How to make the most of the sunny weather

corkgirl88

I am heading to Australia the start of September. I want to travel the east coast. Cairns to Sydney or the other way around. What is the most suitable time to do this in order to make the most of the hot weather. My number one priority is following the sun.

What is the best time of year to be in Cairns? In the wet season does it rain a huge amount? I don't want to waste my time and money travelling around in the rain.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Cooperspale

Cairns and the rest of FNQ best in the Australian winter, June through Sept.

The wet season runs Jan-Mar, cyclone season runs Dec-April, though the humidity builds up from Nov. Stinger season runs Nov-May. If you are not intending to work while in FNQ, don't go in the wet. Towns can cut off in the rains, disrupting your travel plans. The reef gets stirred up pretty badly some days so visibility underwater can be greatly reduced. The humidity can be stifling when it gets to 90%. If you do go during this time, the coolest place(literally) is the casino with Cairns Central coming in second.
Rafting the Tully is best done in or around the wet season to get an extreme experience.
If you can, go to Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation and the Atherton tablelands. Cairns is a party town and some folk don't go far beyond it which is a shame.

As for the sun, it is unlike that experienced north of the equator, or anywhere else in the world!
Wear sunscreen.
You will tan. It's not like you're here for a week long package holiday where you have to cram your rays in on a sun lounger.
I have witnessed horrific sunburn here, unfortunately a lot of it on tourists and backpackers. On the reef particularly, block up with SPF or wear a tee.
Everywhere else, be sunsmart.

Pisco Sour

If your number 1 reason for coming to Australia is to chase the sun then do youself a huge favour an go to the Canaries or Majorca. You'll save a lot of money that way.

+1 on the sunburn here.

hussey

04072511 wrote: »

If your number 1 reason for coming to Australia is to chase the sun then do youself a huge favour an go to the Canaries or Majorca. You'll save a lot of money that way.

+1 on the sunburn here.

Mod <snip> Sorry 04072511, I somehow misread the post, and wrongly accused you.

6ix

To be fair OP, you're probably not coming for just the sun. You probably just mean that you want to be where the good weather is - not surrounded by rain. That said, what the others have said is correct - the sun here is unforgiving, especially on pale Irish skin! There's a reason that Australia has skin cancer rates that are 4 times those of the US & UK.

Just be careful, don't go lying out in it all day - you'll notice that most Aussies are pretty shrewd in this regard... and just keep the SPF 30+ on, you'll be fine!

Peregrinus

In the wet season it rains a great deal in the north but, even when it's not raining, it's mostly very humid. Combine that with high temperatures, and it's very draining.

Tourist season in the north is the winter, when it's warm and dry.

You don't say how long you're coming for but, if you must do Cairns, I'd do it as soon as you get here, and then head south. Unless you will be here for a year, in which case put off Cairns until next winter.

corkgirl88

Peregrinus wrote: »

In the wet season it rains a great deal in the north but, even when it's not raining, it's mostly very humid. Combine that with high temperatures, and it's very draining.

Tourist season in the north is the winter, when it's warm and dry.

You don't say how long you're coming for but, if you must do Cairns, I'd do it as soon as you get here, and then head south. Unless you will be here for a year, in which case put off Cairns until next winter.

Thank you, your reply was helpful. I am going for a year but anxious to travel the east coast first and then settle somewhere and get a job. I really don't know how long I should spend travelling the coast. I suppose it all depends on how my finances are holding up.

corkgirl88

04072511 wrote: »

If your number 1 reason for coming to Australia is to chase the sun then do youself a huge favour an go to the Canaries or Majorca. You'll save a lot of money that way.

+1 on the sunburn here.

I am obviously going to see and experience the Country. I simply think it is a good idea to do it in nice sunny weather rather than in the pouring rain. It is rare that the sun really shines in Ireland.

Peregrinus

corkgirl88 wrote: »

I am obviously going to see and experience the Country. I simply think it is a good idea to do it in nice sunny weather rather than in the pouring rain. It is rare that the sun really shines in Ireland.

"Nice sunny weather"?

You have to understand that, while sunny weather in Ireland is automatically "nice", this is not so in Australia. It can be dreadful.

The differences between Ireland and Australia can be hard to take on board. People insulate their houses here to keep them cool, not warm. A house design which would be called "draughty" (bad thing) in Ireland is considered "airy" (good thing) in most of Australia. Outdoor events are more likely to be cancelled or limited because the weather is too hot than because it is too wet. And so forth.

Just as sunny weather is not necessarily "nice", rainy weather is not necessary as bad in Australia as it is in Ireland. I live in Perth, where average annual rainfall is actually about the same as in Dublin. But it all falls in a predictable season - June to September - and, unlike Ireland, it doesn’t seep out of the sky for days on end. It falls in heavy downpours which, yes, keep you indoors while they are actually falling, but when they stop, they stop, and the air and the ground dry quickly. If it’s not actually raining, you can have lunch outdoors at a pavement café in your shirtsleeves in midwinter, and be perfectly comfortable.

Now, not everywhere’s rain pattern is quite as obliging as Perth’s. If you go to Melbourne, for instance, the rain is a lot more Irish.

But, up north, the best weather from an Irish perspective is definitely the winter - sunny, warm and dry; hot, but not (often) too hot. You want to be there between June and September, ideally. You definitely do not want to be there from November onwards, when it’s oppressively humid, day and night. My wife has just returned from a week in the north of WA (connected with work); she’s absolutely flat and drained.

So, if you want to see the north, and you’re here for a year, consider rejigging your plans and going there towards the end of your stay, not the beginning. If that doesn't suit, then go there as early as you can after your arrival and work your way south.

Cooperspale

Nice sunny weather....
36c in Melbourne today. Finally gave in and turned on the air con at 4pm, you know it's hot when the dog is scrambling past you to get to the cool air first.

Tigerandahalf

I'd agree with what has been said above. The sun is lovely when you are in a shorts lazing around, at the beach or having a coffee in a shaded area etc. However, when you are working and in slacks, shirt and formal shoes the sweat begins to drip and if it's 30 plus outside and you're on a packed train it isn't much fun. Ireland can be really gloomy at times but if you're working inside it doesn't matter a bit. Without aircon in your house in Oz it can be uncomfortable. Many of the older Oz people I met didn't like the summer at all. They much prefer the Autumn/Spring. Some people can handle the heat v well. I found it too uncomfortable at times.
Whatever suits you.

Zambia

Is at the beach and you lot should be to till beer oclock.