This year, make holiday smarter by using the public holidays to your benefit. Scheduling personal time around your breaks will mean 2019 will have you lapping up the good life without logging all the leave – plus staying motivated to kick goals at work.
Holiday hacks for all Aussies
Big news for 2019 holidays: 10 days leave for the price of three!
Friday 19th and Monday 22nd of April are both Easter holidays, and Thursday April 25th is ANZAC Day. What that means… a 16-day getaway from Saturday 13th to Sunday 28th will only leave you logging seven days annual leave. Alternatively, apply for three days annual leave and soak up the sun on a 10-day break from Friday 19th to Sunday 28th – yes please!
A great rule of thumb for staying super refreshed is all about being aware of when a public holiday exists as a bookend to a weekend. This year, the Australia Day public holiday falls on Monday, January 28th meaning three nights of relaxation, while logging zero days leave.
NSW
As for statewide public holidays, this year, for NSW, the Queen’s Birthday falls on Monday, June 10th, while Labour Day falls on Monday, October 7th. This means you could enjoy a four-day winter break while only logging one day of leave, or in October, enjoy the mild weather and take a nine-day holiday from the 5th, to the 13th – you’ll only need to take four days leave.
ACT
Canberra Day, Monday, March 11th; Reconciliation Day, Monday, May 27th; Queen’s Birthday, Monday, June 10th and Labour Day, Monday, October 7th. If you live in Canberra, you’re in luck this year. Apply for nine days leave in May/June and enjoy a 17-day trip soaking up the European summer or getting cultured in South America from May 25th to June 10th. Or, use the Mondays to enjoy a three-day trip with zero leave days, four-day trip with just one, or even a nine-day trip with just four.
NT
In the Northern Territory, public holidays all fall on various Mondays throughout the year with May Day on May 6th, Queen’s Birthday on June 10th, and Picnic Day on August 5th. This gives you the perfect opportunity to break up your year with shorter three or four day breaks or even a nine-day vacay.
QLD
For those Queenslanders, Monday May 6th is Labour Day and Monday October 7th is the Queen’s Birthday. Living in Queensland, you’d be silly not to use the long weekend to enjoy the sunny weather – five days off will have you logging only two days of leave.
SA
South Australians – Monday June 10th is the Queen’s Birthday and Monday, October 7th is Labour Day, plus, you can enjoy some peace and quiet in March as well, with Monday the 11th being the March Public Holiday. Two gorgeous holidays with a total of four days leave? You won’t even feel the need to holiday in March.
TAS
Tasmanians, not only do you have the opportunity to take time off in March with Monday the 11th being 8 Hours Day, or June, with Monday 10th being Queen’s Birthday, but you also have an Easter Tuesday holiday as well on April 23rd. This means taking that 16 days in April from the 13th, plus three days in March and four days in June gives you a total of 23 days off while only compiling seven days leave – what job?
Victoria
In Victoria, like some states, you have Monday March 11th and Monday June 10th for Labour Day and the Queen’s Birthday to pack up the car and take that long awaited adventure. Of course we can’t forget Melbourne Cup – Tuesday, November 5th, which gives you ample opportunity to take four or five days end-of-year leisure while only needing to log one or two days leave.
Western Australia
For Western Australians, your extra holidays are nicely broken up, giving you something to look forward to in each third of the year. You have Labour Day Monday March 4th, Western Australia Day Monday, June 3rd and the Queen’s Birthday Monday, September 30th. As well as your Easter and ANZAC Day Break, you’ll finally be able to kick back in June, or activate Do Not Disturb as you lay on the beach in March or September.
