National Holidays in Australia in 2019
Touch a holiday for details
: New Year's Day
- New Year's Day is a public holiday in all countries that observe the Gregorian calendar, with the exception of Israel
- More details about New Year's Day
: Australia Day (in lieu)
- On January 26th 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip became the first Governor of the colony of New South Wales
- More details about Australia Day (in lieu)
: Labour Day
- Western Australia. A public holiday in Australia that was originally called Eight Hours Day
- More details about Labour Day
: Adelaide Cup
- South Australia Only. The cup has been held on the second Monday of March since March 2006. Before 2006 it was held in May
- More details about Adelaide Cup
: Canberra Day
- Public Holiday in Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The day celebrates the official naming of Canberra in 1913.
- More details about Canberra Day
: Labour Day
- Labour Day is a public holiday in Australia that was originally called Eight Hours Day
- More details about Labour Day
: Good Friday
- Good Friday occurs on the Friday before Easter. The day commemorates the Crucifixion of Jesus.
- More details about Good Friday
: Holy Saturday
- Day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week. Commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body lay in the tomb
- More details about Holy Saturday
: Easter Sunday
- Easter Sunday is the most important date in the Christian church. In the bible, it is the day when Mary Magdalene found that an empty tomb in the cave in which Jesus had been placed.
- More details about Easter Sunday
: Easter Monday
- Easter is probably the most important holiday of the Christian year, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus
- More details about Easter Monday
: Easter Tuesday
- Easter is probably the most important holiday of the Christian year, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus
- More details about Easter Tuesday
: Anzac Day
- Marks the anniversary of the first key military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
- More details about Anzac Day
: Labour Day
- Labour Day is a public holiday in Australia that was originally called Eight Hours Day
- More details about Labour Day
: Mother's Day
- Mother's Day in Australia was popularised in the 1920s by Mrs Janet Hayden who led a campaign to honour mothers in Sydney's Newington State Hospital.
- More details about Mother's Day
: Reconciliation Day
- Marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum which changed the constitution
- More details about Reconciliation Day
: Western Australia Day
- Commemorates the day that the first European settlers arrived in Western Australia to found the Swan River Colony on June 1st 1829
- More details about Western Australia Day
: Queen's Birthday
- This holiday is a moveable feast celebrating the birthday of the sovereign of Australia.
- More details about Queen's Birthday
: Picnic Day
- Originally declared a public holiday to enable Darwin's railway workers to go to Adelaide River for a picnic.
- More details about Picnic Day
: Bank Holiday
- Banks close in New South Wales on the first Monday in August
- More details about Bank Holiday
: Ekka People's Day
- The Royal National Agricultural (RNA) Show Day (Brisbane only) is usually held on the second Wednesday in August except when there are five Wednesdays in August when it is held on the third Wednesday.
- More details about Ekka People's Day
: Father's Day
- First Sunday in September
- More details about Father's Day
: Grand Final Eve
- Victoria. Since 2015, the day before the AFL Grand Final has been declared a public holiday
- More details about Grand Final Eve
: Queen's Birthday
- The Queens Birthday holiday is a moveable feast celebrating the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II
- More details about Queen's Birthday
: Labour Day
- Labour Day is a public holiday in Australia that was originally called Eight Hours Day
- More details about Labour Day
: Queen's Birthday
- This holiday is a moveable feast celebrating the birthday of the sovereign of Australia.
- More details about Queen's Birthday
: Melbourne Cup Day
- Known as 'the race that stops a nation', the Melbourne Cup is the most prestigious horse race in Australia
- More details about Melbourne Cup Day
: Christmas Eve
- A public holiday in Northern Territory between the hours of 7pm and midnight
- More details about Christmas Eve
: Christmas Eve
- A public holiday in Queensland between the hours of 6pm and midnight
- More details about Christmas Eve
: Christmas Eve
- A public holiday in South Australia between the hours of 7pm and midnight
- More details about Christmas Eve
: Christmas Day
- Christmas celebrates the Nativity of Jesus which according to tradition took place on December 25th 1 BC
- More details about Christmas Day
: Boxing Day
- The second day of Christmas is known as Boxing Day or St. Stephens Day. St Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
- More details about Boxing Day
: Proclamation Day
- Celebrates the establishment of government in South Australia as a British province on 28 December 1836
- More details about Proclamation Day
: New Year's Eve
- A public holiday in South Australia between the hours of 7pm and midnight
- More details about New Year's Eve
: New Year's Eve
- A public holiday in Northern Territory between the hours of 7pm and midnight
- More details about New Year's Eve