Ok, so if you haven’t seen this trend yet, brace yourself, because it’s about to change how you plan your entire year.
There’s a “hack” that’s been doing the rounds for a couple of years now, and every time it resurfaces, the reaction is the same: wait, why did nobody tell me this earlier?
The idea is simple. Public holidays don’t come out of your annual leave balance. So if you’re smart about which days you actually book off, you can chain a public holiday to a weekend to a few days of leave, and suddenly three or four days off work turns into nine, ten, even sixteen days away from your inbox.
We’ve done the maths so you don’t have to. Below is the full 2027 breakdown, state by state — plus a couple of dates that catch people out this year, because 2027 doesn’t line up quite the same way 2026 did (more on that below).
Quick disclaimer: these dates are taken directly from the official 2027 public holiday lists published by each state and territory government (linked at the bottom of this post). The maths below assumes a standard full-time role working Monday to Friday — if you’re part-time, casual, or on a different roster, the ratios will vary, so use these as a template rather than an exact promise. Always double check with your own employer or award before booking flights, because entitlements can vary slightly depending on your industry.
Jump to: Easter · Australia Day · Christmas/New Year · NSW · VIC · QLD · SA · WA · TAS · NT · ACT · Cheat sheet
The cheat sheet, all in one place
Here’s exactly which days to book off and what you get back for it.
| Long weekend | Book this leave off (2027) | You’ll be off from → to | Total days off | Leave used | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Day | Mon 25 + Wed 27 – Fri 29 Jan | Sat 23 Jan → Sun 31 Jan | 9 days | 4 days | All states |
| Labour Day / Canberra Day / Eight Hours Day / Adelaide Cup Day | Tue 9 – Fri 12 Mar | Sat 6 → Sun 14 Mar | 9 days | 4 days | VIC, SA, TAS, ACT |
| WA Labour Day | Tue 2 – Fri 5 Mar | Sat 27 Feb → Sun 7 Mar | 9 days | 4 days | WA |
| Easter | Mon 22 – Thu 25 Mar, then Tue 30 Mar – Fri 2 Apr | Sat 20 Mar → Sun 4 Apr | 16 days | 8 days | All states |
| Anzac Day | (no leave needed) | Sat 24 → Mon 26 Apr | 3 days, free | 0 days | NSW, QLD, WA, NT, ACT |
| Labour Day / May Day | Tue 4 – Fri 7 May | Sat 1 → Sun 9 May | 9 days | 4 days | QLD, NT |
| WA Day | Tue 8 – Fri 11 Jun | Sat 5 → Sun 13 Jun | 9 days | 4 days | WA |
| King’s Birthday | Tue 15 – Fri 18 Jun | Sat 12 → Sun 20 Jun | 9 days | 4 days | NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, NT, ACT |
| Reconciliation Day | Tue 1 – Fri 4 Jun | Sat 29 May → Sun 6 Jun | 9 days | 4 days | ACT only |
| Picnic Day | Tue 3 – Fri 6 Aug | Sat 31 Jul → Sun 8 Aug | 9 days | 4 days | NT |
| WA King’s Birthday | Tue 28 Sep – Fri 1 Oct | Sat 25 Sep → Sun 3 Oct | 9 days | 4 days | WA |
| Labour Day / King’s Birthday (Oct) | Tue 5 – Fri 8 Oct | Sat 2 → Sun 10 Oct | 9 days | 4 days | NSW, QLD, SA, ACT |
| Christmas/New Year | Wed 29 – Fri 31 Dec | Sat 25 Dec → Mon 3 Jan 2028 | 10 days | 3 days | All states |
Add it all up and, depending on your state, most full-time workers can turn their standard 20 days of annual leave into somewhere between 45 and 60+ days away from work in 2027 — without touching a single day of unpaid leave.
The catch? Everyone else has read this too. Get your leave requests in early, especially for Easter and the Christmas/New Year period, before your whole team submits the same dates.
The one everyone should book first: Easter
Easter is the undisputed heavyweight of the annual leave calendar, and 2027 comes early — a full week earlier than 2026.
Good Friday: Friday, 26 March Easter Saturday: Saturday, 27 March Easter Sunday: Sunday, 28 March Easter Monday: Monday, 29 March
Here’s the play: take the four workdays before Easter (Monday 22 March to Thursday 25 March) and the four workdays after it (Tuesday 30 March to Friday 2 April).
The trick: 8 days of annual leave. The result: 16 days off in a row, from Saturday 20 March through to Sunday 4 April.
