A summary of sea temperatures around Australia’s major cities.
Comparing Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Many people who dream of moving to Australia have visions of spending carefree days swimming in its warm seas.
The tables below show how comfortable the seas around Australia are for swimming.
We have also shown tables for Bournemouth, UK; Los Angeles, USA; and Daytona Beach, USA.
If you’re planning to have a swimming pool in your garden in Australia, unheated pools reach higher temperatures in summer than the sea does.
Key to Swimming Comfort – On Warm, Sunny Days
Most people are comfortable swimming.
Some people are fairly comfortable swimming.
Everyone feels the sea is cold.
Very cold.
Brisbane (Gold Coast)
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 25 |
Sydney
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
Perth
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
Adelaide
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
Melbourne
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
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Bournemouth (United Kingdom)
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
Daytona Beach (Florida – USA)
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 16 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 18 |
Los Angeles (California – USA)
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. Temp. (OC) | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 16 |
Brisbane (Gold Coast) is best for sea-temperature comfort, followed by Sydney and Perth.
The very coldest winter sea temperatures for Sydney/Perth are similar to the warmest summer waters available in the UK.
Adelaide’s sea temperatures are similar to Los Angeles’ while Brisbane’s compare favourably with Daytona Beach, Florida.
We can also compare Australia’s sea temperatures with those in the Mediterranean. For example, sea temperatures around Malta average 23 oC in summer and 13 oC in winter.