Visiting Melbourne in December 2026?

Every day is Packed — the crowd level barely shifts.

Cruise ships are in port on 8 of 31 days; the heaviest is Thu 17 Dec, 2 ships in at once. Those mornings fill the squares first — start early, or save them for indoors.

The month barely moves — every day lands between 91% and 100% of the year. Daylight runs about 15 hours.

Either side of it, November is much calmer and January is much calmer.

The lightest days are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Still busy — but the easiest of the month — 16 days share that level, so there is room to choose.

How does January compare? →

• The heaviest port day is Thu 17 Dec — 2 ships in at once. See the marquee sights on a lighter day, or be there for opening time.
• On the busy days, the walk-up queues for the big sights are the biggest time-sink — a timed-entry ticket skips them, which is where a busy month is won or lost.

Comfortably warm — around 24°C / 74°F, easy shirtsleeve weather, with rain on about 8 days, so keep a layer handy. The days are long too — close to 15 hours of light — so the evenings stay open for walking once the heat drops.

• Melbourne gets rain on about 8 days in December, so the odds of being caught out are real. What earns its bag space is a shell that packs to nothing, dries fast and has a hood that survives wind; a heavy waterproof is overkill and an umbrella is one more thing to carry through crowds. Browse on Amazon ↗

As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases — we link categories, never specific products we haven't tested.

Peak weather and peak crowds — the classic trade-off; you pay for the season in queues, not in the weather. For better value, come in March or November.

Book beds and the big-ticket sights well ahead, and start your days by eight — in a month this full, the early hours are the only uncrowded ones.

Compare January →