Things to Do in Melbourne in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
December Weather in Melbourne
Is December Right for You?
Advantages
- Summer festival season brings Boxing Day Test cricket at the MCG (capacity 100,000), Midsumma Festival kickoff, and New Year's Eve fireworks over the Yarra - December is when Melbourne's outdoor calendar genuinely comes alive with events you can't experience any other time of year
- Beach weather without the January crowds - St Kilda and Brighton beaches hit their stride with temps around 24°C (76°F), but school holidays don't start until late December, meaning you'll find space on the sand and shorter queues at beachfront cafes through mid-month
- The Australian Open qualifying rounds start late December at Melbourne Park, offering cheap tickets (typically AUD 25-40) to watch world-class tennis before the tournament proper begins in January - locals know this is when you can actually get courtside without the peak-season pricing
- Daylight until 8:45pm means you can genuinely fit in a full day of sightseeing, a proper sit-down dinner in Fitzroy or Carlton, and still catch sunset drinks on a rooftop bar - the long evenings change how much you can pack into each day compared to winter months
Considerations
- December weather is genuinely unpredictable - Melbourne's famous 'four seasons in one day' phenomenon peaks in summer, so you might start your morning at 15°C (59°F) and finish at 30°C (86°F), with a rain shower thrown in around 3pm for good measure, making outfit planning actually frustrating
- Accommodation prices spike 40-60% from December 20 onwards as Australian school holidays begin and domestic tourists flood in from Sydney and Brisbane - if you're visiting after Christmas, you're competing with the entire country for hotel rooms and paying peak-season rates
- Public transport gets unreliable during the holiday period - tram and train services run on reduced 'Sunday timetables' from December 24-January 2, and major trackwork often happens during this window, meaning trips that normally take 20 minutes might take 45 with replacement buses
Best Activities in December
Great Ocean Road coastal drives
December hits the sweet spot for this 243 km (151 mile) route - the Twelve Apostles and coastal cliffs look spectacular under summer light, and you'll avoid the January tour bus peak. Water temps reach 17-18°C (63-64°F), which is actually swimmable at sheltered beaches like Lorne and Apollo Bay. The drive takes 3-4 hours one way without stops, but you'll want a full day to do it properly. Weather can shift quickly along the coast, so that 'four seasons' thing applies here too - pack layers even if Melbourne's hitting 28°C (82°F).
Yarra Valley wine region tours
December is harvest season wrapping up, meaning wineries are in full swing with cellar doors open and winemakers actually around to chat. The valley sits 50-70 km (31-43 miles) northeast of the city, and temps run 2-3°C (4-5°F) warmer than Melbourne proper - perfect for outdoor tastings on vineyard lawns. Most cellar doors open 10am-5pm, and you'll want 4-5 hours minimum to visit 3-4 wineries properly. The combination of summer fruit season and wine harvest means restaurant menus are genuinely at their best right now.
Melbourne Cricket Ground sports experiences
The Boxing Day Test match (December 26-30) is Australian sporting culture at its most authentic - 90,000 people watching cricket while drinking beer in the sun. Even if cricket isn't your thing, the atmosphere is worth experiencing once. General admission tickets run AUD 35-50 and let you move around the ground freely. Outside of the Test match, you can take stadium tours year-round (AUD 30-35, 75 minutes) that access the players' change rooms and walk on the actual field. The MCG also hosts Big Bash League T20 cricket in December - shorter format, more accessible for tourists, tickets AUD 20-35.
Phillip Island penguin viewing
Little penguins return to shore at sunset every single night, and December means sunset around 8:45pm - late enough that you can do a full day in Melbourne and still make the 90-minute drive south in time. The penguin parade happens year-round, but December offers warmer weather (you're sitting on outdoor viewing platforms for 45-60 minutes) and longer days for exploring the island's beaches and seal colonies beforehand. Around 1,000-1,500 penguins waddle up the beach each evening - it's genuinely charming, though the viewing setup is quite commercial with assigned seating and strict photography rules.
Fitzroy and Collingwood neighborhood food walks
These inner-north neighborhoods genuinely come alive in December as cafes and bars extend their outdoor seating and night markets pop up. Brunswick Street and Smith Street form a 2 km (1.2 mile) strip of restaurants representing every cuisine you can think of - Vietnamese on Victoria Street, Italian on Lygon Street spillover, modern Australian fusion everywhere else. Walking food tours typically cover 1.5-2 km (0.9-1.2 miles) over 3 hours, hitting 5-6 stops. December timing works because you can walk comfortably in evening warmth without January's occasional 38°C (100°F) scorchers.
Dandenong Ranges rainforest walks
These forested hills 35 km (22 miles) east of Melbourne offer a completely different climate - typically 5-7°C (9-13°F) cooler than the city and genuinely lush year-round. December means the tree ferns are at their greenest after spring rains, and you'll avoid the January bushfire risk that occasionally closes trails. Walks range from 30-minute strolls through Sherbrooke Forest to 3-hour circuits in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. The famous Puffing Billy steam railway runs through the ranges - touristy but actually scenic, especially the 13 km (8 mile) section from Belgrave to Emerald Lake.
December Events & Festivals
Boxing Day Test Match at MCG
This is THE sporting event in Melbourne's calendar - five days of Test cricket starting December 26, with crowds of 80,000-95,000 each day. Even non-cricket fans find the atmosphere compelling - it's essentially a massive outdoor party where cricket happens to be playing. The crowd demographic shifts throughout the day, from serious cricket watchers in the morning to sunburned groups of friends by late afternoon. General admission tickets let you move around the ground, and the Bay 13 section is famous for boisterous crowd atmosphere. Bring sunscreen and a hat - you're sitting in direct sun for hours.
Midsumma Festival Launch
Melbourne's LGBTQIA+ festival kicks off in late December with the Midsumma Carnival in Alexandra Gardens - live music, food stalls, and a genuinely welcoming vibe that draws 20,000-30,000 people. The main festival runs through January, but the December launch events include art exhibitions opening in Fitzroy galleries and comedy shows in St Kilda venues. It's grown into one of the largest queer cultural festivals in the Southern Hemisphere, and December timing means you catch the opening energy before the full program unfolds in January.
New Year's Eve Fireworks
Melbourne does two fireworks displays - 9:15pm for families and midnight for everyone else - launched from multiple CBD rooftops and the Yarra River. The best free viewing spots are along the Yarra's north bank between Princes Bridge and Birrarung Marr, though you'll need to claim your spot by 7pm for decent sightlines. Kings Domain and the Shrine of Remembrance offer elevated views but fill up even earlier. Many restaurants and bars run ticketed events with guaranteed viewing, typically AUD 150-250 including food and drinks. Public transport runs all night on NYE - unusual for Melbourne and genuinely useful.