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16 towns · southern lights

Aurora towns in Australia

Answer

Glow tracks 16 towns in Australia, 14 with their own indexed page. On the IGRF-14 dipole they run from Hobart at 49.6° to Traralgon at 45.0°, with a median of 45.4 degrees geomagnetic. Among the 13 countries with a Glow hub, that median ranks 13th.
45.4°
median geomagnetic latitude
IGRF-14 dipole, SunCalc, NASA POWER

Where the towns sit

Hobart, 49.6° geomagneticLaunceston, 48.2° geomagneticDevonport, 48.0° geomagneticBurnie, 48.0° geomagneticWarrnambool, 45.7° geomagneticColac, 45.5° geomagneticTorquay, 45.4° geomagneticOcean Grove, 45.3° geomagneticMount Gambier, 45.3° geomagneticGeelong, 45.2° geomagneticFrankston East, 45.1° geomagneticMorwell, 45.1° geomagneticHamilton, Victoria, 45.1° geomagneticWarragul, 45.1° geomagneticDrouin, 45.1° geomagneticTraralgon, 45.0° geomagneticGeelongHobartLauncestonFrankston EastWarrnamboolTraralgonDevonportMount Gambier
60° geomagnetic or more, no storm needed55° to 60°, G1 or lessbelow 55°, storm needed

Of the 14 indexed towns in Australia, 14 sit below 55 degrees and need a G2 or stronger storm by NOAA's typical latitudes.

Darkness and cloud

On December 15 the median town gets 8.0 hours of civil night. Mount Gambier has the most at 8.1 hours and Hobart the least at 7.4. Every town keeps some civil darkness through the June solstice.

NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology puts median cloud amount in the dark months at 60%. Hamilton, Victoria is clearest at 57% and Burnie cloudiest at 70%. These are all-hours averages for 1 degree cells, not forecasts.

Best month, town by town

Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky, June comes out best for 9 of the 14 towns and July for 3. SWPC notes a tendency toward larger storms near the equinoxes, which this score does not include.

Every town

16 towns in Australia, highest geomagnetic latitude first
TownRegionDipoleStorm neededDec 15 nightDark-month cloudBest month
HobartTasmania49.6°G2 or more7.4 h63%Jun
LauncestonTasmania48.2°G2 or more7.6 h61%Jun
DevonportTasmania48.0°G2 or more7.7 h60%Jun
BurnieTasmania48.0°G2 or more7.7 h70%Jun
WarrnamboolVictoria45.7°G2 or more8.0 h62%Jun
ColacVictoria45.5°G2 or more8.0 h60%Jun
TorquayVictoria45.4°G2 or more8.0 h58%Jul
Ocean GroveVictoria45.3°G2 or more8.0 h58%Jul
Mount GambierSouth Australia45.3°G2 or more8.1 h58%Jun
GeelongVictoria45.2°G2 or more8.1 h58%Jul
Frankston EastVictoria45.1°G2 or more8.1 h60%Apr
Morwell *Victoria45.1°G2 or more8.0 h64%Jun
Hamilton, VictoriaVictoria45.1°G2 or more8.1 h57%Jun
WarragulVictoria45.1°G2 or more8.1 h60%Apr
Drouin *Victoria45.1°G2 or more8.1 h60%Apr
TraralgonVictoria45.0°G2 or more8.1 h64%Jun
* Within 15 km of a larger town with the same rounded figures; its page points to that town. Cloud: NASA POWER mean for months with at least 4 hours of civil night.

Regions

The towns fall in 3 first-level regions. Victoria has 11, Tasmania has 4, South Australia has 1. Regions with at least 5 indexed towns have their own page with three rankings.

Questions

Where in Australia is best for the aurora?
By geomagnetic latitude, Hobart at 49.6°. No town sits at 60 degrees or more, so every town needs some activity.
Which town in Australia has the longest December night?
Mount Gambier, with 8.1 hours of civil night on December 15.
Which town in Australia has the clearest dark season?
Hamilton, Victoria, with 57% mean cloud amount in the months with at least 4 hours of civil night (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).
What is the best month for aurora in Australia?
June for 9 of 14 towns, by civil night times the clear share of the sky. Each town page gives its own month.

Sources and verification

Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.