Season guide · Melbourne · Australia
Melbourne in spring
September–November: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0
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Quick answer
Changeable and windy at first, then warmer and greener, with the AFL Grand Final, the Fringe and Melbourne Cup week. Expect highs up to 22°C (72°F) and lows around 9°C (48°F), with about 27 rainy days across September–November. October–November are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- September–November
- Temperatures
- 9°C (48°F) to 22°C (72°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 27
- Sea
- 13°C (55°F) to 17°C (63°F)
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 17°C (63°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 10 | 11.9 h | 3/5 |
| October | 20°C (68°F) | 10°C (50°F) | 9 | 13.1 h | 3/5 |
| November | 22°C (72°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 8 | 14.2 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 20°C (68°F) against a yearly 20°C (68°F), and 27 of the year's roughly 95 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in spring
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- September: AFL Grand Final at the MCG (usually the last Saturday of September)
- September: Melbourne Fringe Festival (usually September to October)
- October: Spring Racing Carnival — Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate (usually October)
- October: Melbourne Fringe Festival (usually early October)
- November: Melbourne Cup at Flemington — a public holiday in Melbourne (first Tuesday of November)
- November: Summer night markets return to the Queen Victoria Market (usually from November)
Good choices for spring
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Historic site · Melbourne CBD
Old Melbourne Gaol
Allow time for the City Watch House next door, where a guide plays out an arrest and lock-up in the original cells.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Landmark · Melbourne CBD
Federation Square and Flinders Street Station
Opposite the domed 1910 entrance of Flinders Street Station, Federation Square is the city's main public meeting place.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Art
- Rainy day
Gallery · Southbank
National Gallery of Victoria
Lie on the carpet in the Great Hall, as locals do, to take in Leonard French's huge stained-glass ceiling.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Iconic
- Architecture
Museum · Carlton
Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building
In the Carlton Gardens, the Melbourne Museum covers natural history, First Peoples culture and the city's own story, with a living forest gallery, dinosaur skeletons and Phar Lap, the champion racehorse.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Architecture
- Nature
Museum · Federation Square
ACMI
Pick up a free Lens at the entrance to bookmark exhibits as you go, then look them up online later.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Art
Day trips in spring
- Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy (About 1 hour by train or car) — Puffing Billy, a restored steam railway dating from 1900, runs from Belgrave through fern-filled forest in the Dandenong Ranges, with passengers sitting on the open carriage windowsills, legs dangling.
- Mornington Peninsula (About 1.5 hours by car) — The peninsula south of the city mixes calm bay beaches lined with colourful bathing boxes, surf on the ocean side, cool-climate wineries around Red Hill and the geothermal pools of Peninsula Hot Springs near Fingal.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Melbourne?
Yes: October–November are among the best months. Changeable and windy at first, then warmer and greener, with the AFL Grand Final, the Fringe and Melbourne Cup week.
+What is the weather like in Melbourne in spring?
Highs of up to 22°C (72°F) and lows around 9°C (48°F), with about 27 rainy days over the season.