Winter is a great chance to spot some of Australia's native wildlife as they roam the land even in these cooler conditions, and the place to do so is at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. Its snow-capped peaks and snow-frolicking wombats are an impressive sight synonymous with winter in Tasmania.
There are plenty of places to enjoy snow in Australia – some of the major destinations include the peaks of the Australian Alps like Perisher, Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Mt Hotham, Falls Creek, Mt Buller, Selwyn, and Mt Baw Baw.
It snows in several Australian states: New South Wales (NSW), Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria. For alpine ski enthusiasts, NSW is home to the magnificent Snowy Mountains. Boasting the highest mountain range in Australia, The Snowy Mountains receives an average of 1.9 metres of snowfall per year.
NSW. Hitting high at 1765m, Charlotte Pass is Australia's highest snow resort—the only way to get here is through over snow transport. This gem receives some of the most consistent snowfalls which means there's always plenty of snow for the slopes.
Australia straddles a snowy latitude
Being at sea level or living in coastal cities does not preclude there being snow. Sea level snow is quite normal across the globe. However, if you're at sea level, generally snow only occurs between either pole and the latitudes of 35° north and 35° south.
Snow is extremely rare in Sydney, with significant snowfall being last reported in the Sydney area on 28 June 1836.
This snowfall is so heavy that Australian Alps, located near the capital city of Canberra, receives more snow than the Swiss Alps in the winter months! For one of Australia's cutest critters, this snowfall turns their mountain home into a winter wonderland!
Drysdale River National Park is right near Kalumburu, which, with average July temperatures of 38.3 degrees, is consistently Australia's hottest winter locale.
The ski fields of NSW or Victoria are a cheap and easy way to see real snow on Christmas Day. Mount Donna Buang in Victoria will host Christmas night markets and a street party, while Thredbo Resort offers the real deal; a Christmas buffet in the snow fields.
Average temperatures in Australia during winters drops down to as low as 15 °C (59 °F). How cold does it get in Sydney in winter? Average maximum temperatures in Sydney in winter months (June-August) varies around 16°C which reflects that the city experiences only mild winters.
31 August 1849 – A snowstorm blankets Melbourne (with accumulation on the streets).
In 2006, a snowstorm hit the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales and Victoria, arriving on Christmas morning and bringing nearly 12 in (30 cm) of snow in higher areas.
While snow has never been recorded in the Perth CBD, light snowfalls have been reported in outer suburbs of Perth in the Perth Hills around Kalamunda, Roleystone and Mundaring. The most recent snowfall was in 1968.
Cumbria. Home to some of the highest peaks in the UK, Cumbria, and in particular the Lake District and the North Pennines, is also often topped with snow during the winter months.
There are plenty of places to enjoy snow in Australia – some of the major destinations include the peaks of the Australian Alps like Perisher, Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Mt Hotham, Falls Creek, Mt Buller, Selwyn, and Mt Baw Baw.
The Australian Alps, or Snowy Mountains as they are also known, receive more snow than Switzerland. No part of Australia is more than 1000 km from the ocean and a beach.
December is warm or hot almost everywhere in Australia in December. Tasmania experiences the coolest temperatures, with average December highs in Hobart of 68°F (20°C). Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney can experience heat waves with temperatures over 105°F (40°C).
In Australia, Christmas comes in the towards the beginning of the summer holidays! Children have their summer holidays from mid December to early February, so some people might even be camping at Christmas. Because it's so hot at Christmas time in Australia, there are quite often massive bush fires across the country.
But thanks to the tropical year, even though the Sun slowly changes its position with regard to the distant stars, the seasons stay constant. "The tropical year allows for precession so that we don't end up with a white Christmas in Australia. Christmas will always come in the middle of our summer," says Lomb.
The Snowy Mountains region in the south-east falls in the alpine climate or subpolar oceanic climate zone, with cool to cold weather all year around and regular heavy snowfalls in the winter and spring.
The southern coast, which includes Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, has the best climate by far, with mild winters (June to August) between 41°F and 50°F (5°C and 10°C) and warm summers (December to February) between 77°F and 86°F (25°C and 30°C).
Australia is enormous, with a wide range of climates. The northern states are typically warm year-round, while the southern states have cooler winters. December to February is summer; March to May is autumn; June to August is winter; and September to November is spring.
However for the UK, being an island surrounded by the milder water, the air can often warm up slightly before it reaches our shores, and we often see rain rather than snow, or, even trickier to forecast; a mix of rain, sleet and snow.
Statistically, the snowiest place in the UK is the Cairngorms in Scotland, with 76.2 days of snow or sleet falling on average. Cornwall is the least likely to get snow, with an average of only 7.4 days of snow or sleet falling a year.
Greenwich Observatory, London gets 562mm per year on average. That's less than Malta (592mm) and Rome (586mm) and very similar to Barcelona (520mm). London's rain is about half of the annual average of Sydney (1,222mm) or Orlando or New York (1,175mm and 1,059mm respectively).