Tasmania or Cairns for a week?
The month decides it. They are at their best at opposite times of year. December to March, go to Tasmania — Hobart sits around 20–22°C and the walking country is open, while Cairns is in its wet season averaging over 400mm of rain a month. May to September, go to Cairns — it is dry, 26–28°C and the reef is at its clearest, while Cradle Mountain averages 6–9°C. A week does either properly.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
People ask this as though one is better. They are 3,000km apart and about as different as two places in one country can be — and the useful thing is that their good seasons barely overlap, so the calendar usually answers it for you.
The weather, side by side
| Month | Cairns | Hobart | Cradle Mountain | Go to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°C, 405mm rain | 22°C | 19°C | Tasmania |
| February | 31°C, 438mm rain | 22°C | 18°C | Tasmania |
| March | 31°C, 422mm rain | 20°C | 16°C | Tasmania |
| May | 28°C, 92mm | 15°C | 9°C | Cairns |
| July | 26°C, 33mm | 12°C | 6°C | Cairns |
| August | 27°C, 26mm | 13°C | 7°C | Cairns |
| October | 30°C, 47mm | 17°C | 12°C | Either |
Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages — Cairns Aero, Hobart, and Liawenee for the Cradle Mountain highlands.
What a week actually looks like
A week in Tasmania
- Cradle Mountain and Wineglass Baythe two postcards, and both are walks rather than viewpoints.
- Port ArthurBruny Island and Maria Island, all day trips out of Hobart.
- You can do it without a car.Day trips run from Hobart and Launceston.
- It is the cheaper week.Day trips from $137, and a multi-day trip from $299.
A week in Cairns
- The Great Barrier Reefa boat to the outer reef with about five hours in the water.
- The Daintree and Cape Tribulationthe oldest rainforest on earth.
- The Atherton Tablelandsand the Chillagoe caves inland.
- And it is the start of the east coastso a week can easily become two heading south.
Tasmania — a week's worth
| Trip | Length | Starts and finishes | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Day Best of Tasmania Tour | 2 days, 1 night | Hobart / Hobart | $299 |
| 2 Day Cradle Mountain & Wineglass Bay Tour | 2 days, 1 night | Hobart / Hobart | $399 |
| 3 Day Coast to Mountain | 3 days, 2 nights | Hobart / Launceston | $539 |
| 5 Day Tasmania Tour | 5 days, 4 nights | Hobart / Hobart | $939 |
| 10 Day Ultimate Tasmania Tour | 10 days, 9 nights | Hobart / Hobart | $3210 |
Cairns — a week's worth
| Trip | Length | What you get | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Reef Sailing & Snorkel Tour | 1 day | — | $215 |
| 1 Day Cape Tribulation Tour | 1 day | — | $224 |
| 1 Day Atherton Tablelands Tour | 1 day | — | $175 |
| 3 Day Reef & Rainforest Highlights | 3 days, you arrange your own nights | — | $600 |
| 7 Day Cairns to Brisbane Highlights | 7 days, 6 nights | — | $1449 |
If you are going anyway, in any month
Neither is a write-off out of season. Tasmania in winter is cold but clear and empty, and the Cairns wet season brings the waterfalls up and the crowds down. The table above is about which gives you the easier week, not which is open.
Doing both?
They are at opposite ends of the country, so budget a flight and most of a day between them. If you have a fortnight, the usual shape is Cairns down the east coast and Tasmania on a separate trip — ask us and we will map it against your dates.
Where this comes from. Temperature and rainfall are Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Cairns Aero, Hobart and Liawenee. Trip lengths, start and finish points and prices are each trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own.