Despite the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, many Australians will still get a public holiday this June – now called the King’s Birthday after King Charles’ Coronation. If you haven’t already, it’s time to start planning those getaways because hotels, AirBnBs, camping, and glamping spots are filling fast. Of course, this date unofficially marks the start of the ski season, should you be lucky enough to live in New South Wales or Victoria.
The dates for public holidays in June change depending on the state, so we’ve put together a guide for all the dates you need to put in your diaries below. New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory, will celebrate the King’s Birthday on June 10th, 2024.
RELATED: Public Holidays Australia 2023: Complete List of Dates
When is the King’s Birthday Long Weekend?
The date for the Queen’s Birthday (now called The King’s Birthday) long weekend in June falls across different dates depending on your state or territory. Check out the table below for all your individual states’ days off.
| King’s Birthday June Long Weekend Dates | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Monday 10th June | Monday 9th June | Monday 8th June |
| Victoria | Monday 10th June | Monday 9th June | Monday 8th June |
| Australian Capital Territory | Monday 10th June | Monday 9th June | Monday 8th June |
| South Australia | Monday 10th June | Monday 9th June | Monday 8th June |
| Tasmania | Monday 10th June | Monday 9th June | Monday 8th June |
| Northern Territory | Monday 10th June | Monday 9th June | Monday 8th June |
| Queensland | Monday 7th October | Monday 6th October | Monday 5th October |
| Western Australia | Monday 23rd September | Monday 29th September | Monday 28th September |
New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory celebrate the King’s Birthday on the second Monday in June. This year, it will be June 10th, 2024.
Queenslanders celebrate the King’s Birthday on the first Monday in October, which is October 2nd, 2023.
Those in Western Australia get the day off for the King’s Birthday on the last Monday in September, which is 25th September 2023.
How Come the Dates Differ by State?
Western Australia and Queensland celebrate the ‘Birthday of the Sovereign’, also known as ‘The Kings Birthday’ long weekend on different dates to most Australians.
In Western Australia it’s the governor, Chris Dawson, that proclaims the date because Western Australia Day (previously known as Foundation Day) is held on the first Monday in June. It’s marked as the first day European settlers arrived at the Swan River colony under the command of Captain James Stirling. And you couldn’t have too many public holidays landing in June, could you?!
For Queenslanders, it’s much the same story. The dates have changed between June and October multiple times in the last decade because of a scheduling clash with Labour Day. These days it’s celebrated in October to better distribute the public holidays across the state.
Why We Celebrate the King’s Birthday in June
Neither Queen Elizabeth II (21 April 1926) nor King Charles III (14 November 1948) have their birthdays in June, so why do we celebrate the long weekend on these dates? In short, it’s because of the United Kingdom’s frankly terrible weather during the other months.
The birthdays have always been celebrated with an outdoor parade called ‘Trooping the Colour’ whereby 1400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians perform in London by regiments of the British Army. No monarch would want their people parading in the freezing cold of winter now would they? It’s a tradition that dates back to Edward VII’s reign from 1901 to 1910, continuing to this day.
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