Long weekends 2026 in Western Australia

Public holidays 2026 in Western Australia and what each one gives you

Here is each day off in date order, what it marks, and the quickest way to turn it into a longer break.

SydneyiPhoto: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

MelbourneiPhoto: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

• Thursday 1 January: New Year's Day. New Year's Day follows the fireworks over Sydney Harbour and other cities. It falls in the middle of summer holidays, peak time for the beach and camping. Take Friday 2 January off and you have 4 days in a row, 1 to 4 January.
• Monday 26 January: Australia Day. Australia Day on 26 January marks the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and is a day of barbecues, beach days and citizenship ceremonies, as well as reflection for many First Nations people. It falls in the middle of summer holidays. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 24 to 26 January.
• Monday 2 March: Labour Day. Labour Day honours the labour movement and the eight hour day. Its date differs between states and territories, from March to October, and it always creates a long weekend. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 28 February to 2 March.
• Friday 3 April: Good Friday. Good Friday opens the Easter long weekend, when most shops close. Easter often overlaps with autumn school holidays, so it is one of the busiest travel times of the year. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 3 to 6 April.
• Sunday 5 April: Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is a public holiday in some states and territories. Families gather for egg hunts and long lunches in the middle of the four day Easter weekend. It falls on a Sunday, and Western Australia's list has no weekday in lieu for it in 2026.
• Monday 6 April: Easter Monday. Easter Monday closes the four day Easter weekend across Australia. Roads back from the coast and the bush are at their busiest in the afternoon. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 3 to 6 April.
• Saturday 25 April: Anzac Day. Anzac Day on 25 April remembers Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in war. Dawn services and marches come first, followed by two up games in pubs in the afternoon. It falls on a Saturday, so Western Australia adds Anzac Day (additional) on Monday 27 April instead.
• Monday 27 April: Anzac Day (additional). An extra public holiday given when the holiday itself falls on a weekend. Workers get the weekday off instead, so the long weekend still happens. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 27 April.
• Monday 1 June: Western Australia Day. Australia Day on 26 January marks the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and is a day of barbecues, beach days and citizenship ceremonies, as well as reflection for many First Nations people. It falls in the middle of summer holidays. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 30 May to 1 June.
• Monday 28 September: King's Birthday. The King's Birthday gives a long weekend in June in most states, and later in the year in Queensland and Western Australia. In June it marks the start of the ski season. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 26 to 28 September.
• Friday 25 December: Christmas Day. Christmas in Australia lands in summer: lunches outdoors, seafood and beach days. It opens the long summer school holidays, the peak season for coastal stays. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 28 December.
• Saturday 26 December: Boxing Day. Boxing Day brings the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, the Boxing Day cricket test in Melbourne and post Christmas sales, in the middle of the summer holidays. It falls on a Saturday, so Western Australia adds Boxing Day (additional) on Monday 28 December instead.
• Monday 28 December: Boxing Day (additional). An extra public holiday given when the holiday itself falls on a weekend. Workers get the weekday off instead, so the long weekend still happens. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 28 December.

The maths: days of annual leave in, days off out

With 1 day of annual leave the longest run you can build is 4 days, 1 to 4 January. Three days stretch to 10 days off (25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027). Five days, a typical week, become 10 days off around Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Boxing Day (additional) and New Year's Day, 25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.

iPhoto: Frances76 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ten days, the most this planner books in one go, give 17 days in a row, 25 December 2026 to 10 January 2027. For nine days or more away you need 3 days of annual leave.

Four weeks of annual leave is twenty working days. Two days at Easter and three over Christmas and New Year still leave three full weeks for a big trip.

School holidays 2026 in Western Australia

The official school calendar of Western Australia has these 4 breaks touching 2026. Families can line up their leave with them, and everyone else can see when flights and stays get busier.

iPhoto: David Kernan · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Autumn holidays: 3 to 19 April. It overlaps the break 28 March to 6 April, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Winter holidays: 4 to 19 July.

Spring holidays: 26 September to 11 October. It overlaps the break 26 September to 4 October, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Summer holidays: 18 December 2026 to 31 January 2027. It overlaps the break 25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Long weekend ideas from Western Australia

From Western Australia, Margaret River suits autumn wine and surf weekends, Rottnest Island is the summer favourite, and the Pinnacles and Kalbarri are best in the cooler months. The Kimberley and Broome shine in the dry winter.

iPhoto: Виктор Пинчук · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Your strongest breaks this year fall in January, February and March, so pick the trip that suits that season, and book early: everyone else in Western Australia has the same days off.

Where these dates come from

Every date on this page comes from the official source for Western Australia: WA Government: Public holidays in Western Australia, read directly and compared day by day with an independent second source. A year appears once its official list is published, and we never fill a gap with another state or territory's dates.

iPhoto: SeanMack · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

The planner treats weekends and full public holidays as free days and works out where your days of annual leave turn into the longest time off. Days kept in part of Western Australia or as observances are shown but never counted. Last checked on 1 October 2026.