How to maximise your annual leave in 2027

Because we all deserve some well-earned time off.

There’s always one colleague who books their leave in September and vanishes for a fortnight, having only used four days of annual leave. In 2027, that should be you, because the calendar does most of the work.

Leave maximisation is the art of stacking annual leave against weekends and public holidays to turn a handful of days into a proper trip. Some years the holidays land badly, and there’s little to gain. This isn’t one of them.

The good weeks go to whoever asks first. Here’s where the value is, window by window.

The one-day trick in January

Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary — In January, four annual leave days can become nine days off. (Credit: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Book Monday 25 January off and you get Saturday 23 to Tuesday 26 off. One leave day, four days away. Nothing else in the year returns that ratio.

Stretch it by adding Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 January and four leave days become nine days off, Saturday 23 January to Sunday 31 January. This works in every state and territory.

The March long weekends

A boat at Rottnest Island — Spend relaxing days on Rottnest Island. (Credit: Tourism Australia)

Western Australia’s Labour Day is Monday 1 March. Book 2 to 5 March for nine days off.

Victoria’s Labour Day, South Australia’s Adelaide Cup Day, Tasmania’s Eight Hours Day and Canberra Day all land on Monday 8 March. Take Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 March, and you’re off from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 March.

Easter is early in 2027

A family enjoys the sights and sounds of the Sydney Royal Easter Show — Easter is at the end of March in 2027. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday is 29 March, an early Easter period. Take Tuesday 30 March to Friday 2 April, and four leave days deliver 10 days off, from Friday 26 March to Sunday 4 April. For a proper trip, add Monday 22 to Thursday 25 March. Eight leave days get you 16 days off, from Saturday 20 March to Sunday 4 April.

An early Easter also pulls the autumn school holidays forward, so the shoulder weeks in April are quieter and cheaper than usual.

Tasmanian public servants do better. Easter Tuesday 30 March is a holiday, so three leave days buy the same 10 days.

Anzac Day, and who misses out

Two people walking around the Bungle Bungle Range is located in the Purnululu National Park. — Western Australians get an additional public holiday for Anzac Day. (Credit: Tourism Australia)

Monday 26 April is a public holiday in NSW, the ACT, Queensland, the NT and WA. Take Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 April, and four leave days become nine days off, Saturday 24 April to Sunday 2 May.

Queenslanders and Territorians get the best block of the year here. Labour Day in Queensland and May Day in the NT both fall on Monday 3 May, one week later. The same four leave days stretch to 10 days off, Saturday 24 April to Monday 3 May. Add Tuesday 4 to Friday 7 May, and eight leave days deliver 16 days off.

If you’re in Victoria, SA or Tasmania, there’s nothing here. Plan the rest of your year around it.

Mid-year

Two people in a hot springs in the Mornington Peninsula — Spend your leave relaxing in hot springs in the Mornington Peninsula. (Credit: Tourism Australia)

King’s Birthday is Monday 14 June in NSW, Victoria, SA, Tasmania, the NT and the ACT. Four leave days, nine days off, Saturday 12 to Sunday 20 June.

WA runs its own timetable: Western Australia Day on Monday 7 June and King’s Birthday on Monday 27 September, each worth nine days off for four days of leave.

Canberra has the best block in the country. Reconciliation Day is on Monday 31 May, and King’s Birthday is on Monday 14 June. Take the nine working days between them, and you get 17 consecutive days off, from Saturday 29 May to Monday 14 June.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Spring

AFL Grand Final at the MCG — AFL Grand Final Friday is the only public holiday in the country set by a sporting fixture. (Credit: Australian Football League)

Labour Day falls on Monday 4 October in NSW, SA and the ACT, and Queensland’s King’s Birthday is the same day. Book Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 October for nine days off.

Victorians get Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 2 November. Take Monday 1 and Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 November for nine days off. Tasmanians in the north get Recreation Day on Monday 1 November, which does the same job.

Victorians have one more long weekend coming, but nobody can book it yet. AFL Grand Final Friday is the only public holiday in the country set by a sporting fixture, and the 2027 date isn’t confirmed until the AFL releases its finals schedule. It almost always lands on the last Friday in September, which in 2027 is 24 September. If it holds, four leave days from Monday 20 to Thursday 23 September buys nine days off.

The holidays only some of you get.

A car crossing a bridge in a rainforest — Savvy travellers use annual leave days around weekends and public holidays to stretch out their break. (Credit: Tourism Australia)

A handful of 2027’s best long weekends are regional, and they’re the reason the state totals below look so uneven.

Hobart and southern Tasmania get the Royal Hobart Regatta on Monday 8 February, the only February public holiday in the country. Take Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 February and four leave days become nine days off, from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 February. Southern Tasmanians get a second one in spring: the Royal Hobart Show on Thursday 21 October. Because it’s a Thursday, the cheap version is very cheap. Book the Friday alone, and you have four days off for one day of leave, the same ratio as Australia Day and the only other time all year you’ll get it.

Early August belongs to Darwin and Brisbane. Picnic Day falls on Monday 2 August in the NT, and four leave days from Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 August buy nine days off, Saturday 31 July to Sunday 8 August.

Nine days later, Brisbane gets the Royal Queensland Show on Wednesday 11 August. A midweek holiday is the expensive kind, so there’s no shortcut: book Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Thursday 12 and Friday 13, and you’re off from Saturday 7 to Sunday 15 August. Outside the Brisbane area, most Queensland towns get their own show day instead, so check your local date.

None of these travel. They’re the difference between a Hobart reader and a Launceston one, and they’re worth knowing about before you book anything else.

The festive season

People entering the water at a beach at Byron Bay — Byron Bay is one of the most popular NSW towns to spend summer at. (Credit: Tourism Australia)

Christmas Day is Saturday 25 December 2027, so the substitutes fall on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. Take Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 December, and three leave days buy 10 days off, through to Monday 3 January 2028.

Go bigger by adding Monday 20 to Friday 24 December. Eight leave days become 17 days off, Saturday 18 December 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028.

State-by-state

ACT

Leave days: 31

Days off: 74

WA

Leave days: 27

Days off: 65

Tasmania (Hobart)

Leave days: 27

Days off: 65

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Victoria

Leave days: 27

Days off: 65

Queensland (Brisbane)

Leave days: 27

Days off: 63

NT

Leave days: 27

Days off: 63

NSW

Leave days: 23

Days off: 56

South Australia

Leave days: 23

Days off: 56

Tasmania (north)

Leave days: 23

Days off: 56

Queensland (regional)

Leave days: 23

Days off: 54

Tasmania splits because Hobart gets the Regatta and the Show, while the north gets Recreation Day instead. Queensland splits because the Brisbane area gets the Royal Queensland Show.

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim, ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas.

eel tank — The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Dumawul walkingtour — Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance. The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.

Kooyoora walking tour — Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Kingfisher Cruises

Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises. Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.

wawa biik

Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik.

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.

Healesville Sanctuary

Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm.

The Grampians

Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.

How to maximise your annual leave in 2027

Because we all deserve some well-earned time off.

The one-day trick in January

The March long weekends

Easter is early in 2027

Anzac Day, and who misses out

Mid-year

Spring

The holidays only some of you get.

The festive season

State-by-state

ACT