically the wettest months in Tasmania. That said, the island is known for having quite a varied climate and rain can’t be ruled out at any time of year. The west coast, thick with rainforest, is by far the wettest place. But rain shouldn’t put you off traveling during winter – a burst of sunshine is never far away. “We say that if you don’t like the weather, come back in five minutes,” says Susie de Carteret from our partner Tasmanian Odyssey.