When is the best time to visit Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road?
March and April, or October and November. Melbourne's rain is spread through the year, so the shoulders give you mild days around 20 to 24°C without summer heat or winter grey. The Great Ocean Road works year round — the Twelve Apostles are arguably better in a winter swell.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Melbourne has a reputation for four seasons in a day and it is largely earned. Rain is modest and even — between 25mm and 67mm most months — so the planning question is temperature, not whether you will get wet.
Melbourne month by month
| Month | Average top | Average overnight | Rain | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26.8°C | 16.5°C | 53.3 mm | Warmest month, long evenings, and the city at its liveliest. |
| February | 25.9°C | 16.0°C | 24.7 mm | The driest month and still properly warm. |
| March | 24.3°C | 14.8°C | 34.5 mm | Excellent — warm, dry and the autumn light arriving. |
| April | 20.8°C | 12.2°C | 66.7 mm | Very good. Mild days and autumn colour in the gardens. |
| May | 17.6°C | 9.7°C | 46.3 mm | Cooling and clear between showers. |
| June | 14.7°C | 7.7°C | 41.3 mm | Cold and grey, and the quietest time to travel. |
| July | 14.5°C | 7.5°C | 40.8 mm | Coldest month. Big swells on the coast road. |
| August | 15.6°C | 8.0°C | 45.6 mm | Still cold, and the whales pass Warrnambool. |
| September | 18.0°C | 9.6°C | 42.7 mm | Spring arriving and the days lengthening. |
| October | 20.5°C | 10.9°C | 64.2 mm | Very good — mild, green and ahead of the crowds. |
| November | 22.2°C | 12.7°C | 64.4 mm | Excellent — warm days, long evenings, penguins active. |
| December | 24.7°C | 14.4°C | 50.2 mm | Warm and bright, with the city filling up. |
Bureau of Meteorology averages for Melbourne (Olympic Park). A short record — 13 years — because the station is recent.
The Great Ocean Road through the year
- It runs year roundand the day trips go daily whatever the weather.
- Summer is warmest and busiestand the coast is at its most crowded at the Apostles.
- Winter brings the big swellswhich makes the Twelve Apostles more dramatic rather than less — and the car parks are nearly empty.
- Whales pass Warrnamboolat the western end roughly June to September, with southern rights calving close to shore.
Phillip Island and the penguins
- The penguin parade happens every night of the yearthe birds come ashore at dusk regardless of season.
- Summer means a later paradeand a warmer wait, around 8.30 or 9pm.
- Winter means an earlier onearound 5.30pm, and a colder wait — take more layers than you think.
- Numbers are highest in the breeding seasonroughly September to March.
People also ask
- Can you do the Great Ocean Road in a day from Melbourne?
- What day trips can you do from Melbourne?
- Great Ocean Road itinerary — 1, 2 or 3 days
- What trips go from Adelaide?
Where this comes from. Temperature and rainfall are Bureau of Meteorology averages for Melbourne (Olympic Park), station 086338. The trips and prices are as held on each trip's page here.