Holidays in Australia

Holidays in Australia are different than the United States, in that the seasons of the year are reversed! Christmas is in the summer time, instead of the winter.  We had the privilege of living in Canberra, Australia for four years growing up, while our Dad was in the U.S. Army.  It is a fantastic country, and we got to do quite a bit of traveling around Australia while we lived there. We pretty much toured every State except for Tasmania.

Watching the New Years Eve firework show in Sydney Harbor is one of the best firework shows around the World!

Map of Australia

Holidays and Observances in Australia

All the Holidays in Australia information below, will give the 2023 Date, Holiday Name, and Holiday Type. Ultimately, we will have a Daily Holidays Page for each of the Days of the Year, and a devoted page for each of the Holidays and Observances.  Pages completed will be linked up below once they are done.

If a Holiday does not have 2023 after it below, that means that it is observed annually on the same day.  Those with 2023 listed after the date, are movable holidays that are observed on different days each year.

January 2024 Holidays in Australia

• January 1 - New Year's Day - National Holiday
  
• January 6 - Epiphany - Christian Holiday
  
• January 7 - Orthodox Christmas Day - Orthodox
  
• January 14 - Orthodox New Year - Orthodox
• January 25, 2024 - Tu B'Shevat (Arbor Day) - Jewish Holiday
  
• January 26 - Australia Day - National Holiday

February 2024 Holidays in Australia

• February 8, 2024 - Isra and Mi'raj - Muslim Holidays
• February 10-11 - Lunar New Year
• February 12, 2024 - Royal Hobart Regatta - State Holiday in Tasmania
  
• February 13, 2024 - Carnival/Shrove Tuesday - Christian Holiday
• February 14, 2024 - Ash Wednesday - Christian Holiday
• February 14 - Valentine's Day - Observance (See also Valentine's Day Food Tips)

March 2024 Holidays in Australia

• March 4, 2024 - Labour Day - State Holiday in Western Australia
  
• March 11, 2024 - Adelaide Cup - State Holiday in South Australia
  
• March 11, 2024 - Canberra Day - State Holiday in Australia Capital Territory
• March 11, 2024 - Labour Day - State Holidays in Tasmania Victoria
• March 16, 2024 - Labour Day - State Holiday in Christmas Island 
• March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - Observance (See also St. Patrick's Day Food Tips)
  
• March 20, 2024 - March Equinox - Season (1st Day of Spring)
• March 21 - Harmony Day - Observance
  
• March 21, 2024 - National Close the Gap Day
• March 24, 2024 - Palm Sunday - Christian Holiday
• March 24, 2024 - Purim - Jewish Holiday
• March 28, 2024 - Maundy Thursday - Christian Holiday
• March 29, 2024 - Good Friday - National Holiday and Christian Holiday
• March 30, 2024 - Holy Saturday
• March 31, 2024 - Easter Sunday - National Holiday and Christian Holiday (See also Easter Food Tips)

April 2024 Holidays in Australia

• April 1, 2024 - Easter Monday - National Holiday and Christian Holiday
• April 2, 2024 - Easter Tuesday - Local Holiday in Tasmania
• April 6 - Waltzing Matilda Day (Australia)
• April 7, 2024 - Daylight Savings Time Ends 
• April 23 - April 30, 2024 - Passover - Jewish Holiday
• April 25 - Anzac Day - National Holiday
• April 26 - Hug an Australian Day

May 2024 Holidays in Australia

• May 3, 2024- Orthodox Good Friday - Orthodox
  
• May 4, 2024 - Orthodox Holy Saturday - Orthodox
• May 5, 2024 - Orthodox Easter - Orthodox
• May 6, 2024 - May Day - State Holiday in Northern Territory
• May 6, 2024 - Orthodox Easter Monday - Orthodox
• May 6, 2024 - Yom HaShoah - Jewish Holiday
• May 9, 2024 - Ascension Day - Christian Holiday
• May 12, 2024 - Mother's Day - Observance
• May 19, 2024 - Pentecost - Christian Holiday
• May 20, 2024 - Whit Monday - Christian Holiday
• May 26, 2024- Lag B'Omer - Jewish Holiday
• May 26 - National Sorry Day - Observance
• May 26, 2024 - Trinity Sunday - Christian Holiday
• May 30, 2024 - Corpus Christi - Christian Holiday

June 2024 Holidays in Australia

• June 3, 2024 - Western Australia Day - State Holiday in Western Australia
  
• June 6, 2024 - King's Birthday - State Holiday in Cocos and Keeling Islands
• June 6 - Queensland Day - Local Observance
• June 10, 2024 - King's Birthday - State Holiday - All except Christmas Island, Western Australia and Queensland
• June 12, 2024 - Shavuot - Jewish Holiday
• June 17, 2024 - Hari Raya Haji - State Holiday in Christmas Island, Cocos and Keeling Islands
• June 21, 2024 - June Solstice - Season

July 2024 Holidays in Australia

• July 7-14, 2024 - National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee Week - (8 Day Starting the First Sunday in July) (In Australia)

August 2024 Holidays in Australia

• August 5, 2024 - New South Wales Bank Holiday - Local Holiday in New South Wales
• August 5, 2024 - Northern Territory Picnic Day - Local Holiday in Northern Territory
• August 13, 2024 - Tisha B'Av - Jewish Holiday
• August 14, 2024 - Royal National Agricultural Show Day Queensland - State Holiday in Queensland
• August 15 - Assumption of Mary - Christian Holiday

September 2024 Holidays in Australia

• September 1, 2024 - Father's Day - Observance
• September 1 - Wattle Day (Australia - First Day of their Spring)
• September 22, 2024 - September Equinox - Season
• September 23, 2024 - King's Birthday - State Holiday in Western Australia

October 2024 Holidays in Australia

• October 3, 2024 - Rosh Hashana - Jewish Holiday
• October 4 - Feast of St. Francis of Assisi - Christian Holiday
• October 6, 2024 - Daylight Saving Time Starts - Daylight Saving Time
  
• October 7, 2024 - King's Birthday - Common State Holiday in Queensland
  
• October 7, 2024 - Labour Day - Common Local Holidays in Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia
• October 7, 2024 - Territory Day - State Holiday in Christmas Island
• October 8, 2024 - Headspace Day (Australia) - (Second Tuesday in October)
• October 12, 2024 - Yom Kippur - Jewish Holiday
• October 15, 2024 - International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day - Observance
• October 17, 2024 to October 23, 2024 - Sukkot - Jewish Holiday
• October 24, 2024 - Shemini Atzeret - Jewish Holiday
• October 25, 2024 - Simchat Torah - Jewish Holiday
• October 31 - Halloween - Observance

November 2024 Holidays in Australia

• November 1 - All Saints' Day - Christian Holiday
• November 1, 2024 - Diwali / Deepavali - Observance
• November 2 - All Souls' Day - Christian Holiday
• November 4, 2024 - Recreation Day - Local Holiday in Tasmania
• November 5, 2024 - Melbourne Cup Day - Local Holiday in Victoria
• November 11 - Remembrance Day - Observance
• November 13 - National Walk to Work Day 
• November 28, 2024 - Thanksgiving Day - State Holiday 

December 2024 Holidays in Australia

• December 1, 2024 - First Sunday of Advent - Observance
• December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Christian
  
• December 21, 2024 - December Solstice - Season
  
• December 24 - Christmas Eve - Observance
• December 25 - Christmas Day - National Holiday and Christian Holiday
• December 26 - Boxing Day - National Holiday (All except South Australia) and Christian Holiday
  
• Evening of December 25, 2024 - Evening of January 2, 2025 - Hanukkah (8 Day Jewish Celebration)
• December 26 - Proclamation Day - State Holiday in South Australia
  
• December 31 - New Year's Eve - Observance, Part Day Holiday in Northern Territory and South Australia
  

Overview of Australia

This video below...Australia: A Snap Shot was done by the Australia Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who says, "This video provides a snap-shot of Australia in the new millennium; our role in international relations, our vibrant economy and trade, and our unique places and people."

Fun Facts About Australia

• As of 2017, Australia's population is approximately 24.6 million people

• The most populous states are New South Wales and Victoria, with their capitals, Sydney and Melbourne, being the largest cities in Australia.

• The center of Australia is sparsely populated. Most of the population is concentrated along the coastal region of Australia from Adelaide to Cairns, with a small concentration around Perth, Western Australia.

• Australia is an island continent and the world's sixth largest country.

• Canberra is Australia's capital city, and has a population of approximately 320,000 people. It is located in the Australian Capital Territory, midway between Melbourne and Sydney.

• Captain James Cook is credited with Australia's European discovery in 1770.

• Waltzing Matilda is as the best-known, best-loved and most iconic national song.

• Australia's National Gemstone is the opal, a rare and beautiful precious stone.

• Australia’s best-known animals are the kangaroo, koala, echidna, dingo, platypus, wallaby and wombat. There are more than 378 species of mammals, with almost half being marsupials. (those born under developed and continue to grow in a pouch)

• Uluru (Ayer's Rock) is one of Australia's most recognizable natural landmarks in the outback near Alice Springs, in the southern area of the Northern Territory. It is a large sandstone rock formation that is 1,142 ft high and has a total circumference 5.8 miles.  (We climbed to the top of it during our travels around the Country - I'm terribly afraid of heights, so this was a big accomplishment for me!)

• The earliest known people in Australia were the Aborigines.
  

Top 10 Things to Do in Australia

Info Coming Soon - because we spent four years in Australia, and traveled to all of the States, except for Tasmania, I may do a detailed page for this with lots of pictures and videos!

Australian Music

This is an Australian band called, Empire of the Sun, that my daughter Brie listens to.  The song is We Are the People, and the video was shot in Mexico. I've heard her playing this song before, and had really liked it, but I wasn't aware that they were from Australia.

Australian Resources

• Australia.com - The Official Tourism site of Australia

• Australia Government
  

• Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  

• CIA - The World Fact Book about Australia - The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States has a great Country overview of Australia.

Pinterest Board of Australia

Please Follow our Holidays and Observances HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRALIA Holiday Board on Pinterest - below you will see our 30 most recent pins to this photo board!

Click on the SEE ON PINTEREST bar right above, (link opens to our Pinterest Board) to see all the rest of our photo's on this board, and to Follow the board. New photos will be constantly added!

Solo Build It, or SBI, is the awesome E-Business software that we are using for this site! Create an extra income stream in your spare time!

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