Public Holidays 2025: How I learned to max out my travel with just 4 weeks of leave

Australia Day (26 January)

A day off is a day off. This year 26^th of January falls on a Sunday, making Monday 27^th of January the designated weekend-extending public holiday.

While 3 days is nice, 4 days off is even nicer – take Friday 24^th or Tuesday 28^th off to get a blissful mega-weekend off that lines up nicely with the last week of school holidays.

Need a little more time? Take 4 days of leave that week for a full 9 days off in a row, spanning a week with a weekend on either end. That’s enough for a really hefty trip away! 

Suggested destinations: Blue Mountains, Melbourne, Newcastle

Easter (varies) & Anzac Day (25 April)

Whether you buy into the whole chocolate eggs and bunny theming, or the traditional religious aspects of this holiday, nothing beats the certainty of a 4-day weekend and the potential of a 10-day break – and that’s what Australians have come expect at this time of year.

This year, Good Friday falls on the 18^th of April, with the long weekend extending through to Easter Monday on the 21^st. Take the 22^nd, 23^rd and 24^th off in 2025 and you’ll string together Easter and Anzac day’s respective long weekends for a full 10 days off work.

It’s almost too good of an opportunity to miss, so hop to it and book your leave in early (because guess what, you’re not the only person with the same idea!).

Suggested destinations: Cairns, Grampians, Pittwater

King’s Birthday (9 June)

Long referred to as the Queen’s Birthday (while not being her actual birthday at all), the symbolic public holiday now referred to as the King’s Birthday lands on Monday 9^th of June for every state except QLD and WA.

Extend your already awesome 3-day weekend by taking the 6^th (Friday) or 10^th (Tuesday) off as well, and enjoy a blissful 4 consecutive days away from all the stress and responsibility of work exploring one of Australia’s top winter destinations.

Feeling particularly adventurous? Take the whole week of the 9^th off from Tuesday–Friday and your winter getaway is now 9 days long!

Suggested destinations: Adelaide, Byron Bay, Thredbo

Labour Day/King’s Birthday (1^st Monday in October)

Another much-loved public holiday is Labour Day (or King’s Birthday for QLD), landing in early October for states except NT/TAS/VIC/WA (don’t worry, they have their own special days to compensate). This is an important chance to catch a breather for workers in participating states, coming off the back of the longest holiday-less period of the year.

Just like the last entry on this list, this is a great opportunity to take the Friday (3^rd) or Tuesday (7^th) off to result in a nifty 4-day weekend, or go big (or go home) with 4 days of leave and a full 9 days off work.

Either way, this is a great moment to plan a getaway, and even more so for those with kids, as this one falls in the middle of most school holidays.

Suggested destinations: Fremantle, Apollo Bay, Port Elliot

Christmas/New Year period (25-26 December, 1 January)

Traditionally brought to you by an overheated man in a red suit and fake white beard, the Christmas holiday period in Australia has a vibe completely unto itself. Of course Christmas isn’t the only holiday being celebrated at this time of year, and this makes it one of the few moments when most of the country takes a hard-earned break.

This year (for once), Christmas Day (Thursday 25^th December) and Boxing Day (Friday 26^th December) align perfectly with the weekend, meaning you’ll get a clean 4-day break without having the bridge any gaps with annual leave.

Of course, if you’re like most of us, you’ll want to pad this out a bit, and for this you’ve got some options: Look at Monday 22^nd, Tuesday 23^rd and Wednesday 24^th of December to make for a full 9 consecutive days off leading up to and including Xmas, or Monday 29^th, Tuesday 30^th and Wednesday 31^st of December, plus Friday 2^nd of January for 11 days spanning Xmas, New Years’ Day and a bit extra as well.

Even better, combine both of those ideas (it’ll cost you 7 days of annual leave in total), and you’ve got a chance for an epic 16-day holiday that’ll have you forgetting your boss’s name by the end.

Suggested destinations: Sydney, Hobart, Brisbane