That’s more than two full weeks away from your desk for a third of your standard annual leave allocation. Because Easter falls so early in 2027, it also lands right at the start of Term 1 school holidays in several states — worth checking against your state’s term dates before you book flights, since school-holiday pricing kicks in earlier than usual this year. Our Easter & Good Friday 2027 dates guide breaks down exactly how it lines up with school terms in every state.
Tasmanians get one extra perk here: TAS also observes Easter Tuesday (30 March) as a restricted holiday for the State Public Service and some awards. If that applies to you, you only need 7 days of leave instead of 8 for the same 16-day break — check your specific award.
The other one everyone gets: Australia Day
Australia Day: Tuesday, 26 January
Unlike 2026 (when it fell on a Monday), Australia Day 2027 lands on a Tuesday — which changes the best strategy slightly.
The trick: take Monday 25 January off to bridge the weekend to the holiday, then take Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 January as well (4 days of annual leave in total). The result: 9 days off, running from Saturday 23 January right through to Sunday 31 January.
It’s the perfect one to kick off the year with, especially if you’re nursing a January slump and need an excuse to extend the summer holidays just a little bit longer.
The Christmas/New Year cluster (the easiest win of the year)
This is the one that barely requires any planning at all, and it works the same way in every state — though the exact days shift because Christmas Day falls on a Saturday in 2027, not a Friday like it did in 2026.
Christmas Day: Saturday, 25 December (with an additional public holiday on Monday, 27 December, since Christmas Day falls on a weekend) Boxing Day: Sunday, 26 December (with an additional public holiday on Tuesday, 28 December, since Boxing Day falls on a weekend) New Year’s Day 2028: Saturday, 1 January (with an additional public holiday on Monday, 3 January 2028)
The trick: take Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December off (just 3 days of annual leave). The result: 10 days off in a row, from Saturday 25 December through to Monday 3 January 2028.
Three days of leave for a ten-day break over the silly season, in every single state and territory. This is the one you lock in now, before everyone else in the office has the same idea and HR starts saying no.
Now, the ones that are different depending on where you live
This is where it gets interesting, because your state’s local public holidays can make a much bigger difference to your leave plan than people realise. One important heads-up before you dive in: the ACT’s famous “4 days leave for 15 days off” trick from 2026 doesn’t repeat in 2027 — Reconciliation Day and King’s Birthday are two weeks apart this year instead of one. Full details in the ACT section below.
New South Wales
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March |
| Anzac Day | Sunday 25 April (+ additional Monday 26 April) |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 14 June |
| Labour Day | Monday 4 October |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | 25–28 December |
Best move: King’s Birthday (Monday 14 June). Take Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 June off (4 days leave) for 9 days off from Saturday 12 to Sunday 20 June. Also don’t sleep on the Anzac Day long weekend — since Anzac Day falls on a Sunday, NSW gets a substitute Monday (26 April), so you already get a free long weekend without touching your leave balance at all.
Planning around the kids too? See our full NSW Public Holidays 2027 list, or check NSW School Holidays 2027 for term dates.
Victoria
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Labour Day | Monday 8 March |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March |
| Anzac Day | Sunday 25 April (no substitute) |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 14 June |
| Friday before AFL Grand Final | Date TBC (usually last Friday of September) |
| Melbourne Cup Day | Tuesday 2 November |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | 25–28 December |
Best move: Labour Day (Monday 8 March). Take Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 March off (4 days leave) for 9 days off from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 March — a great one to use before the weather turns. Bonus: Melbourne Cup Day falls on a Tuesday again in 2027, so just 1 day of leave (Monday 1 November) gets you a 4-day weekend. Trivia night idea for the day itself: our Melbourne Cup trivia questions are ready to go.
Full list: VIC Public Holidays 2027 · VIC School Holidays 2027
Queensland
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March |
| Anzac Day | Sunday 25 April (+ additional Monday 26 April) |
| Labour Day | Monday 3 May |
| Royal Qld Show (Ekka, Brisbane only) | Wednesday 11 August |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 4 October |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | 25–28 December |
Best move: Labour Day (Monday 3 May). Take Tuesday 4 to Friday 7 May off (4 days leave) for 9 days off from Saturday 1 to Sunday 9 May — a nice shoulder-season window for a Whitsundays or Cairns trip before peak season really kicks in. Anzac Day is also a freebie this year: since 25 April falls on a Sunday, QLD gets Monday 26 April as an extra public holiday.
Full list: QLD Public Holidays 2027 · QLD School Holidays 2027
South Australia
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Adelaide Cup Day | Monday 8 March |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March |
| Anzac Day | Sunday 25 April (no substitute) |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 14 June |
| Labour Day | Monday 4 October |
| Christmas/Proclamation Day | 25–28 December |
Best move: SA is quietly one of the strongest states for this hack in 2027, with three separate “4 days leave for 9 days off” windows. Start with Adelaide Cup Day (Monday 8 March): take Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 March off for 9 days off from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 March. Then repeat the exact same formula around King’s Birthday in June and Labour Day in October.
