Level up your Australian public holidays in 2025

written by Stefan Prince September 9, 2024

Want to spend Easter sailing around Greece’s Cyclades Islands? How does King’s Birthday at Machu Picchu sound? 

If you want to add another layer of adventure to your holidays in 2025, you’ve come to the right place. Intrepid can get you going further – and to help you with your planning, we’ve crunched the numbers on making the most of your annual leave for 2025. 

Key dates: 

  • New Year’s Day: Take off 2 and 3 January, and 6 and 7 January for a seven-day holiday. 
  • 26 January: Take off 28 to 31 January for a seven-day holiday. 
  • Easter and ANZAC Day: Take off 14 to 17 April and 22 to 24 April for a 14-day holiday. 
  • King’s Birthday (excl. QLD & WA): Take off 10 to 13 June for a nine-day holiday. 
  • Labour Day (ACT, NSW, SA): Take off 7 to 10 October for a nine-day holiday. 
  • Christmas and New Year’s Day 2026: Take off 22 to 24 December, 29 to 30 December and 2 January 2026 for a 14-day holiday.   

January – New Year’s Day and 26 January 

Start the year off in style (aka, still in holiday mode) by stretching out the New Year’s celebrations or extending a long weekend later in the month. For New Year’s Day, take off 2 and 3 January, and 6 and 7 January for a seven-day holiday, and for 26 January you can take off 28 to 31 January for another seven-day holiday. 

With all that extra time, you could climb the rock fortress of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka, hop across Kangaroo Island‘s selection of stunning beaches or mix the awe-inspiring temples of Angkor with the dramatic karst scenery of Halong Bay on an adventure through Vietnam and Cambodia

Make new friends in Morocco

April – Easter and ANZAC Day 

With April’s public holidays sitting so close together this year, by taking just seven days off you’ve got the chance to put together a pretty sweet getaway. For both Easter and ANZAC Day, take off 14 to 17 April and 22 to 24 April for a 14-day holiday.   

You’ll have all the time in the world to see a bit of the world. Why not travel by camel across the red dunes of the Sahara in Morocco? Or take on the final 100 km of Spain’s iconic Camino de Santiago? For something slightly more laidback, you could swim, snorkel and sail your way around the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece. 

Swap a long weekend for a long hike to Machu Picchu

June – King’s Birthday (excl. QLD & WA) 

As the cooler temperatures begin to take hold, why not skip the mid-year slump with a well-earned break? Turn King’s Birthday into a weeklong bash by taking off 10 to 13 June for a nine-day holiday.  

You could use that time to tackle the ancient road to Machu Picchu in Peru, sample some of Italy‘s world-class local wines or keep things close to home and discover First Nations culture and striking landscapes in Australia‘s Red Centre.  

Find a home from home in Japan

October – Labour Day (ACT, NSW, SA) and King’s Birthday (QLD) 

A change of season tends to mean quieter crowds, making October the perfect time for a quick escape. For Labour Day, take off 7 to 10 October for a nine-day holiday.  

You could spice up the start of spring with a home-cooked dinner at a local cave home in Turkey, settle into rural Japanese life at a local farmstay or trek through the unique wilderness of takayna/Tarkine in Tasmania.  

December – Christmas and New Year’s Day 

Work hard, but holiday harder. The end of the year is here, and it’d only be right to reward your efforts. Why not turn the holiday season into an extended adventure? For both Christmas and New Year’s Day 2026, take off 22 to 24 December, 29 to 30 December and 2 January 2026 for a 14-day holiday.  

Give yourself the gift of exploring Vietnam’s Mekong Delta alongside your loved ones, spotting the Big Five, the Small Five and the Ugly Five in Uganda or sailing through the spectacular scenery of New Zealand’s South Island. 

Inspired to maximise your time off? Join a small group adventure with Intrepid.

Feeling inspired?

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