Australia · 11 towns
Aurora towns in Victoria
Answer
Where the towns sit
The widest gap in the dipole ranking falls between Warrnambool and Colac, 0.2 degrees. 8 neighbouring pairs sit within 0.5 degrees of each other, close enough that the order between them means little.
Of the 9 indexed towns in Victoria, 9 sit below 55 degrees and need a G2 or stronger storm by NOAA's typical latitudes.
Ranked by geomagnetic latitude
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warrnambool | 45.7° |
| 2 | Colac | 45.5° |
| 3 | Torquay | 45.4° |
| 4 | Ocean Grove | 45.3° |
| 5 | Geelong | 45.2° |
| 6 | Frankston East | 45.1° |
| 7 | Hamilton, Victoria | 45.1° |
| 8 | Warragul | 45.1° |
| 9 | Traralgon | 45.0° |
Ranked by December darkness
On December 15 the median town gets 8.1 hours of civil night, against 8.0 nationally. Geelong has the most at 8.1 hours and Warrnambool the least at 8.0. Every town keeps some civil darkness through the June solstice.
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geelong | 8.1 h |
| 2 | Frankston East | 8.1 h |
| 3 | Hamilton, Victoria | 8.1 h |
| 4 | Warragul | 8.1 h |
| 5 | Traralgon | 8.1 h |
| 6 | Warrnambool | 8.0 h |
| 7 | Colac | 8.0 h |
| 8 | Torquay | 8.0 h |
| 9 | Ocean Grove | 8.0 h |
Ranked by clear dark season
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology puts median cloud amount in the dark months at 60%, against 60% nationally. Hamilton, Victoria is clearest at 57% and Traralgon cloudiest at 64%. These are all-hours averages for 1 degree cells, not forecasts.
| Rank | Town | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton, Victoria | 57% |
| 2 | Torquay | 58% |
| 3 | Ocean Grove | 58% |
| 4 | Geelong | 58% |
| 5 | Frankston East | 60% |
| 6 | Warragul | 60% |
| 7 | Colac | 60% |
| 8 | Warrnambool | 62% |
| 9 | Traralgon | 64% |
Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky, June comes out best for 4 of the 9 towns and July for 3. SWPC notes a tendency toward larger storms near the equinoxes, which this score does not include.
Every town
| Town | Dipole | Storm needed | Dec 15 night | Dark-month cloud | Best month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrnambool | 45.7° | G2 or more | 8.0 h | 62% | Jun |
| Colac | 45.5° | G2 or more | 8.0 h | 60% | Jun |
| Torquay | 45.4° | G2 or more | 8.0 h | 58% | Jul |
| Ocean Grove | 45.3° | G2 or more | 8.0 h | 58% | Jul |
| Geelong | 45.2° | G2 or more | 8.1 h | 58% | Jul |
| Frankston East | 45.1° | G2 or more | 8.1 h | 60% | Apr |
| Morwell * | 45.1° | G2 or more | 8.0 h | 64% | Jun |
| Hamilton, Victoria | 45.1° | G2 or more | 8.1 h | 57% | Jun |
| Warragul | 45.1° | G2 or more | 8.1 h | 60% | Apr |
| Drouin * | 45.1° | G2 or more | 8.1 h | 60% | Apr |
| Traralgon | 45.0° | G2 or more | 8.1 h | 64% | Jun |
Questions
- Where in Victoria is best for the aurora?
- By geomagnetic latitude, Warrnambool at 45.7°. No town sits at 60 degrees or more, so every town needs some activity.
- Which town in Victoria has the longest December night?
- Geelong, with 8.1 hours of civil night on December 15.
- Which town in Victoria 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 Victoria?
- June for 4 of 9 towns, by civil night times the clear share of the sky. Each town page gives its own month.
Sources and verification
- GeoNames dump (CC BY 4.0)https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/
- IGRF-14, NOAA NCEIhttps://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/coeffs/igrf14coeffs.txt
- NASA POWER climatologyhttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/climatology/
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.