If you’ve already googled ‘Australian Public Holidays 2024’, you’re not the only one. And although Australia can’t top Nepal with its 39 Public Holidays per year or Myanmar with its 32, we can do the next best thing by using our Public Holidays and weekends to our advantage. We’ve got a hack that will turn 27 annual leave days per year into a whopping 62 days of travel in 2024.
There are seven national Public Holidays celebrated by all of the states in Australia in 2024. These are:
- Monday 1 January 2024: New Year’s Day
- Friday 26 January 2024: Australia Day
- Friday 29 March 2024: Good Friday
- Monday 1 April 2024: Easter Monday
- Thursday 25 April 2024: Anzac Day
- Wednesday 25 December 2024: Christmas Day
- Thursday 26 December 2024: Boxing Day
In addition to these Public Holidays, there are also a few extras, such as Labour Day and the King’s Birthday, which are celebrated at different times of the year, depending on which state of Australia you are in.
So, starting from December 2023 and moving into 2024, here’s how to make the most of your annual leave by tagging on the back of weekends and Public Holidays in Australia.
Christmas 2023 and the New Year Public Holidays in Australia
Fancy ten days off over Christmas 2023 and the New Year? (Christmas 2024 dates can be found further down). By making the most of three major national Public Holidays in Australia and the weekends, you can take a 10-day holiday using just three days of your annual leave. Or, if you’ve really got some grand plans, a whopping 16 days off travel using seven days of annual leave!
10-day holiday using three days of annual leave
- Saturday 23 December 2023: Weekend
- Sunday 24 December 2023: Weekend
- Monday 25 December 2023: Public Holiday – Christmas
- Tuesday 26 December 2023: Public Holiday – Boxing Day
- Wednesday 27 December 2023: Annual leave
- Thursday 28 December 2023: Annual leave
- Friday 29 December 2023: Annual leave
- Saturday 30 December 2023: Weekend
- Sunday 31 December 2023: Weekend
- Monday 1 January 2024: Public Holiday – New Year’s Day
16-day holiday using seven days of annual leave
If you’ve got your heart set on some serious R&R, tack on the following to the 10-day plan for a 16-day holiday that uses only seven days of annual leave.
- Tuesday 2 January 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 3 January 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 4 January 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 5 January 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 6 January 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 7 January 2024: Weekend
Australia Day Public Holiday 2024
By making use of the Australia Day Public Holiday in 2024 plus your weekends, score a further nine days of road trip bliss in your RV in January using just four days of annual leave.
- Saturday 20 January 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 21 January 2024: Weekend
- Monday 22 January 2024: Annual leave
- Tuesday 23 January 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 24 January 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 25 January 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 26 January 2024: Public Holiday – Australia Day
- Saturday 27 January 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 28 January 2024: Weekend
Easter Public Holiday 2024
Not all states in Australia recognise Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday as Public Holidays. However, all states do acknowledge Good Friday and Easter Monday as Public Holidays. When it comes to maximising your annual leave, it shouldn’t really matter what state you’re in for Easter, as we would count Easter Saturday and Sunday as a weekend anyway.
Public service workers in Tasmania are the winners here, as they actually get an extra Public Holiday in Australia on Tuesday 2 April 2024!
- Friday 29 March 2024: Public Holiday – Good Friday
- Saturday 30 March 2024: Public Holiday – Easter Saturday / weekend
- Sunday 31 March 2024: Public Holiday – Easter Sunday / weekend
- Monday 1 April 2024: Public Holiday – Easter Monday
- Tuesday 2 April 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 3 April 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 4 April 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 5 April 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 6 April 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 7 April 2024: Weekend
Anzac Day Public Holiday 2024
With the Anzac Day Public Holiday falling on a Thursday in 2024 in Australia, this allows you to spend nine days on the road, using just four days of your annual leave.
- Saturday 20 April 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 21 April 2024: Weekend
- Monday 22 April 2024: Annual leave
- Tuesday 23 April 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 24 April 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 25 April 2024: Public Holiday – Anzac Day
- Friday 26 April 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 27 April 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 28 April 2024: Weekend
Christmas 2024 and the New Year
This of course, leads us into Christmas 2024 and the New Year! For only seven days of annual leave, you can score a 16-day holiday from Saturday 21 December 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025. Here’s how to do it:
- Saturday 21 December 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 22 December 2024: Weekend
- Monday 23 December 2024: Annual leave
- Tuesday 24 December 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 25 December 2024: Public Holiday – Christmas Day
- Thursday 26 December 2024: Public Holiday – Boxing Day
- Friday 27 December 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 28 December 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 29 December 2024: Weekend
- Monday 30 December 2024: Annual leave
- Tuesday 31 December 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 1 January 2025: Public Holiday – New Year’s Day
- Thursday 2 January 2025: Annual leave
- Friday 3 January 2025: Annual leave
- Saturday 4 January 2025: Weekend
- Sunday 5 January 2025: Weekend
Labour Day and King’s Birthday Public Holidays in Australia
Now, this is where it gets a little tricky as Labour Day and the King’s Birthday Public Holidays in Australia are celebrated in different months, depending on your state. Either way, you should be able to score nine days of holiday bliss using just four days of your annual leave in 2024 for both Public Holidays, regardless of which state you’re in.
Labour Day: Western Australia only
- Saturday 2 March 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 3 March 2024: Weekend
- Monday 4 March 2024: Public Holiday – Labour Day
- Tuesday 5 March 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 6 March 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 7 March 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 8 March 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 9 March 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 10 March 2024: Weekend
Labour Day: Tasmania and Victoria only
- Saturday 9 March 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 10 March 2024: Weekend
- Monday 11 March 2024: Public Holiday – Labour Day
- Tuesday 12 March 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 13 March 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 14 March 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 15 March 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 16 March 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 17 March 2024: Weekend
Labour Day: Northern Territory and Queensland only
- Saturday 4 May 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 5 May 2024: Weekend
- Monday 6 May 2024: Public Holiday – Labour Day
- Tuesday 7 May 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 8 May 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 9 May 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 10 May 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 11 May 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 12 May 2024: Weekend
King’s Birthday: All states (except Queensland and Western Australia)
- Saturday 8 June 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 9 June 2024: Weekend
- Monday 10 June 2024: Public Holiday – King’s birthday
- Tuesday 11 June 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 12 June 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 13 June 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 14 June 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 15 June 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 16 June 2024: Weekend
King’s Birthday: Western Australia only*
*Some regional areas in Western Australia hold the King’s Birthday Public Holiday on a different date
- Saturday 21 September 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 22 September 2024: Weekend
- Monday 23 September 2024: Public Holiday – King’s Birthday
- Tuesday 24 September 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 25 September 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 26 September 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 27 September 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 28 September 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 29 September 2024: Weekend
Labour Day & King’s Birthday (NSW, QLD, SA, ACT only)
- Saturday 5 October 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 6 October 2024: Weekend
- Monday 7 October 2024: Public Holiday – King’s Birthday QLD and Labour Day NSW, SA & ACT
- Tuesday 8 October 2024: Annual leave
- Wednesday 9 October 2024: Annual leave
- Thursday 10 October 2024: Annual leave
- Friday 11 October 2024: Annual leave
- Saturday 12 October 2024: Weekend
- Sunday 13 October 2024: Weekend
What will you do with all of this time off? Head out on a road trip in your RV of course!
