Best time to visit the Australian Outback
Travelling into Central Australia? Expect sunshine and epic scenery
The Outback occupies a whopping 70 per cent of mainland Australia. Due to its size, the climate and weather patterns vary throughout the region, ranging from semi-dry tropics in the north to arid and desert further inland.
Across the Outback, there are generally only two seasons: hot and wet (summer) and cool and dry (winter).
While suitable year-round, winter (May to October) is considered the best time to visit for good weather with warm to hot daytime conditions and cool nights.
Summer | Winter |
November to April | May to October |
When to visit
Temperature conditions are best for hiking and exploring between May and October. Daytime temperatures in winter average 18 to 23°C in Alice Springs, 18 to 26°C in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and 30 to 34°C in Katherine.
Nights and mornings are cold, particularly in June and July and it's not uncommon to wake up to frost. Ensure you bring warm layers, especially to see the sunset or rise over Uluru.
While winter brings the most comfortable daytime temperatures, it’s also the busiest season in the Outback, especially during the Australian winter school holidays. To avoid the crowds, consider the shoulder months outside the holiday period.
Flies are ever-present in the Outback, but they’re rife in the summer so you’ll need a protective head net to keep them off your face.
The amount of rain varies yearly, but it usually comes in the form of afternoon thunderstorms in summer. Creek and riverbeds fill up, vegetation grows and waterfalls and waterholes flow again. If you're lucky, this is when you have the best chance of seeing temporary waterfalls streaming down Uluru.
However, if it's a particularly wet year, creeks and gorges can overflow and cause flash flooding and road closures.
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