Melbourne in December

When to go

Visit Victoria counts December as the start of Melbourne's summer, and the Bureau of Meteorology's normals, via the World Meteorological Organization, show warm days, mild nights and some rain days. Victoria's official holiday list puts Christmas Day, Boxing Day and an additional public holiday at the end of the month, and the City of Melbourne lists New Year's Eve with fireworks, laser displays and free Celebration Zones. Check opening hours around the holidays and the city's event page for details closer to the date.

Trip facts

• The World Meteorological Organization's World Weather Information Service lists the Bureau of Meteorology's 1981-2010 climate normals for Melbourne with a mean daily maximum temperature of 24.4 °C (75.9 °F) and a mean daily minimum temperature of 14.1 °C (57.4 °F) in December. (worldweather.wmo.int, checked 2026-10-16)
• The World Meteorological Organization's World Weather Information Service lists the Bureau of Meteorology's 1981-2010 climate normals for Melbourne with mean total rainfall of 63.3 mm and a mean of 9.6 rain days in December. (worldweather.wmo.int, checked 2026-10-16)
• Visit Victoria's official visitmelbourne.com says Melbourne heats up December to February (summer). (www.visitmelbourne.com, checked 2026-10-16)
• Business Victoria's Victorian public holidays 2026 page lists Christmas Day as Friday 25 December and Boxing Day as Saturday 26 December, and says that as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, an additional public holiday is given on the following Monday, Monday 28 December. (business.vic.gov.au, checked 2026-10-16)
• The City of Melbourne's What's On site lists New Year's Eve in Melbourne on 31 Dec, invites visitors to say goodbye to 2026, says to book in early for events and dining, and says the best view of the fireworks and laser displays is from one of the free Celebration Zones. (whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au, checked 2026-10-16)
• Transport Victoria's tickets and payments page says public transport is half price until 1 January 2027. (transport.vic.gov.au, checked 2026-10-16)
• The Australian Department of Home Affairs' Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) page says 'You must hold a valid passport from one of these countries or jurisdictions to be eligible for an ETA', lists United States of America among them, and says 'You can remain in Australia for 3 months after each entry.' (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au, checked 2026-10-16)
• The Australian Border Force says an Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) is to be completed by passengers entering Australia, that IPCs will be provided to travellers on board their flight or ship before arrival or by the Australian Border Force in the arrival terminal, and that the card includes declarations relating to customs and quarantine. (www.abf.gov.au, checked 2026-10-16)
• Melbourne Airport's bus services page says the SkyBus Melbourne City Express runs daily from 4am to 1am between Melbourne Airport and Melbourne city (Southern Cross Station), with departures every 10 minutes during peak times and every 15 minutes outside peak times. (www.melbourneairport.com.au, checked 2026-10-16)
• Transport Victoria says contactless payments are available on trains, trams and buses, that you tap on with your Mastercard or Visa credit or debit card, smartphone or smartwatch and tap off the same way, and that contactless fares are the same as myki fares. (transport.vic.gov.au, checked 2026-10-16)