Gold Coast · Month comparison

December vs August

August ranks #1 overall vs December at #11. The locals' favourite — 22°C, 8 hours of sun, perfect surf, no crowds.

Surfers Paradise NYE fireworks over the high-rises and beach in December

December

#11 of 12 months

Worth considering

School holidays begin — Christmas on the beach, NYE fireworks over Surfers.

  • ↑Sea at 25°C, every beach lifeguarded and packed with shade tents
  • ↑Surfers Paradise NYE fireworks — best free public display in QLD
Burleigh Heads point break with clean glassy lines in August

August

#1 of 12 months

Best match

The locals' favourite — 22°C, 8 hours of sun, perfect surf, no crowds.

  • ↑8 hours sun, lightest winds of the year, glassy point breaks at Burleigh and Snapper
  • ↑Pan Pacific Masters Games (every two years) — biggest masters event in the world
FactorDecemberAugust
Weather score
6
10
Value score
2
8
Crowd score
2
8
Events score
8
7
Atmosphere
7
9
Avg high temp28°C22°C
Monthly rain140mm45mm
Daily sunshine7.5hrs8hrs

December trade-offs

  • ↓Last two weeks book out 6 months ahead at peak prices
  • ↓140mm rain in afternoon storms; humidity climbing to 75%

August trade-offs

  • ↓Sea at 20°C — swim caps needed for distance work
  • ↓Westerly winds late August can drop humidity to bushfire levels
See all 12 months for Gold Coast →December in detail →August in detail →
Scores compare months within Gold Coast. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →