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A Snow Moon is rising over Australia this weekend – here’s where to spot it

Eleanor EdströmBy Eleanor Edström
On Sunday 1 February, a Snow Moon will shine above Australia. We’ve rounded up the best spots to see this extra-bright full moon in every state.

Last year’s lunar spectacles had us collectively spellbound, with a Strawberry Moon, Harvest Moon, Beaver Moon and Cold Moon setting the night skies aglow. And while this weekend’s ‘Snow Moon’ isn’t a supermoon (the result of a full moon reaching its closest point to Earth along its elliptical orbit), it is a brighter-than-normal moon worth looking to the skies for. Here’s when and where to catch it. 

What is a snow moon and why is it special?

Walls of China, Mungo National Park
Catch the Snow Moon above the Walls of China, Mungo National Park. (Image: Destination NSW)

A Snow Moon is really just a fancy word to say the second full moon of the year. It derives its name from the snowfall that’s usually seen in the Northern Hemisphere in early February. Of course, we Aussies can’t relate that much – being in the height of summer and all – but the Snow Moon is still significantly brighter than a usual moon.  

Whether you’re dusting off the binoculars, setting up your camera at a scenic lookout or simply poking your head out after dinner, this lunar eye-candy will be visible with the naked eye all over the country – making it an easy win for every skygazer out there. 

When to see the Snow Moon this weekend in Australia

snow moon
A Snow Moon is the second full moon of the year. (Image: Pexels/Bruno Scramgnon)

While the Snow Moon will reach its peak the morning of Monday 2 February at 9:09am, the daylight means we won’t actually be able to see the spectacle in all its glory. This means the best time to see the Snow Moon shining brightly is on Sunday evening, 1 February, around 30 to 60 minutes after the sun goes down. During this time, the moon will appear full, large and low on the eastern horizon. It will continue to be visible later into the night, passing directly overhead between midnight and 1:00am (depending on what state you’re in), when it crosses the meridian. 

The best places to see this weekend’s Snow Moon in Australia

snow moon australia
See the moon from Kata Tjuṯa, NT. (Image: Unsplash/Melanie Dretvic)

The best lunar viewing spots are elevated, unobstructed and distant from the light pollution of cities. If you’re planning to catch the Snow Moon at moonrise (when the moon begins to appear above the horizon), make sure to look towards the east. Below are the top places for viewing the Snow Moon in each Australian state. 

NSW:

  • Walls of China,  Mungo National Park
  • Echo Point Lookout, Blue Mountains 
  • Palm Beach Headland, Sydney 
  • Sydney’s eastern beaches (such as Bronte, Coogee and Maroubra) 
  • Observatory Hill, Sydney 
  • Broken Hill 

WA:

  • Kings Park, Perth 
  • Perth Observatory, Bickley 
  • Lancelin Sand Dunes, Lancelin  
  • Cape Leeuwin, Margaret River 
  • The Pinnacles Desert, Nambung  

SA:

  • Mount Lofty, Adelaide 
  • Semaphore Jetty or Glenelg Foreshore, Adelaide 
  • River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve 
  • Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park

Vic:

  • Arthurs Seat lookout, Mornington Peninsula 
  • Phillip Island 
  • Grampians National Park 

ACT:

  • Mount Ainslie Lookout, Canberra 
  • Mount Pleasant Lookout, Canberra

Qld:

  • SkyPoint Observation Desk, Surfers Paradise 
  • Redcliffe Peninsula, near Brisbane 
  • Double Island Point, Cooloola 
  • Winton 
  • Palm Cove 

Tas:

  • Seven Mile Beach 
  • kunanyi/Mt Wellington summit, Hobart 
  • Constitution Dock, Hobart 
  • Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 

NT:

  • Kata Tjuṯa/Mount Olga, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park 
  • Earth Sanctuary Alice Springs 

What other lunar events are happening in 2026?

There’s more in store for lunar lovers! Look out for the total lunar eclipse on 3 March, a Blue Moon on 31 May and a supermoon on Christmas Eve, 24 December. 

Eleanor Edström
Eleanor Edström is Australian Traveller’s Associate Editor. Previously a staff writer at Signature Luxury Travel & Style and Vacations & Travel magazines, she's a curious wordsmith with a penchant for conservation, adventure, the arts and design. She discovered her knack for storytelling much earlier, however – penning mermaid sagas in glitter ink at age seven. Proof that her spelling has since improved, she holds an honours degree in English and philosophy, and a French diploma from the University of Sydney. Off duty, you’ll find her pirouetting between Pilates and ballet classes, or testing her friends’ patience with increasingly obscure vocabulary.
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Film lovers need to add these Victorian theatres to their bucket list

    Ricky FrenchBy Ricky French
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    Theatres have always been a cornerstone of regional Victoria, reflecting the character and history of their local communities.

    From grand, gold rush-era masterpieces to Art Deco wonders to repurposed prisons, we’ve rounded up four of Victoria’s best regional theatres to catch a show at next time you’re travelling through.

    Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat

    Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat 
    Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat has been standing for 150 years. (Image: Michael Pham)

    A monument to the immense gold rush wealth flooding through Ballarat in the second half of the 19th century, Her Majesty’s Theatre (‘Her Maj’ to locals) celebrates its 150th anniversary as the city’s premier performing arts venue this year.

    Built in a classical style and immaculately preserved (thanks largely to a recent $16-million restoration), this Lydiard Street landmark is the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia, notable for its double balcony and a stage that slopes towards the front, making it one of the most audience-friendly venues in the country to see a show.

    The Capital, Bendigo

    The Capital Theatre, Bendigo
    The Capital in Bendigo was built in 1873 as a Masonic Hall. (Image: Michael Pham)

    Denoted by its distinctive Corinthian columns, more reminiscent of ancient Greece than regional Victoria, The Capital theatre in Bendigo has been through several iterations since the first stone was laid in 1873.

    Originally a Masonic hall, the renaissance revival-style building became a theatre in the 1890s, falling into disrepair for a time during the 1970s, before being restored and reopened (as the Bendigo Regional Arts Centre) in 1991. Today, the 480-seat venue hosts everything from comedy to cabaret to traditional theatre, dance, opera and live music.

     Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo

    a look insideBendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre
    Inside Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre, a former prison. (Image: Michael Pham)

    Bendigo has busted out as a regional performing arts hotspot, so it’s fitting that one of its newest venues is housed within a former prison. Meaning ‘meeting place’ or ‘gather together’ in the language of the local Dja Dja Wurrung people, the $26-million, 950-seat auditorium rose from within the red brick walls of the historic Sandhurst Gaol in 2015.

    It’s an eerie feeling as you approach the imposing granite facade, pass beneath the old gallows and pick up your ticket from the box office occupying a repurposed cell block. With the building playing a main character in the show, this is performative architecture at its finest.

    Rex Theatre, Charlton

    the Rex Theatre in Charlton
    The 1938-built Rex Theatre in Charlton is an Art Deco gem. (Image: Jenny Pollard)

    Regional theatres don’t come more romantic than this Art Deco gem in the river town of Charlton, in north-central Victoria. Built in 1938, the 350-seat community-owned theatre provides an essential entertainment outlet for residents in the Wimmera Mallee region, as well as visitors making the trip up the Calder Highway from Melbourne.

    The volunteer-run venue is the last remaining purpose-built cinema in regional Victoria, and hosts the Charlton Film Festival every February, plus three weekly film screenings (Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday).