Australia in May: where is it warmest?
In May, Darwin is the warmest place with 32 °C by day, Hobart the coolest with 14 °C. 21 of 24 destinations have good holiday weather.
All destinations in May, warmest first
Long-term averages for the month: daytime high, sea, sunshine and rainy days.
| Place | Score | Air | Sea | Sun | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin | 97 | 32° | 29° | 10 h | 2 |
| Broome | 95 | 31° | 28° | 8 h | 2 |
| Townsville | 94 | 26° | 25° | 8 h | 5 |
| Airlie Beach (Whitsundays) | 94 | 25° | 25° | 8 h | 6 |
| Cairns | 83 | 25° | 26° | 7 h | 10 |
| Mackay | 75 | 24° | 24° | 6 h | 10 |
| Alice Springs | 99 | 23° | – | 9 h | 1 |
| Coober Pedy | 92 | 22° | – | 7 h | 2 |
| Brisbane | 87 | 22° | – | 7 h | 7 |
| Sunshine Coast | 79 | 22° | 24° | 7 h | 11 |
| Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise) | 69 | 22° | 24° | 7 h | 8 |
| Perth | 85 | 21° | 22° | 7 h | 8 |
| Byron Bay | 58 | 21° | 24° | 7 h | 11 |
| Toowoomba | 94 | 20° | – | 7 h | 4 |
| Sydney | 86 | 19° | 21° | 7 h | 7 |
| Newcastle | 80 | 19° | 21° | 6 h | 9 |
| Wollongong | 81 | 18° | 21° | 7 h | 9 |
| Adelaide | 79 | 18° | 17° | 6 h | 8 |
| Port Lincoln | 24 | 18° | 17° | 5 h | 6 |
| Melbourne | 66 | 16° | 15° | 4 h | 8 |
| Geelong | 66 | 16° | 16° | 4 h | 7 |
| Canberra | 69 | 14° | – | 6 h | 5 |
| Launceston | 61 | 14° | – | 6 h | 9 |
| Hobart | 55 | 14° | 14° | 5 h | 10 |
Australia in May: quick answers
Australia in May: where is it warmest?
The warmest places in May are Darwin (32 °C), Broome (31 °C) and Townsville (26 °C).
Australia in May: where is the sea warmest?
The sea is warmest at Darwin (29 °C), Broome (28 °C) and Cairns (26 °C).
Australia in May: where is the weather best?
The best holiday weather in May – warm, sunny and dry – is in Alice Springs, Darwin and Broome.
Australia month by month
Australia: weather & best time to visit
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences