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Summer is often touted as the best time for live music, outdoor activities and highly anticipated events, but autumn in Australia is packed with festivities and experiences.
Whether you’re eager to soar above the rolling New South Wales countryside or riding Australia’s most iconic steam train, this state-by-state guide will get you set up for an unforgettable autumn.
Things to Do in Autumn in Queensland
Full-day touring of Tamborine Mountain
There’s no better time to experience Tamborine Mountain than autumn, with clear skies, crisp air and a landscape shifting to deeper greens as the summer rains ease. A visit in this season means sipping roasted coffee fresh from local plantations and tasting wines born from the region’s latest harvest. Towering strangler figs and ancient palms thrive, while nearby distilleries pay homage to its diverse offerings in small-batch gins infused with native botanicals.
Practice your putt on the green
The months of March to May in Queensland bring milder temperatures of 15–25°C, making it the perfect time to enjoy a round at Southport Golf Club. The lush fairways, glistening lakes and tree-lined greens provide a stunning setting for an 18-hole game, with the legendary back nine bringing a great challenge.
Drive-in movies at the Tivoli Theatre
Cooler evenings call for a classic drive-in cinema experience at Tivoli Theatre. Pick a highly anticipated new release, grab your freshly popped popcorn and settle down for a night of action, romance and laughter on the big screen beneath a blanket of stars.
Ghostly tour of Ipswich
Autumn beckons all things ghoulish. Let the chill creep in and hear tales from Ipswitch’s past from the ominous Cribb House to a mysterious police station and a ghostly woman seen from an attic window.
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Things to Do in Autumn in New South Wales
Take to the skies in a hot air balloon
Cool mornings create the ideal conditions for hot air ballooning over Camden Valley, with crisp air providing the stability needed for a smooth flight over the Macarthur region’s rolling farmland. After an hour in the sky, round out your morning with breakfast at the historic Camden Valley Inn.
Blue Mountains photoshoot
What better way to capture autumn’s dramatic colours than with a photoshoot with loved ones? Choose your own stunning backdrop whether it’s the golden elms and beeches of Mount Wilson, the vibrant maples lining Leura’s village streets or the rich hues of North American oaks at Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah.
Tenterfield Autumn Festival (18 April – 21 April)
Over the Easter long weekend, the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales greet the season at Tenterfield Autumn Festival. Soak up the autumnal colours of nature at one of the open gardens, join a vineyard bus tour just over the Queensland border to the Granite Belt wine region, then take the kids for an Easter egg hunt in Jubilee Park.
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Things to Do in Autumn in the Australian Capital Territory
Enlighten Festival (28 February – 10 March)
See Canberra in the spotlight during the annual Enlighten Festival, an outdoor arts program centred around mesmerising light displays. Take in live music at the Festival Hub, see the National Gallery and the National Library of Australia painted with vibrant projections, then step inside for a special after-hours visit to the extensive archives.
Things to Do in Autumn in Victoria
Melbourne International Comedy Festival (26 March – 20 April)
Every March, travellers from across the world converge on Melbourne for the annual International Comedy Festival. Across the city, countless performance venues set the stage for several weeks of side-splitting laughs, from the Opening Night Gala at the Palais Theatre to up-and-coming cabaret acts at The Butterfly Club.
Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival (1–30 April)
Featuring a mouthwatering ‘Autumn Pie & Tart Trail’ of over 40 bakeries, cafes and cellar doors, the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival is the ideal excuse for a trip to the countryside. Throughout April visitors can join an array of workshops, nature walks, performances and, yes, abundant dining experiences, set against the fiery colours of an autumnal landscape.
Bathe in hot springs on the Mornington Peninsula
With the summer heat finally cooling, there’s no better time to relax from the comfort of a private bubbling spring. Enjoy the peace before the winter crowds arrive, plus a delicious cheese platter and glass of wine.
Ride the Puffing Billy and tour Healesville Sanctuary
Autumn’s the perfect time to explore the Dandenong Ranges, with the trees turning golden and the air just right for an adventure. Start with a scenic ride on the world-famous Puffing Billy steam train, soaking in the breathtaking views of the lush bushland, then head to Healesville Sanctuary to get up close with koalas, kangaroos and other Aussie wildlife. Finish off your day with a delicious chocolate tasting at Yarra Valley Chocolaterie – the perfect sweet treat to wrap up your autumn day.
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Tasmania
Mount Field National Park Tour
At Mount Field National Park, autumn brings a truly special sight – the turning of the Fagus, Australia’s only cold-climate, winter-deciduous tree, found nowhere else but Tasmania. Between late April and May, see its leaves shift from deep rust to brilliant gold, a spectacle unique to this corner of the world.
Full-Day Cradle Mountain Scenic Tour
Take a day trip from Hobart to Cradle Mountain, where the overcast autumn skies reflect brilliantly on the glassy waters of Dove Lake. Stroll along the lake’s edge or wander through the mossy Enchanted Forest and King Billy Pine walks, surrounded by ancient trees and crisp mountain air. Keep an eye out for wombats, wallabies, and even a Tasmanian devil before unwinding on the scenic drive back to Hobart.
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South Australia
Adelaide Festival (28–16 March)
Famed for its Fringe Festival, the South Australian capital steps into autumn with a truly packed events season, including the one and only Adelaide Festival. Newly commissioned creative works make their debut, while the world’s most respected opera, theatre and dance companies put on showstopping performances – the challenge is choosing from such a dizzying array of options. Check out the international opera thriller Innocence, Stephanie Lake Company’s MASS MOVEMENT ballet featuring over 1000 dancers and the stage adaption of Trent Dalton’s Love Stories.
Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week (16–25 May)
As one of Australia’s longest-running food-and-wine events, Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week celebrates its 40th anniversary this year with the help of the region’s best wineries. In a valley renowned for its riesling, you can participate in a wine masterclass, sit down for a paddock-to-plate dining experience and soak up the scenery in the long shadows of a late autumn afternoon.
Wine and dine in Hahndorf
The Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest German settlement, turn into a patchwork of crimson and gold in Autumn as tree-lined streets and vineyards shift into their seasonal display. Appreciate the spectacle with a wander down Hahndorf’s main street, before sitting down for a cosy German-influenced two-course lunch. Vineyards bask in their final burst of colour before winter dormancy, complementing tastings of cool-climate wines, while the rich aromas of melting chocolate at Melba’s and spiced chutneys at Beerenberg capture the warmth of the season.
Western Australia
Taste Great Southern (1–4 May)
Go west for Taste Great Southern, a culinary cavalcade of fine wine, exquisite flavours and rugged scenery. At various venues in and around the coastal town of Denmark, some four-and-a-half-hours south of Perth, guests can feast on Western Australia’s freshest seafood, sip outstanding shiraz and pinot noir, and embark on curated taste trails.
Ord Valley Muster (16–25 May)
In the remote East Kimberley, Ord Valley Muster is a nine-day outback spectacular, sharing the region’s best music, arts and natural beauty. Experience Miriwoong Gajerrong Indigenous culture and art at Corroboree Under the Stars and dine alongside jaw-dropping views with dinner at Lake Argyle.
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Northern Territory
fabALICE Festival (27–30 March)
Live out your Priscilla fantasies and follow the queens to the desert for fabALICE Festival. With a glittering assortment of drag performances, storytime for the kids, the Todd Mall parade and a special screening of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, it’s a kaleidoscope of campy fun in the Alice Springs outback.
Top End Gin Festival (24 May)
Get ready to raise your glass at the annual Top End Gin Festival – your long-awaited excuse to finally fly north. For one glorious day, the country’s best gin distilleries pop up at Bundilla Beach, where you can partake in afternoon gin tastings as you send off autumn with top-tier live music, including a headline performance from Australian indie rock legends The Temper Trap.
