If there was a year we need to take things a bit easier, it is 2023!!
So, we have done the hard work for you. We’ve checked all the school holidays and all the public holidays in Queensland in 2023 and we’ve worked out the best way to spend your annual leave to get 57 days of holidays or 8 separate family holidays (yes! you read that correctly – EIGHT holidays!!) – because kids spell love T.I.M.E!
The ANZAC Day/Labour Day public holidays provide the BEST long break with 10 days off for only 4 days annual leave used!
You’ll need to book your time off well in advance, because getting leave can be tricky over the school/public holidays. There are 8 separate holiday options listed below that fall in line with public holidays and school holidays…. and one that will require some additional leave, (if you are only allocated 20 days per year).
Here are the possibilities:
57 days of holidays this year for clever families!
So this is when you need to book your days off AND where we suggest you consider going for your EIGHT family holidays!
January 26 – 30 2023
This one will only work if you don’t have kids at school or you are happy for them to take the first Friday off on their first week!
(Australia Day – 4 days holiday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday – use 1 day annual leave)
Book off: Friday 28 January, 2023
The end of the Summer school holidays does not have to signify the end of family time. This year our Australia Day holiday falls on a Wednesday, so the kids have that day. Combine these days together take a 5 day mini-break with your family, using two days of your annual leave entitlement .
Find out why short family breaks are awesome here! For a cheeky mini-break from Brisbane at the end of January we recommend a farm stay on the Gold Coast. We’ve got a great overview of Gold Coast farm stays here.
April 7 to April 16 2023
(Easter – 10 days holiday – use 4 days annual leave)
Book off: 11, 12, 13 & 14 April, 2023
Four days of leave after Easter equals 10 days off work and aligns with the Easter school holidays. We recommend a Queensland camping trip – but book early as camping at Easter always gets booked out well ahead of time. Check out our favourite camping (or cabin) spots here.
April 22 – May 1, 2023
Combine ANZAC Day with Labour Day for 10 days off
(ANZAC Day – 10 days holiday – use 4 days annual leave)
Book off: 24, 26, 27 & 28 April, 2023
ANZAC Day is April the 25th and in 2023 it is on a Tuesday.
In April the weather is often (but not always) cooling down a little in Brisbane, so a great time for a beach holiday.
Our favourite family resorts include:
- Paradise Resort – Gold Coast
- Yamba Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort – Yamba
- Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa – Gold Coast
- BIG4 North Star Holiday Resort – Hastings Point
- Discovery Parks – Byron Bay
June 26 – 7 July 2023
(School holidays – 16 days holiday – use 10 days annual leave)
Book off: 26, 27, 28, 28, 30 June and 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 July.
There’s a long winter stretch where we don’t have any public holidays to take advantage of, so if you are able to take additional annual leave above your 20 days, this is the time to do it! But taking 10 days annual leave will give you and your family a 16 day break! Make the most of it, by combining your days off with the school holidays in July this year and weekends on either side.
Winter is our absolute favourite time to visit the beautiful Bunya Mountains. Let the kids run free outside with a plethora of things to do (we wrote about them here) and rug up at night and enjoy a warm home at surprisingly cheap prices. Find out more in our review here.
August 12 – 16 2023
(EKKA holiday – 5 days holiday – use 2 days annual leave)
Book off: 14, 15 August.
You may want to go to the EKKA of course, or you may want to take advantage of the public holiday and whip the kids out of 2 days of school for some special family time. Now we are not recommending anyone ‘cuts class’ by taking time off school during term time, but the rules in Queensland are quite clear about taking time off school for family time… and you can read all about it here.
For a 5 day holiday in August, we recommend checking out the dolphins in Tin Can Bay – find out more here.
Friday 1 September – Sunday 3 September
(Weekend + 1 day Student Free Day = 3 days holiday, use 1 day of annual leave)
Book off: Friday 1 September
Most Queensland state schools will have a student free day on Friday September 1 2023 – and if you can wangle the bonus day off, then this is another long weekend holiday option for your family!
September 16 – October 2 2023
(School holidays + Queens Birthday + weekends – 10 days holiday – use 10 days annual leave)
Book Off: 18 – 29 September
The Queens Birthday this year is celebrated in Queensland on Monday October 2. If you use 10 days annual leave in the weeks prior and the weekends on either side, you’ll get 16 days of holidays, over the QLD school holiday break, to really push the boat out and go somewhere fun. Check out some ideas in our travel section here.
December 25 2023 – January 1 2023
(Christmas, Boxing Day & New Years Day – 10 days holidays – use 3 days annual leave)
Book off: 27, 28, 29 December.
If you have family up north or interstate, this is the perfect time to use your last few days of annual leave to get away from Brisbane for one last holiday. Why not travel by long distance train to get there? If you don’t need to get away to see family, there are a huge amount of get-away options for families:
Family Friendly Camping at Murwillumbah
So there you have it!! EIGHT family holidays using 20 days annual leave. Let us know what you get up to in comments!
This article featured in Issue 32 of our printed magazine, published February 2019.
