10 Australian winter destinations everyone should visit this year

1. Uluru
2. Hamilton Island
3. Darwin and the Top End
4. Snowy Mountains
5. Lord Howe Island

6. Canberra
7. Sydney
8. Kununurra and the Kimberley
9. Blue Mountains
10. Tasmania

Image: TravelNT

Uluru

Why you should go in winter:

• Check out the new Field of Light installation, where artist Bruce Munro has planted more than 50,000 lights in the desert. You can see the display by self-guided tours, on camelback or on a helicopter tour. Until 31 December 2020
• Uluru Camel Racing Club’s Camel Cup will kick off the 2019 event at the Outback Pioneer Hotel & Bar with boot scooting and entertainment on Friday night, before the big Camel Cup race on Saturday. 24-25 May 2019

What the weather is like: Clear skies and temperatures between 16-29 degrees during the day, dropping to single digits overnight.

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Hamilton Island and the Whitsunday Islands

Why you should go in winter:

• Watch the flurry of yachts set sail around the Whitsunday Islands during the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, a must for boating enthusiasts. 17-24 August 2019
• Stinger season ends in May, so feel free to dive into the turquoise waters, explore the colourful underwater reefs, or just enjoy the stunning Whitehaven Beach without slipping into a stinger suit first.

What the weather is like: Winter is the dry season, and temperatures hover around 25 degrees.

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Image: Tourism Australia

Top End

Why you should go in winter:

• Darwin’s Mindil Sunset Markets run every Thursday and Sunday night throughout the winter months. Dine on a huge range of cuisines from Thai and Sri Lankan to Brazilian and Greek, or shop at market stalls for fashion, jewellery and local craft. 25 April - 31 October 2019
• Being the dry season, most of the attractions at Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks will be open as there should be minimal flooding. Plus, free movies under the stars!

What the weather is like: Minimal rain and temperatures around 33 degrees.

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Snowy Mountains

Why you should go in winter:

• With more than 30 artists playing over the four-day event, Peak Music Festival is the official kick-off of the snow season at Perisher. There will be a range of Australian and international acts across 10 stages at the mountain resort. 7-10 June 2019
• Experience a white Christmas... in July at Thredbo, where you can watch the big guy in the red suit carve his way down the slopes. 25 July 2019

• They’re called “snowy” for a reason, and the area is the closest place for Australians to go skiing or snowboarding.

What the weather is like: Expect snow, with temperatures around freezing.

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Image: Tourism Australia

Lord Howe Island

Why you should go in winter:

• Winter is the most affordable time to go to Lord Howe Island, with weeklong packages available for less than $1000 per person and the luxurious Capella Lodge offers stay-and-save offers.
• Looking like no less than paradise on earth, Lord Howe Island topped Australian Traveller’s list of the top 100 things to do before you die.

What the weather is like: Pleasant weather, around 23 degrees during the day.

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Image: Tourism Australia

Canberra

Why you should go in winter:

• Join gourmet degustation dinners, cooking classes, truffle hunts and more during the 12-week Canberra and Capital Region Truffle Festival. June until August
• Try open-air ice skating in the middle of the city at Garema Place and watch professional skaters. TBC
• It’s on the way to the snow from Sydney, and is the perfect pit-stop place for a quick overnight stop or as part of a road trip.

What the weather is like: Crisp days with blue skies, with temperatures around 12 degrees.

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Sydney

Why you should go in winter:

• Sydney really comes alive during the annual Vivid Sydney festival, where brilliant light displays illuminate the city, including colourful projections on the Opera House, fairy lights adorning harbour ferries and much more. 24 May until 15 June 2019
• Darling Harbour will be transformed into a winter wonderland, including a skating rink, snow pit, and a frozen forest, for Cool Yule. TBC

What the weather is like: Expect temperatures around 20 degrees, and less rainfall than during the summer months.

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Image: Tourism Australia

Kununurra and the Kimberley

Why you should go in winter:

• Sitting more than 800 kilometres from Darwin, the small town of Kununurra sees big names in music come to the annual Kimberley Moon Experience Concert, with Amy Shark, Pete Murray will perform alongside Indigenous music producers Skinnyfish Sound System. 25 May 2019
• Adventure seekers can join the Lake Argyle Adventure Race, combing a variety of running, cycling, paddling and swimming events over a three-day period. 6-8 September 2019
• With more comfortable weather, it’s a good time to visit the Bungle Bungles National Park, which sit about 200 kilometres away.

What the weather is like: It’s the dry season, so expect sunny skies with temperatures around 33 degrees.

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Blue Mountains

Why you should go in winter:

• Experience Christmas in July… and June, and August with Yulefest. Select hotels, restaurants and other venues will put on “Christmas” specials including traditional dinners. June until August 2019

What the weather is like: Depending on where you are in the Blue Mountains, daily winter highs hover between 5 and 16 degrees, with temperatures dipping below freezing overnight. That means there’s the chance of seeing a light dusting of snow on the ground come morning.

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Image: @dark_mofo

Tasmania

Why you should go in winter:

• With a combination of free and paid events, including music, art, film and light, Dark Mofo is a festival organised by MONA to celebrate the dark. 7-23 June 2019
• Tasmania’s one of the best places to view Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, in the country, and they tend to shine the brightest toward the end of winter and into September.

What the weather is like: It’s the wettest and coldest season in Tasmania, with temperatures reaching a maximum of about 12 degrees.

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