Seven hundred kilometres south of Alice Springs, Oodnadatta sits in the hot, dry heart of the Australian outback. Here, temperatures regularly rise past the mid thirties and rain is rarely seen.
One of the driest areas in Australia however, is Birdsville in Queensland. The desert town experiences only 10 days of rainfall per year. Although going further up North in Queensland, areas in Bamaga and Weipa are subject to much heavier rainfall, with about 75 rainfall days per year.
The Atacama Desert is commonly known as the driest place in the world, especially the surroundings of the abandoned Yungay mining town, where the University of Antofagasta Desert Research Station is located, in Antofagasta Region, Chile.
Interestingly, Hobart is Australia's 2nd driest capital city based on average rainfall, but the country's rainiest city based on rain days.
Perth's Australia Day's are hardly ever rainy
It also has the highest average maximum temperature at 30.4°C with 61 of the past 116 Australia Days above 30°C. In comparison, Sydney has experienced 51 rainy Australia Day's, Melbourne with 28, Brisbane, 41 and Adelaide, 17.
The city of Perth has the best weather/climate in Australia. The city enjoys a temperate Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild but wet winters. Perth is also the sunniest capital city in Australia and is considered one of the hottest experiencing over 250+ days of sunny blue skies.
Oodnadatta, South Australia
It is here where a temperature of nearly 51 degrees Celsius was recorded back in 1960 and the town displays a sign that proudly claims it as being the driest town of the driest state on the driest continent.
The wettest city in the world is Buenaventura, where it rains 258 days per year. Australia's rainiest city is Cairns in Queensland, with 117 days of precipitation. The UK's wettest city is Londonderry in Northern Ireland (147 days). The wettest city in the US is Hilo, Hawaii (211 days).
With an average annual rainfall exceeding 4,000 millimetres (160 in), and the highest-ever annual rainfall in a populated area of Australia (7,900 millimetres (310 in) in 1950), Tully is arguably the wettest town in Australia.
South Australia is the driest of the Australian states. Only about one-fifth of the area receives annual precipitation of more than 10 inches (250 mm), and less than half of that has more than 16 inches (400 mm).
The Atacama Desert is the driest place in the world. Located in Arica, Chile, its annual rainfall is only 0.03 inches. The landscape is so arid, that NASA's astrobiologists travel to the Atacama Desert hoping it will lead them to clues about life on other planets.
The rangelands of arid and semi-arid Australia
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world; 70% of it is either arid or semi arid land.
While Darwin tops the list for total average annual rainfall, it is also one of Australia's driest capitals in terms of rain days per year. The nations rainiest cities are in southeastern Australia, where Hobart and Melbourne both average more than 150 days of rain per year.
“Perth is the windiest capital, with an average wind speed of 15.6 km/h; Canberra is the least windy with an average wind speed of 5.4 km/h.” So, despite the freak flash flooding of 1971, Canberra is Australia's least windy city. What's it like where you live? Have you found Australia's wind free location?
Australia's Antarctic territory gets even colder. The Bureau's weather station at Davis Station on the coast of Antarctica has an average winter minimum temperature of -20.1C. The lowest temperature on record at Davis is -41.8C, recorded on 27 April 1998.
Australia's westernmost capital city is a bastion of warmth during winter and a sub-tropical paradise during summer. In fact, Perth enjoys 147 sunny days, and 121 partly sunny days annually, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The cheapest major city for housing in Australia is Adelaide.
“Queensland's known as the Sunshine State. All those rays and the laid-back lifestyle might be among the reasons why it's Australia's happiest state,” Bayliss said.
1. Canberra – Australia's Capital City. Nestled between Sydney and Melbourne, Canberra is not only the capital but also Australia's safest city. With a low crime rate and a small-town vibe, Canberra offers an attractive blend of city living and peaceful suburban life.