Australia Cruise Guide: Reef, Coast and Southern Summer

Overview

Australia is a large cruise region with two separate weather calendars, and confusing them is the most common planning mistake. Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania follow the southern summer, so December to February is the warm, busy peak. Tropical Queensland, including Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, is the reverse: the southern summer there is the wet season, with cyclones, high humidity and box jellyfish.

For a Sydney round-trip taking in Tasmania, Melbourne and the South Australian coast, sail between November and March. For a reef-focused itinerary from Brisbane or Cairns, sail between May and October.

The other thing to plan around is the flight. Los Angeles to Sydney is 15 hours and runs $1,400 to $2,400 return, which for most North American travellers is the largest single line item. That argues for a longer cruise once you are there rather than a seven-night sailing.

Australian itineraries fall into four families. Sydney round-trips take in Tasmania, Melbourne and Adelaide over eight to fourteen nights. Queensland and reef sailings run from Brisbane or Sydney up the coast to Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas. South Pacific sailings run from Sydney or Brisbane to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji. And Australia to New Zealand crossings run twelve to fourteen nights across the Tasman.

Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay is the best-located cruise terminal in the world, sitting between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Larger ships use White Bay, which is less scenic and further out.

Great Barrier Reef access from a cruise ship is limited. Ships cannot approach the reef itself; you reach it by catamaran from Cairns or Airlie Beach on a 90-minute transfer, which makes for a long day. The reef is genuinely worth it, but understand what the day involves.

• Sydney round-trips, Queensland reef sailings, South Pacific and Tasman crossings.
• Sydney's Circular Quay terminal is the best-located cruise terminal anywhere.
• Reef access requires a 90-minute catamaran transfer from Cairns or Airlie Beach.
• Two separate weather calendars: temperate south and tropical north.

The best time to go

For southern Australia and Tasmania, November through March. For tropical Queensland and the reef, May through October. There is a genuine overlap in October and November when both work reasonably.

October and November are our reviewers' recommendation for a mixed itinerary: warm enough in the south, dry enough in the north, and before the stinger season closes tropical beaches.

The ports, honestly assessed

Australian ports are widely spaced, so itineraries carry more sea days than European ones. The ports themselves are almost all walkable or a short transfer.

• SydneyAustralia

  Circular Quay puts you between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The best-located cruise terminal in the world; arrive three days early.

• MelbourneAustralia

  Station Pier is 25 minutes from the centre by tram. Great Ocean Road is a full-day excursion and worth it.

• BrisbaneAustralia

  The new international terminal is 45 minutes from the centre. Best used as an embarkation port for reef and South Pacific sailings.

• HobartAustralia

  The pier is in the centre. MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, is a 25-minute ferry and is one of the best museums in the southern hemisphere.

• CairnsAustralia

  The Great Barrier Reef access port. A reef day is a 90-minute catamaran each way; the Kuranda railway is the alternative.

• Airlie BeachAustralia

  Whitsundays gateway. Whitehaven Beach is genuinely one of the best beaches in the world and needs a boat transfer.

• Port DouglasAustralia

  A tender port. Closer reef access than Cairns and the Daintree rainforest is 45 minutes north.

• AdelaideAustralia

  Outer Harbor is 40 minutes by train. Barossa Valley wine tours are the standard excursion and are good.

• FremantleAustralia

  Perth's port, 30 minutes by train. Rottnest Island and the quokkas are the memorable day.

• DarwinAustralia

  On repositioning and Asia itineraries. Litchfield National Park is the excursion; the city itself is modest.

Weather, month by month

The figures below are for Sydney, which is the reference point for most Australian itineraries. Cairns runs 10 to 15 degrees warmer and considerably more humid in summer; Hobart runs 8 to 12 degrees cooler.

What it actually costs

Australian cruise fares are moderate; the flight is what makes this an expensive trip for North Americans. A 15-hour flight from Los Angeles at $1,400 to $2,400 return frequently exceeds the cruise fare itself.

That argues strongly for a longer cruise. If you are flying 15 hours, a fourteen-night itinerary costs proportionally far less than a seven-night one once the flight is amortised.

Popular itineraries

Australian itineraries divide into five recognisable shapes, and the flight cost argues for choosing a longer one.

• Sydney and Tasmania, eight nights

  from $1,240 per person

  8 nights from Sydney

  Calls: Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthur, Two sea days

  Best for: A short introduction to southern Australia

• Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, ten nights

  from $1,550 per person

  10 nights from Brisbane or Sydney

  Calls: Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas, Willis Island

  Best for: Reef access and tropical Queensland

• South Pacific from Sydney, twelve nights

  from $1,680 per person

  12 nights from Sydney

  Calls: Noumea, Port Vila, Mystery Island, Lifou

  Best for: Island hopping without leaving the region

• Australia and New Zealand, fourteen nights

  from $2,380 per person

  14 nights from Sydney or Auckland

  Calls: Melbourne, Hobart, Milford Sound, Dunedin, Wellington

  Best for: The best value once the long flight is amortised

• Circumnavigation of Australia, twenty-eight nights

  from $4,760 per person

  28 nights from Sydney

  Calls: Fremantle, Darwin, Cairns, Adelaide, Hobart

  Best for: Seeing the whole country by sea

Travel tips from our sailings

• 1

  Arrive in Sydney three days early. A 15-hour flight plus a 17-hour time difference is not something to sleep off in one night.

• 2

  Choose your season by region. November to March for Sydney and Tasmania; May to October for the reef and tropical Queensland.

• 3

  If you are flying from North America, book a longer cruise. The flight cost per cruise night halves when you go from seven nights to fourteen.

• 4

  Great Barrier Reef day trips from Cairns involve a 90-minute catamaran each way. Take seasickness medication; the transfer is often choppy.

• 5

  Box jellyfish season runs roughly November to May in tropical Queensland. Swim only in stinger-net enclosures or wear a stinger suit.

• 6

  Check whether your ship uses Circular Quay or White Bay in Sydney. Circular Quay is central and spectacular; White Bay is neither.

• 7

  Australian sun is genuinely harsher than northern hemisphere sun. Factor 50 and a hat are not optional.

• 8

  Australia requires an Electronic Travel Authority or visa for most nationalities, applied for before departure.

Australia packing essentials

• Factor 50 sunscreen and a broad-brimmed hat; the UV index in Australia routinely exceeds anything in Europe or North America.
• A rash vest or stinger suit for tropical Queensland swimming between November and May.
• Layers for Tasmania and Melbourne, which can be 15 degrees cooler than Sydney on the same day.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, which is expected on Great Barrier Reef operators.
• A Type I power adapter, which is used in Australia and nowhere in Europe or North America.
• Insect repellent for Queensland and the Northern Territory.
• Seasickness medication for the reef catamaran transfer.

The full list, including the banned-items rules, is in our cruise packing guide.