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Coldest sea in Australia

954 coastal locations in Australia ranked by year-round average sea temperature, coldest first. The regional average is 22.9°C. The top of the list is where the water stays cold all year. The contrast list at the bottom shows the warmest coasts for context.

Coldest location

Heard Island

Year-round average 2.7°C in Australia

Regional average

22.9°C

across all 954 Australia coastal locations

Coldest month

August

20.0°C region-wide average

Australia monthly average 20.0°C to 25.5°C
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  • Warmest month February 25.5°C
  • Coldest month August 20.0°C
  • Annual mean 22.9°C
  • Months above 20°C 12 of 12

Month by month across Australia

Sea temperatures in Australia swing from 20.0°C in August to 25.5°C in February on average across every coast we track. That spread of 5°C hides much bigger swings at individual locations.

Want a specific month? Pick one for a dedicated ranking:

Australia sea temperature map

Today's pin colours show the latest daily reading at every Australia location we track. Cool blues cluster around the high-latitude coasts.

Zoom in to see individual locations. Click a pin for water temperatures. View list →
°C -2 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 24 27 30 35

Top 50 coldest locations in Australia

Coastal locations across Australia sorted by year-round average, coldest first. Honest cold-water swimming country. Click any place for its 30-day chart, monthly profile, and 10-year history.

# Location Annual mean
1 Heard Island Australian external territory 2.7°C
2 Macquarie Island Tasmania 5.7°C
3 Recherche Bay Tasmania 14.3°C
4 Southport Jetty Tasmania 14.3°C
5 Bramble Cove Tasmania 14.3°C
6 Maatsuyker Island Tasmania 14.3°C
7 Austins Ferry Tasmania 14.4°C
8 Bellerive Tasmania 14.4°C
9 Berriedale Tasmania 14.4°C
10 Blackmans Bay Tasmania 14.4°C
11 Bridgewater Tasmania 14.4°C
12 Glenorchy Tasmania 14.4°C
13 Goodwood Tasmania 14.4°C
14 Hobart Tasmania 14.4°C
15 Howrah Tasmania 14.4°C
16 Kingston Tasmania 14.4°C
17 Lauderdale Tasmania 14.4°C
18 Lindisfarne Tasmania 14.4°C
19 Lutana Tasmania 14.4°C
20 Old Beach Tasmania 14.4°C
21 Rokeby Tasmania 14.4°C
22 Sandy Bay Tasmania 14.4°C
23 Seven Mile Beach Tasmania 14.4°C
24 Taroona Tasmania 14.4°C
25 Granton Tasmania 14.4°C
Show 25 more ▸
26 Kettering Tasmania 14.4°C
27 Margate Tasmania 14.4°C
28 Bruny Island Tasmania 14.4°C
29 Impression Bay Tasmania 14.9°C
30 Parsons Bay Tasmania 14.9°C
31 Pirates Bay Tasmania 14.9°C
32 Cape Sorell (Off) Tasmania 14.9°C
33 Granville Harbour Tasmania 15.0°C
34 Pieman River Tasmania 15.0°C
35 Swansea Tasmania 15.1°C
36 Stack Island Tasmania 15.1°C
37 Darlington Jetty Tasmania 15.2°C
38 Spring Bay Tasmania 15.2°C
39 Smithton Tasmania 15.2°C
40 Three Hummock Island Tasmania 15.2°C
41 Stanley Tasmania 15.2°C
42 Wynyard Tasmania 15.3°C
43 Big River Cove Tasmania 15.3°C
44 Burnie Tasmania 15.3°C
45 Swan Island Tasmania 15.3°C
46 Kingston South Australia 15.3°C
47 Robe South Australia 15.3°C
48 Alverston Tasmania 15.4°C
49 King Island (Grassy) Tasmania 15.4°C
50 Penguin Tasmania 15.4°C

Warmest 10 in Australia for contrast

Same data flipped. Useful if you want to know which Australia coasts stay warmest year-round before you commit to a cold-water swim trip.

# Location Annual mean
1 Newby Shoal Northern Territory 29.3°C
2 Burge Point Northern Territory 29.2°C
3 Fish Reef Northern Territory 29.2°C
4 Native Point Northern Territory 29.2°C
5 Shale Island Western Australia 29.2°C
6 Jabiru Northern Territory 29.2°C
7 Beagle A Northern Territory 29.2°C
8 Dillon Shoal Western Australia 29.2°C
9 Pee Shoal Western Australia 29.2°C
10 Tapa Bay Northern Territory 29.2°C

More on this region