Where the height of the northern summer is still mild enough for a long day on foot. Of 68 towns and cities that draw visitors in Australia and the Pacific, 44 rate Good or better in July. These 14 are the best of them, spread across the region.
The list
- 189 · IdealAlice SpringsAustralia
A typical midday in July feels like 14°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 89 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about five and a half months, from late April to September. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 286 · IdealGold CoastAustralia
Midday in July feels like 17°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 86, Ideal, for active outdoors. Good weather here runs from mid May to early October, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 384 · IdealPort MacquarieAustralia
Rated 84 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 14°C, with often cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about six and a half months, from mid April to mid October. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 484 · IdealSydneyAustralia
A typical midday in July feels like 12°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 84 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from mid April to mid November, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 579 · GoodYeppoonAustralia
Midday in July feels like 19°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 79, Good, for active outdoors. The good spell lasts about three and a half months, from late May to early September. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 678 · GoodKerikeriNew Zealand
Rated 78 (Good) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 12°C, with often cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from late February to mid January, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 777 · GoodMandurahAustralia
A typical midday in July feels like 12°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 77 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about seven and a half months, from mid April to November. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 876 · GoodMilduraAustralia
Midday in July feels like 9°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 76, Good, for active outdoors. Good weather here runs from late March to mid November, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 974 · GoodAlbanyAustralia
Midday in July feels like 10°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 74, Good, for active outdoors. It rates Good or better all year, not just now. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1071 · GoodHamiltonNew Zealand
Rated 71 (Good) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 10°C, with often cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from mid February to January, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 1171 · GoodBroken HillAustralia
Rated 71 (Good) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 9°C, with often cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from late March to early November, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 1270 · GoodNapierNew Zealand
Midday in July feels like 9°C under usually overcast skies, which rates 70, Good, for active outdoors. It rates Good or better all year, not just now. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1367 · GoodTownsvilleAustralia
Midday in July feels like 21°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 67, Good, for active outdoors. Good weather here runs from June to August, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 1465 · GoodPort LincolnAustralia
A typical midday in July feels like 9°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 65 over the stretch. It rates Good or better all year, not just now. Open it on the map at mid July.
Among the best-known places
The list above favours whatever the weather favours, which is often a smaller town. These are the best of the places with a guide of their own.
How this list is worked out
The data
Every figure comes from a decade of weather-station observations, blended into one typical year and read at midday, local solar time. Scores here are averaged in July; a city missing a reading for any part of that stretch is left out rather than scored on part of it.
The rating
Active outdoors: A mild feels-like gates the score — best 10–20 °C, cool enough for hiking, cycling and running. Dryness matters most, with a penalty for strong wind. A place is also left out when its typical readings contradict its own rating, for example a high score alongside frequent rain.
The spread
To keep one warm corner from filling the list, entries are at least 150 km apart, no more than three sit within 1,000 km of each other, and no more than three come from one country unless the list would otherwise run short.
Only places that draw visitors
Towns and cities with plenty of hotels, guest houses and holiday lets nearby for their size, or a great many of them in all, counted from Overture Maps Places, an open dataset. That keeps out places the weather favours but nobody travels to. Where two places share one resort or city, the one a visitor would name is kept.
The dotted links open the map at that place and time of year, on the same layer. The map remembers the time of day you last chose there; set it to midday to see these exact numbers.