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When is the best time to visit Brisbane, Byron Bay and K'gari?

Q: When is the best time to visit Brisbane, Byron Bay and K'gari?

August to November is the best stretch for Brisbane, Byron Bay and K'gari. Those are the driest months, with Brisbane at 29mm in September against 176mm in February, and days in the mid twenties.

August to November. Those months are the driest of the year on this stretch — Brisbane gets 29mm in September against 176mm in February — the days sit in the mid twenties, and it is before the summer heat and storms. Whales pass Byron from June to October.

Checked on 6 October 2026.

Brisbane, Byron Bay and K'gari sit within a few hours of each other and share a climate: subtropical, warm all year, with a wet summer and a dry spring. The east coast run usually starts here, so this is the stretch that decides when to set off.

Brisbane month by month

Month	Average top	Average overnight	Rain	What it gives you
January	30.4°C	21.7°C	140.0 mm	Hot, humid and stormy, with the warmest sea of the year.
February	30.2°C	21.5°C	176.1 mm	The wettest month. Green, dramatic, and cheapest to travel.
March	29.2°C	20.3°C	149.2 mm	Still warm and wet, with the humidity starting to drop.
April	27.2°C	17.4°C	64.2 mm	Very good — the rain halves and the air dries out.
May	24.5°C	13.9°C	69.2 mm	Mild and comfortable. Whale season begins off Byron.
June	22.1°C	11.8°C	56.4 mm	Cool nights, clear days, humpbacks heading north.
July	22.0°C	10.5°C	31.1 mm	Coolest month and nearly dry. Excellent for walking.
August	23.5°C	11.1°C	34.2 mm	Excellent — dry, mild and the whales still passing.
September	25.7°C	13.9°C	28.6 mm	The driest month of the year. Warm and clear.
October	27.2°C	16.6°C	86.6 mm	Very good — warm, with the first storms building.
November	28.4°C	18.9°C	101.8 mm	Warm and building towards summer.
December	29.7°C	20.6°C	137.9 mm	Hot and stormy, and the beaches busy.

Bureau of Meteorology averages for Brisbane. Byron Bay is a degree or two cooler and noticeably wetter; K'gari is similar to Brisbane.

What changes where

Byron Bay is wetter than Brisbaneabout 200mm in February against 176mm — and a couple of degrees cooler. The water stays swimmable all year.
K'gari (Hervey Bay) is the driest of the threeat 33mm in September. The lakes are warm enough to swim in year round.
Whales pass Byron Bay June to Octoberheading north then back south with calves. Cape Byron is the easternmost point of Australia and one of the best land-based viewing spots anywhere.

What it means for the east coast run

August to October is the best windowfor the whole run north — dry here, dry in the Whitsundays and dry at Cairns.
The wet season, December to Marchis warm and green and much cheaper, but you will see rain on the coast and the far north.
K'gari's lakes and beaches work any month.The island's weather is rarely the limiting factor.
Stinger season north of hereruns November to May, which is another reason the dry half of the year wins for the full coast.

So when would we book?

Septemberif you can pick freely — the driest month on this coast and warm enough for everything.
August or Octobereither side of it, and nearly as good.
June or Julyif you want whales and do not mind the coolest nights of the year.
December to Marchfor the warmest water and the lowest prices, accepting storms and humidity.