Frosts in winter and early spring can cause significant damage to cereal crops post heading, reducing grain yield and quality. Past climate data and future climate predictions suggest that the frequency of events is increasing and the time window that damaging frosts occur is widening. While past research has not been able to identify tolerant genetic material to reproductive frost, phenology and cold acclimation are still key contributors to moderating the impact of frosts on grain set. A study was established to better understand what plant traits may or may not be influencing the amount of damage wheat experiences under field conditions in a frost prone landscape. A set of 16 wheat varieties were established in eight sowing times on equidistant thermal time to ensure material flowered during the late winter to early spring frost season, at Dale, Western Australia in 2018. The varieties evaluated were shown to vary in susceptibility to reproductive frost damage, but not freeze tolerance. A subset of two wheat varieties showed changes with time in osmotic potential in flag leaves and spikes The cultivars only differed at one time point and the implications of these findings will be discussed in light of the role osmolytes play in maintaining plant water status. Changes in osmotic potential and freezing point depression were not significant enough to provide protection from reproductive frost damage. Therefore, there must be other factors responsible for differences in grain set observed between two varieties of similar phenology when exposed to frost. Phenotyping of traits potentially influencing reproductive frost susceptibility will be discussed and whether a trait-based approach can benefit wheat research and breeding efforts into this challenging area will be considered.