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.

The Artesian Spa Capital of Australia offers the perfect destination to escape the grind and reset.

The world moves more slowly in Moree, and that’s how it should be. Here, country charm and heritage buildings fill the town’s wide streets. While the surrounding farmland mixes with lush riverways to create a fascinating landscape.

But the biggest pull? Moree is known as the Artesian Spa Capital of Australia. It’s truly a place to slow down and disconnect, all an easy train ride from Sydney.

Soak in Moree’s artesian water

kids at Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre — Dive in to Moree’s artesian waters.

Moree is not your typical wellness retreat, replacing pretence with casual and easy. Blessed to be sitting above the Great Artesian Basin, it feeds the town (and surrounding villages) with hot, mineral-rich water. Loaded with minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulphur, this water is believed to help with skin health, joint function and tissue repair.

And the town’s crown jewel, Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre, has reopened after extensive upgrades. This state-of-the-art aquatic centre offers accessible facilities with multiple artesian baths of varying temperatures between 38 and 41°C.

Feel like exploring a little further? About an hour’s drive from Moree, the village of Boomi also offers public access to this same artesian water. Pop into Boomi Artesian Pool to make the most of a 25-metre cold pool, a wading pool and a hot artesian spa pool.

Just an hour west of Boomi, you’ll also find Mungindi Hot Artesian Pool, another relaxing place to rejuvenate for the afternoon in the mineral-rich water.

Moree’s best stays

woman swimming ta Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre — Stay right by Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre.

There are several motels within walking distance of the aquatic centre, so you linger longer in its therapeutic waters. A day pass not enough? Really soak in the benefits of Moree at three local stays with their own artesian baths.

Gwydir Thermal Pools Resort boasts five artesian pools for motel and caravan park guests, ranging in soothing temperatures from 34 to 39 degrees. And that includes a 25-metre lap pool.

The Phoenix, Artesian Spa Resort & Accommodation features outdoor artesian thermal pools and six indoor artesian spas, all 34 to 42°C, plus regular pools for guests staying in their accommodations.

While the Artesian Spa Motel matches 46 comfortable budget rooms set across five acres of landscaped grounds, with direct access (for guests) to its own natural artesian hot thermal pool.

Moree’s location at the crossroads of the Newell and Gwydir Highways makes it the ideal resting place for those road tripping through country NSW. With plenty of accommodation options, including farm stays, quaint bed and breakfasts and affordable motels.

Delving into nature around Moree

aerial of moree — Find plenty of natural beauty in and around Moree. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Beyond the baths, find calm in Moree’s nature. Soak up the impressive Gwydir River from the peaceful Tareelaroi Weir Recreation Area. Popular with locals, this scenic spot is perfect for fishing, kayaking and picnics. Delve into local history at the Terry Hie Hie Picnic Area – a significant Gamilaroi cultural site. The picnic area is still used today as a ceremonial gathering ground, with educational signage sharing the history of the Gamilaroi People and the mission which used to reside here in the early 20th Century. Follow the Yana-y Warruwi Walking Track to explore the area’s box pine forest.

Combine nature and culture at the Jellicoe Park Open Spaces Aboriginal Art Trail along the scenic Mehi River Walk. Find artworks from local Indigenous artists across a range of different mediums, like carved logs, engraved and painted sandstone and scar tree paintings.

A taste of Moree

meal at Moree Country Club — Sit down for a tasty meal after a game of golf. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Taste the best of local cafes as you wander past the Art Deco architecture of Moree’s tree-lined main streets. Join the locals each morning at Brooker Trading Co as they line up for their morning java. Stay for classic breakfast dishes like eggs benedict and Dutch pancakes, or arrive later in the day for a hearty lunch menu. Inside a gorgeous Art Deco building, 61 Balo is another tasty breakfast option, with pet-friendly service. The recently renovated Cafe Omega is another popular stop for fresh, hearty meals – the chicken burger is a particular crowd pleaser – all served with a smile.

Get inspired as you wander the CBD’s Mural Trail, stopping at some of Moree’s six art galleries along the way. Bank Art Museum is a must-see, housed in the town’s heritage bank building and home to a collection of First Nations art, plus a changing calendar of touring exhibitions.

Step inside the gorgeous Bank Art Museum Moree. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Get active with a round on the beautiful riverside course at Moree Golf Club (and refuel afterwards at the delicious onsite restaurant) or a game of bowls at Moree Services Club’s state-of-the-art facility. Visit on the last weekend of September to join (or watch) Run the Plains, Moree’s annual two-day running festival.

Known as ‘white gold’ country, Moree is Australia’s most productive agricultural region. Visit from April to September to join a cotton farm tour and get to know one of Moree’s major exports.

However long you choose to stay, there’s plenty to soak in around Moree.

Start planning the ultimate escape at visitmoreeplains.com.au.

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