Tasmania · Month comparison
September vs February
February ranks #1 overall vs September at #9. February is Tasmania's driest month — the ideal time for multi-day wilderness walks.
September
#9 of 12 months
Strong option
Spring opens the trails — the Overland Track season begins and the island wakes up.
- ↑September 1 marks the reopening of the Overland Track to independent walkers — the first bookings of the new season in this quota-controlled wilderness corridor. The six-day traverse from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair in September has a particular quality: the high country is freshly thawed, snow patches linger on the Cradle massif, and wildflowers begin to appear in the heathlands below.
- ↑The Huon Valley in September shows its stone fruit blossom season: the orchards along the Huon Highway south of Hobart are in flower by late September, and the combination of apple blossom, the Huon River estuary, and the forested ranges above makes for one of Tasmania's most pastoral driving circuits.
February
#1 of 12 months
Best match
February is Tasmania's driest month — the ideal time for multi-day wilderness walks.
- ↑February is Tasmania's best month for the Overland Track — the 65km multi-day trek from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair, rated among the world's great wilderness walks. February's low rainfall (40mm) and maximum sunshine hours make trail conditions as reliable as they get in a Tasmanian summer.
- ↑The Wooden Boat Festival runs in even years (February, Hobart waterfront) — a celebration of maritime craft that fills Sullivan's Cove with historic vessels and draws master boatbuilders from across Australia. The combination of the working harbour, the sandstone Salamanca warehouses, and Mount Wellington behind is one of the great urban settings in the Southern Hemisphere.
| Factor | September | February |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 6 | 9 |
| Value score | 7 | 5 |
| Crowd score | 7 | 5 |
| Events score | 5 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 7 | 9 |
| Avg high temp | 15°C | 22°C |
| Monthly rain | 55mm | 40mm |
| Daily sunshine | 5.5hrs | 8hrs |
September trade-offs
- ↓September weather is unpredictable: the Tasmanian spring can deliver clear warm days one week and cold fronts with 55mm of rain the next. Wilderness hiking requires flexible planning and good rain gear.
- ↓The MONA summer programming has not yet fully resumed and the Freycinet high season is still a month away — September is a prelude month rather than a full-season experience.
February trade-offs
- ↓February accommodation across key locations — particularly the Freycinet Peninsula and Cradle Mountain — remains at peak pricing. Self-catering options in Hobart's Battery Point are significantly more affordable than the resort lodges.
- ↓The Overland Track requires advance booking through Parks Tasmania (the quota system fills months ahead). Turning up at Cradle Mountain in February without a track booking is not viable.
Scores compare months within Tasmania. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →