Southern lights forecast tonight in Victoria
3 towns across Victoria, each with tonight's chance from NOAA's Ovation model, updated every 15 minutes. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole, and every town here needs Kp 9 before your eyes pick anything up.
Best tonight
Cape Schanck
No town in Victoria has a measurable chance right now. That changes when a storm arrives, so check again after dark.
Cape Schanck sits closest to the pole in Victoria, so it needs the least: Kp 9.
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Every town in Victoria tonight
| Town | Chance now | Your eyes need | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Schanck | 0% | Kp 9 | No auroras expected right now |
| Lakes Entrance | 0% | Kp 9 | No auroras expected right now |
| Melbourne | 0% | Kp 9 | No auroras expected right now |
Faint aurora looks gray to your eyes and green to a phone. In Victoria a phone picks it up from about Kp 7, and your eyes need Kp 9.
Aurora is possible in Victoria from March to September. The sky has to be dark and clear. Clouds stop everything, and no camera gets around that.
Where people actually stand in Victoria
Places locals and guides name, with what each one gives you. Every town below has its own page.
Melbourne
Cape Schanck Lighthouse
76 km south · car
The classic run: about 90 minutes down the Mornington Peninsula to the lighthouse car park, then it's cliffs and nothing but Bass Strait to the south. If the beam shows up on camera here, you're in the right place - Flinders and its blowhole are 15 minutes back up the road if you want a second angle. Check the cloud over the Strait before you commit to the drive.
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse
62 km south-west · car
The Bellarine option, about 90 minutes via Geelong: the lighthouse sits over the Rip with open ocean to the south and Queenscliff's lights safely behind you. Park near the foreshore and walk out toward the pier or up by the lighthouse. Handy if the cloud is sitting over the Mornington side - the two peninsulas often get different weather.
Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island
88 km south-east · car
Phillip Island's south coast faces straight into Bass Strait, and the Woolamai surf beach car park is the easy access point - local photographers also rate Pyramid Rock, 15 minutes west. Under two hours from town over the bridge at San Remo, no ferry needed. Follow the Aurora Hunters Victoria Facebook group; when it goes off, this coast is where the photos come from.
Questions about the southern lights in Victoria
Where in Victoria is the best place tonight?
Nothing in Victoria has a measurable chance right now. Cape Schanck needs the least activity, Kp 9, so it is the first place to light up when a storm arrives.
What Kp do you need to see the southern lights in Victoria?
Kp 9, the same for every town here. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole.
When is the best time of year in Victoria?
Aurora is possible from March to September, because the nights are long enough to be properly dark. A clear sky matters more than the forecast number.
Can an iPhone photograph the southern lights in Victoria?
Yes, from about Kp 7. A phone picks up aurora that is too faint for your eyes. Rest it on something steady and give it a long exposure. What looks gray to you comes out green on the phone.
Be ready before the next storm hits.
When you're finally standing in the cold under the night you've waited years for, there are no retakes — the sky does its show once and moves on. So pack the jacket, pack the thermos, and pack the one thing that makes the night eternal: the iOS astrophotography app built for auroras. Long after the trip, you'll still have the display itself, moving, in 4K.
- ✦ Set it down and it arms itself
- ✦ 4K timelapse + a still from the session
- ✦ Aurora intelligence tunes every capture
- ✦ Tracks the aurora live — no extra app
- ✦ Apple Watch companion
- ✦ Pay once, own it forever