Every tour on Bruny Island is outdoors, and the island sits in the path of the Southern Ocean, so the weather shapes your day in any month. It is rarely hot, often windy and wet on about a third of the days of the year. Match the month to the Bruny Island day tours you book, and pack for the cold.
The land tours run in rain. The guide sets the order of the day around the weather, putting the lookout and the walks in the dry spells and the tastings in the wet ones. You still go, but a wet day at The Neck gives you a grey view.
The cruise is different. Pennicott sails in all weather, but the operator may cancel when the sea is unsafe, and on a rough day the ride is wet and cold. The crew hand out waterproof jackets. Bring a warm hat and gloves anyway, in any month.
The figures below are the Bureau of Meteorology's, from its station at Cape Bruny Lighthouse (094010), 55 metres up on the cape. It is the windiest point of the island, so the numbers read cooler and breezier than a sheltered bay. Treat them as long-run averages, not your forecast.
Highs average 18.4 °C and lows 11.5 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 60 mm of rain on about 8 days, and a 30 km/h wind at 3pm. The cruise runs at 10am, 11am and 1:30pm. Pack a warm layer for the water.
Highs average 18.6 °C and lows 11.8 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 56 mm of rain on about 7 days, and a 28 km/h wind at 3pm. The warmest and driest month. You get the full summer cruise timetable.
Highs average 17.7 °C and lows 11.2 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 67 mm of rain on about 9 days, and a 27 km/h wind at 3pm. Still mild, with the afternoon wind easing. You can still pick the 10am, 11am or 1:30pm cruise.
Highs average 15.6 °C and lows 9.7 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 78 mm of rain on about 11 days, and a 26 km/h wind at 3pm. Autumn cools the days. The 10am and 1:30pm cruises stop after the 28th.
Highs average 13.5 °C and lows 8.3 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 84 mm of rain on about 12 days, and a 25 km/h wind at 3pm. Rain falls on about twelve days. You get one cruise a day, at 11am.
Highs average 11.7 °C and lows 6.8 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 89 mm of rain on about 12 days, and a 24 km/h wind at 3pm. The calmest afternoons of the year. Bring a warm hat on the water.
Highs average 11.3 °C and lows 6.2 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 94 mm of rain on about 13 days, and a 24 km/h wind at 3pm. The coldest and wettest month. Tours run, and you share them with fewer people.
Highs average 12.0 °C and lows 6.3 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 92 mm of rain on about 13 days, and a 26 km/h wind at 3pm. Still cold and wet. Dress for the Southern Ocean on any tour you take.
Highs average 13.3 °C and lows 7.1 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 80 mm of rain on about 12 days, and a 29 km/h wind at 3pm. Clear days are scarce, under two a month. The afternoon wind picks up.
Highs average 14.5 °C and lows 8.0 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 83 mm of rain on about 12 days, and a 32 km/h wind at 3pm. Spring warms slowly. The 3pm wind is among the year's strongest.
Highs average 15.7 °C and lows 9.2 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 74 mm of rain on about 11 days, and a 32 km/h wind at 3pm. The windiest month at the lighthouse. The cruise sails at 11am only.
Highs average 17.1 °C and lows 10.4 °C at the lighthouse. Expect 75 mm of rain on about 10 days, and a 32 km/h wind at 3pm. The extra 10am and 1:30pm cruises start on the 1st. Book early.
| Season | Average high | Average low | Rain | Rain days | 3pm wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer: December–February | 18.0 °C | 11.2 °C | 191 mm | 26 | 30 km/h |
| Autumn: March–May | 15.6 °C | 9.7 °C | 230 mm | 32 | 26 km/h |
| Winter: June–August | 11.7 °C | 6.4 °C | 275 mm | 38 | 25 km/h |
| Spring: September–November | 14.5 °C | 8.1 °C | 238 mm | 35 | 31 km/h |
Summer is the easy answer for most visitors. It is the warmest season, with highs around 18 °C, and the driest, with February the driest month at 55.8 mm. It is also when the cruise sails three times a day, from 1 December to 28 April.
Winter is cold and wet. July brings 93.9 mm of rain on about 13 days, and highs of 11.3 °C. The tours still run, and you get the island with fewer people on it. Spring and early summer bring the strongest afternoon wind, peaking at 31.9 km/h in November.
Clear days are rare in every season: the station counts about 27 a year. Plan for cloud and be pleased by sun. For the cruise timetable and the ferry queues, see the best time to visit.
Mornings are calmer. Across the year, the wind at the lighthouse averages 24.5 km/h at 9am and 27.8 km/h at 3pm. The gap is widest in spring and summer, when the afternoon wind climbs past 30 km/h. In winter the two are about even.
That favours the early cruise in summer: the 10am sailing is back by about 1pm, before the wind is at its strongest. On a land tour, you have no choice of hour, but a morning walk up to Truganini Lookout is usually calmer than an afternoon one.
Temperatures, rainfall, rain days, clear days and wind are the Bureau of Meteorology's climate statistics for Cape Bruny Lighthouse (094010), checked 21 September 2026. The cruise times, the weather policy and the packing advice are Pennicott's own.
Four days from Hobart: the mountain and a wildlife sanctuary, the island, Port Arthur, then the southern forests and caves. Entry fees and national park passes are in the fare; meals and accommodation are not.
From $460 per person
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A tasting day from the Hobart waterfront with the ferry in the fare: fudge, honey, mead, cheese and ale, then a beachside lunch with shucked oysters and two glasses of wine. Entry to a small museum and a walk through private gardens are included too.
From $206 per person
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Ten hours from the Hobart waterfront with a three-hour cruise along the sea cliffs, windproof jackets, morning tea, lunch and the ferry in the fare. You make your own way to the wharf; the bus drops you at your hotel.
From $206 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: pick your season on the best time to visit, see things to do on the island, or compare every tour on Bruny Island Tours.