When to go · Cairns
Cairns in December
Mixed month. Outside the best window (Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity)). Across Australia: Summer holidays begin; bushfire risk and heatwaves in the south, wet season in the north; book everything early.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Mixed
- Temperature
- 32°C (90°F)90°F (32°C) / 24°C (75°F)75°F (24°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 12
- Crowds
- High
- Australia overall
- Prices
- High
- Australia overall
Verdict
Outside the best window (Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity)). Across Australia: Summer holidays begin; bushfire risk and heatwaves in the south, wet season in the north; book everything early.
Is another month better than December?
December is rated mixed. These months rate higher:
- JuneGreatInside Cairns's best window: Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity).
- JulyGreatInside Cairns's best window: Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity).
- AugustGreatInside Cairns's best window: Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity).
- SeptemberGreatInside Cairns's best window: Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity).
Weather in December
- CairnsHighs around 32 °C (90 °F), lows around 24 °C (75 °F), rain on about 12 daysHighs around 90 °F (32 °C), lows around 75 °F (24 °C), rain on about 12 days
- Tropical north, Australia · Cairns, Port Douglas, Darwin, Kakadu, Kimberleyrainy
Dry season May–Oct is the window: roads open, no stingers in most of it, waterfalls still flowing early on. Nov–Apr brings humidity, monsoon floods, cyclones and box jellyfish.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
New Year big impact
31 Dec – 1 Jan · Australia
Sydney Harbour fireworks: vantage points ticketed or claimed from morning; beds book out months ahead.
Summer school holidays big impact
Mid-Dec to late Jan · Australia
Coast, campsites, ferries and Tasmania fill; prices peak.
Christmas and Boxing Day big impact
25–26 December · Australia
Shops closed on Christmas Day; Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the Sydney–Hobart yacht race start.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Australia overall
- High
- Prices · Australia overall
- High
Australia overall: Summer holidays begin; bushfire risk and heatwaves in the south, wet season in the north; book everything early.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Cairns, side by side.
Verdict
Dec: Mixed
Jun: Great (better)
Daytime high
Dec: 32 °C (90 °F)90 °F (32 °C)
Jun: 27 °C (81 °F)81 °F (27 °C)
Night low
Dec: 24 °C (75 °F)75 °F (24 °C)
Jun: 19 °C (66 °F)66 °F (19 °C)
Rain days
Dec: 12
Jun: 7 (better)
Crowds
Dec: High
Jun: Medium
Prices
Dec: High
Jun: Medium
Festivals listed
Dec: 3
Jun: 0
December: Outside the best window (Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity)). Across Australia: Summer holidays begin; bushfire risk and heatwaves in the south, wet season in the north; book everything early.
June: Inside Cairns's best window: Jun–Oct (dry season, lower humidity).
Cairns: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and sunscreen
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast