While some are debating whether Australia’s coldest city is Canberra with its frosts or Hobart with its cool summers, the rest of us know it is Ballarat. Because when it comes to the simplest measurement of all, that of mean annual temperature, Ballarat is Queen of the Cool, sitting well below her nearest contenders at a refreshing 12.3°C.

Australia's cities with a population over 100,000, ranked by mean annual temperature

1. Ballarat, VIC: 12.3°C
2. Hobart, TAS: 13.3°C
3. Canberra, ACT: 13.7°C
4. Geelong, VIC: 14.2°C
5. Bendigo, VIC: 14.7°C
6. Melbourne, VIC: 14.9°C
7. Albury, NSW: 15.4°C
8. Gosford/Central Coast, NSW: 17.3°C
9. Adelaide, SA: 17.5°C
10. Wollongong, NSW: 17.6°C
11. Toowoomba, QLD: 18.0°C
12. Newcastle, NSW: 18.7°C
13. Sydney, NSW: 18.8°C
14. Perth, WA: 18.9°C
15. Sunshine Coast, QLD: 20.8°C
16. Gold Coast, QLD: 21.3°C
17. Brisbane, QLD: 21.6°C
18. Townsville, QLD: 24.8°C
19. Cairns, QLD: 25.3°C
20. Darwin, NT: 27.8°C

Annual averages:

• Daily mean temperature: 12.3°C
• Daily mean maximum: 17.5°C
• Daily mean minimum: 7.1°C
• Rainfall: 683mm
• Number of days of rain: 167
• Daily wind run: 455km (19km/h)

All-time records:

• Highest temperature: 44.1°C
• Lowest temperature: -6.0°C
• Lowest ground temperature: -11.7°C
• Highest annual rainfall: 996mm
• Lowest annual rainfall: 302mm
• Highest wind gust: 117km/h

Ballarat's climate over time