The new year is just around the corner, and it’s only natural for you to start daydreaming about your next holiday. And, since we know when the public holidays in Victoria are, we can start planning our breaks around these dates to get the most out of annual leave in 2026. We’ve looked at the whole year to find the best spots to book leave. Assuming you’ve got 20 days of leave, you’ll have to pick and choose which parts of the year works best for you. But, if you were lucky enough to have leave rolled over, you’ve got a lot more to play with. A hefty 36 days of leave can be used to give you over 80 days of time off! Here’s how you do it.
How to get the most out of your annual leave in Victoria in 2026
January
Leave: 5 days
Time off: 13 days
Public holidays: New Year’s Day (Thursday January 1) and Australia Day (Monday January 26)
Book Friday January 2 off and enjoy a nice, four-day-long weekend at the start of the year.
Then, book January 27, 28, 29 and 30 to get a nine-day break from Saturday January 24 to Sunday February 1.
March
Leave: 4 days
Time off: 9 days
Public holidays: Labour Day (Monday March 9)
Book March 10, 11, 12 and 13 off. This will get you a nine-day break from Saturday March 7 to Sunday March 15.
April
Leave: 8 days
Time off: 16 days
Public holidays: Good Friday (April 3), Easter Saturday (April 4), Easter Sunday (April 5), Easter Monday (April 6) and ANZAC Day (Saturday April 25)
There’s a lot of public holidays this month, which means a lot of time off for you to enjoy! Book March 30 and March 31, as well as April 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 and 10 for a massive 16-day holiday from Saturday March 28 to Sunday April 12. Unfortunately, as ANZAC Day is on a Saturday, there’s not much we can work with at the end of the month, but you should hopefully still feel nice and rested from your Easter break.
June
Leave: 4 days
Time off: 9 days
Public holidays: King’s Birthday (Monday June 8)
Take June 9, 10, 11 and 12 off, and have a restful start to winter with nine days off between Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 14.
September
Leave: 4 days
Days off: 9 days
Public holidays: Friday before AFL Grand Final (subject to AFL schedule, usually the last Friday in September)
This one is a little tricky to plan since it relies on the AFL schedule. Assuming the Grand Final will take place on Saturday the 26th, this puts our public holiday on Friday September 25. Take September 21 to 24 off, and enjoy nine days off from Saturday September 19 to Sunday September 27.
November
Leave: 4 days
Days off: 9 days
Public holidays: Melbourne Cup (Tuesday November 3)
Take November 2, 4, 5 and 6 off for a nine-day break between Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 8.
December
Leave: 7 days
Days off: 16 days
Public holidays: Christmas Day (Friday December 25), Boxing Day (Saturday December 26) and the Monday after Boxing Day (December 28)
Take December 21, 22, 23 and 24, as well as December 29, 30 and 31, for a massive 16 day break for the festive period, starting from Saturday December 19 and ending on Sunday January 3.
Now that you’ve sorted your time off, what are you going to do on your holiday? Explore coastal towns, pretty towns, natural wonders, national parks, weekend getaways and more!