Best time to visit Great Barrier Reef
The month-by-month edit — when Great Barrier Reef actually opens up, when to avoid it, and how crowds and hotel rates move through the year.
The short answer
When Great Barrier Reef is at its best
The Great Barrier Reef is 2,300 kilometres of coral and 900 islands — an area the size of Italy — and the right luxury trip is decided entirely by which island resort you book. The three properties worth the long-haul routing are Lizard Island in the far north, Hayman Island in the Whitsundays, and Orpheus Island off Townsville. Each has its own feel; none is a substitute for the others.
Month by month
The Great Barrier Reef calendar
Average daytime high, rain days, crowd pressure (1–5) and hotel-rate index (1–5). Verified against climate-data.org and our hotel-rate tracking.
| Month | Avg high | Rain days | Crowd | Rate idx |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°C | 15 d | ||
| Feb | 31°C | 16 d | ||
| Mar | 30°C | 15 d | ||
| Apr | 29°C | 12 d | ||
| May | 27°C | 9 d | ||
| Jun | 26°C | 6 d | ||
| Jul | 25°C | 5 d | ||
| Aug | 26°C | 5 d | ||
| Sep | 28°C | 5 d | ||
| Oct | 29°C | 7 d | ||
| Nov | 30°C | 9 d | ||
| Dec | 31°C | 12 d |
Sources: Numbeo cost-of-living — Great Barrier Reef · climate-data.org — Great Barrier Reef