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How to maximise your annual leave in 2027

Credit: Tourism Australia

Emily Murphy Emily Murphy
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.

AI Prompt

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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insider tips, offers, and more.

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.

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Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy is Australian Traveller's Email & Social Editor, and in her 4+ years at the company she has been instrumental in shaping its social media and email presence, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to explore Australia's vast landscapes. Her previous role was a journalist at Prime Creative Media and before that she was freelancing in publishing, content creation and digital marketing. When she's not creating scroll-stopping travel content, Em is a devoted 'bun mum' and enjoys spending her spare time by the sea, reading, binge-watching a good TV show and exploring Sydney's vibrant dining scene. Next on her Aussie travel wish list? South Australia and The Kimberley.
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Off-grid stays and farm-to-plate dining: discover the ultimate guide to Denmark, WA

    Rachael Thompson Rachael Thompson
    Continue
    Trade early morning phone alarms and city chaos for bucolic serenity and gastronomic delights.

    Peaceful birdsong and coastal winds meet rolling green hills and turquoise waters; there’s no better place to start your day than in Western Australia’s Denmark. This picturesque coastal town, a 4.5-hour drive from Perth along the pristine Rainbow Coast, offers bucolic bliss in spades.

    A hidden retreat lies just a 10-minute drive from the town centre, inviting guests to slow down and connect with nature. At Heyscape Denmark, the ultimate refuge from the rat race and the perfect setting for a rural escape await.

    Whether it’s for a refreshing weekend away or a regenerative week-long sojourn, this idyllic pocket of the world will leave you feeling anew.

    Where to stay

    women on front deck at inside a cabin at heyscape denmar Western australia
    Make the most of outdoor baths. (Credit: Jarrad Seng)

    Located on the 880-acre Raintree Estate, Heyscape Denmark is an award-winning, off-grid cabin retreat ideal for anyone craving time in nature while also enjoying sustainable, luxury comfort. Just 15 are sensitively embedded in the rural environment, ensuring privacy and the perfect setting to switch off. Choose from one-bedroom, two-bedroom or 4-person cabins. Four-legged friends can also join in on the fun with pet-friendly cabins available.

    inside a cabin at heyscape denmar Western australia
    Check in, to check out.

    The modern accommodations are well-appointed with queen beds dressed in lush linen and pillows; a bathroom with a warm shower, flushable toilet and botanical shampoo and conditioner; and an indoor kitchenette with a Nespresso coffee maker. Outside, find timber decks with seating to spot resident kangaroos from, Heston Blumenthal barbecues for whipping up delicious meals using local produce, and outdoor baths to soak up incredible nighttime skies – Denmark’s lack of light pollution makes it an exceptional spot for stargazing and viewing the Milky Way. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame sweeping Great Southern Ocean, William Bay National Park and Karri tree views.

    Wellness is at the forefront of Heyscape Denmark with thoughtful touches including Note to Self prompts, gratitude cards and a botanical sleep spray ready to help you unwind. And for the ultimate weekend of R&R, two-bedroom cabins are fitted with saunas.

    Where to eat

    Heyscape’s Marron Catch & Cook Experience
    Catch your own freshwater crayfish, then have a chef prepare it for you.

    The Great Southern region’s Mediterranean climate and nutrient-rich soils make for some of the most incredible produce in the world – and a stay at Heyscape Denmark lets you sample the very best of it. The estate farms over 200 black Angus cattle, marron – a freshwater crayfish endemic to the South-West of Western Australia –, hemp and French black truffle.

    Just steps from these cabins sits the estate’s paddock-to-plate restaurant, The Dam. Featuring lofty jarrah ceilings, polished concrete and expansive windows revealing calming dam views, it’s a stunning spot for lunch or dinner, alongside an outdoor playground to keep little ones happy and busy.

    Acclaimed chef Jason Jujnovich utilises ingredients from Raintree Estate’s regenerative farm in his hyper-local, Modern Australian menu. Seasonally changing dishes include the likes of wagyu beef lasagna and pistachio crumbed chicken cotoletta. Or join in for pizza night on a Friday, where the mushroom and truffle pizza is an easy winner.

    Meals are designed to be paired with sips from the property’s innovative Cannabis Botanical Distillery, which concocts house-made hemp spirits and seltzers using ingredients grown onsite. Taste unique drops such as the Sativa Gin with warm citrus and pepper notes and the Pineapple Passion seltzer.

    Another stand-out gastronomic offering is Heyscape’s Marron Catch & Cook Experience, which lets you hand-catch freshwater crayfish from the property’s pristine dams and have them prepared and cooked to perfection for you by chefs. Those wanting to enjoy a meal from the comfort of their cabin can fire up the barbecue and grill their fresh catch or order a gourmet dinner box with mouthwatering wagyu steak and antipasti against golden peaceful sunset views.

    Things to do

    Lights Beach denmark western australia
    Spend a day enjoying the idyllic Lights Beach. (Credit: Tourism WA)

    There’s no shortage of things to do in Denmark, and basing yourself at Heyscape Denmark puts you within easy access to it all. Nature lovers are spoiled with unbeatable spots for swimming and snorkelling, plus coastal hiking trails at William Bay National Park – a protected coastal reserve with approximately 1734 hectares of stunning landscapes ready to be explored.

    Hire an e-bike from the property and cycle just 15 minutes to the unbelievably clear waters and white sands of Greens Pools, a naturally sheltered beach. Or the idyllic Lights Beach, which features three beaches, dunes, natural wading pool and scenic walking trails. Keen surfers should turn their attention to Ocean Beach with its world-class surf breaks.

    aerial Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk
    Wander the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. (Credit: Tourism WA)

    Stroll past towering Karri and giant Red Tingle trees on the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. The 600-metre walkway rises 40 metres above the ancient forest floor and meanders through the hardwood trees, endemic exclusively to the Great Southern region.

    Denmark is also a haven for creatives, and Butter Factory Studios is a must-stop on any itinerary. The contemporary art gallery, working artist studio and gift shop are housed within a historic building where workshops and exhibitions support and showcase creators from the region.

    With the winning trifecta of delicious food, a pristine environment, and secluded accommodation, Denmark proves to be the ultimate destination for relaxation.

    Book your Denmark adventure today at heyscape.com.au.