Full list: SA Public Holidays 2027 · SA School Holidays 2027
Western Australia
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Labour Day | Monday 1 March |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March (no Easter Saturday) |
| Anzac Day | Sunday 25 April (+ additional Monday 26 April) |
| Western Australia Day | Monday 7 June |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 27 September |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | 25–28 December |
Best move: WA remains one of the best-set-up states in 2027, with public holidays landing in March, June and September/October on top of the big national ones. Labour Day (1 March) gets you 9 days off for 4 days leave from Saturday 27 February to Sunday 7 March, WA Day (7 June) does the same trick again three months later, and King’s Birthday (27 September) does it a third time heading into spring.
Full list: WA Public Holidays 2027 · WA School Holidays 2027
Tasmania
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Eight Hours Day | Monday 8 March |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March |
| Easter Tuesday (restricted, State Service/some awards) | Tuesday 30 March |
| Anzac Day | Sunday 25 April (no substitute) |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 14 June |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | 25–28 December |
Best move: Eight Hours Day (Monday 8 March) — Tassie’s version of Labour Day. Take Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 March off (4 days leave) for 9 days off from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 March, right as the state’s famous autumn colours start turning. If your award covers the restricted Easter Tuesday holiday (30 March), your Easter break gets a free extra day on top of the 16-day formula above. (Regional bonus: northern Tasmania also gets Recreation Day on Monday 1 November — worth checking if your area observes it.)
Full public holiday list on the official WorkSafe Tasmania public holidays page — a dedicated TAS 2027 term-dates page is coming soon on our site.
Northern Territory
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March |
| Anzac Day | Monday 26 April (observed) |
| May Day | Monday 3 May |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 14 June |
| Picnic Day | Monday 2 August |
| Christmas Eve/NYE | part-day holidays, 7pm–midnight |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | 25–28 December |
Best move: the NT quietly has more public holidays than almost anywhere else, and Picnic Day (Monday 2 August) is the standout hack nobody talks about. Take Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 August off (4 days leave) for 9 days off from Saturday 31 July to Sunday 8 August — smack in the middle of the Territory’s best dry-season weather. May Day (3 May) and King’s Birthday (14 June) both offer the same formula too.
Full list: NT Public Holidays 2027 · NT School Holidays 2027
Australian Capital Territory
| Public holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January |
| Canberra Day | Monday 8 March |
| Good Friday–Easter Monday | 26–29 March |
| Anzac Day | Sunday 25 April (+ additional Monday 26 April) |
| Reconciliation Day | Monday 31 May |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 14 June |
| Labour Day | Monday 4 October |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | 25–28 December |
A heads-up before you plan: the mega hack that made headlines in 2026 — bridging Reconciliation Day and King’s Birthday with just 4 days of leave for 15 days off — doesn’t work the same way this year. In 2026 those two holidays landed exactly a week apart; in 2027 they’re a full fortnight apart (31 May and 14 June), so bridging the whole gap would actually cost you 9 days of leave, not 4.
Best move instead: treat them as separate breaks. Canberra Day (8 March), Reconciliation Day (31 May) and King’s Birthday (14 June) each independently give you 9 days off for 4 days of leave, and Labour Day (4 October) makes it a fourth. That’s four separate long-haul long weekends across the year for 16 days of leave total — genuinely more standalone opportunities than any other state gets, even without the one-off mega-bridge.
Full list: ACT Public Holidays 2027 · ACT School Holidays 2027
Sources
Every date in this article was checked directly against official government publications in July 2026:
- New South Wales: nsw.gov.au – NSW public holidays
- Victoria: business.vic.gov.au – Victorian public holidays 2027
- Queensland: qld.gov.au – Public holidays
- South Australia: SafeWork SA – Public holidays 2025–2028 (PDF)
- Western Australia: wa.gov.au – Public holidays in Western Australia
- Tasmania: WorkSafe Tasmania – Public holidays
- Northern Territory: nt.gov.au – NT public and regional holidays
- Australian Capital Territory: ACT Government – ACT Public Holidays 2027 (PDF)
For pay rates, penalty rates or entitlements on a specific public holiday, check the Fair Work Ombudsman’s 2027 public holidays page or your relevant award — this article covers when the days off land, not what you’re paid for working them.
Want the 2026 version for comparison? See How to Maximise Your Annual Leave in 2026 (Every State, Sorted).