Australian School Holidays Dates: How Crowds and Prices Shift
Australia has no single national school holiday period, because each state and territory sets its own term dates. For a visitor, that means the busy weeks are staggered rather than shared, so the Australian school holidays dates you need depend on where you go. Check the official page for each state on your route before you pick a travel week.
Last checked 8 November 2026. This article is part of our guide: Australia season guide.
Term dates are the days each school term starts and ends, and holiday weeks fall in the gaps between terms. Tourism Australia’s budget guide advises travellers to avoid peak periods, and it names summer and school holidays among them. So the calendar affects your prices as well as your crowds.
A single national list would mislead you. For the summer break that begins in December 2026, New South Wales’ Eastern division summer holidays start on Friday 18 December, while Victoria’s start on Monday 21 December. Private and Catholic schools may also follow their own calendars, so the state dates are a starting point rather than the final answer.
Our guide to when to visit Australia covers seasons and regions in depth. This article stays with the school calendar, what it does to crowds, and how to plan around it.
Australian school holidays dates by state
The pattern is clear even when the exact weeks differ. Summer breaks cluster around Christmas and New Year, and the other breaks fall in the gaps between terms. Look at where weeks overlap, because overlapping weeks mean more families on the same roads, beaches and flights.
In short, school holidays in Australia come as a set of state calendars rather than one list. Each state publishes its own, and the dates for 2026 and 2027 differ by division and by year.
Australian school holidays dates for Victoria and New South Wales
The Victorian Government sets term dates in five-year blocks, and the 2026-2030 block was approved by the Minister on 28 June 2021. For the summer break after Term 4 2026, Victorian government schools close from Monday 21 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027, and students start on Thursday 28 January.
New South Wales has two divisions, Eastern and Western, and they do not start on the same day. For 2027 Term 1, the Eastern division starts on Thursday 28 January, while the Western division starts later, on Thursday 4 February. Both end Term 1 on Friday 9 April, according to the NSW future term dates page.
The Western summer break also runs longer. In 2026-27, the Eastern division holidays run from Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027, while the Western division holidays run to Wednesday 3 February 2027.
Queensland and the other states
This article does not quote Queensland’s 2026 dates, because they were not confirmed against the official page. Check the Education Queensland term dates page before you book, and read each break as the holiday that follows a term. The same advice applies to South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.
Until you have those dates, check the summer break first. Tourism Australia says flights cost most in summer, when the summer school holidays are under way, so that is the period where price pressure is clearest.
Requirements for checking school holidays dates
Each state sets its own calendar, so you need the official page for every state on your route. Check these rules before you rely on any date.
- Use the official education department page for each state, and confirm the year on the page. NSW’s 2026 page lists Term 1 for the Eastern division as Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April.
- Check the division too. In NSW, the Western division’s 2027 Term 1 starts later, on Thursday 4 February, than the Eastern division’s start on Thursday 28 January.
- Expect Victoria’s dates to follow five-year blocks. The 2026-2030 block was approved on 28 June 2021.
- Remember that dates may change. The NSW Department of Education says schools should be checked before booking.
- Confirm private and Catholic calendars separately, because the state pages cover government schools.
Official sources for school holidays dates
| State | Official page | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | NSW 2026 term dates | 2026 Eastern and Western division term dates and summer holidays |
| New South Wales | NSW future term dates page | Future years, including 2027 Term 1 |
| New South Wales | NSW school holidays page | Summary of 2026 and 2027 school holiday dates |
| Victoria | Victorian term dates page | Minister-approved term dates in five-year blocks |
| Queensland | Education Queensland term dates page | 2026 term dates, staff development days and holiday dates |
The NSW Department of Education says it sets these dates, but schools should be checked because dates may change. Save the page with the date you checked it, so you can show your source if plans shift.
Steps to confirm the dates
- List each state or territory on your route, and note which school or division your family would follow.
- Open the official education department page for that state and find the year you need.
- Check the term and holiday dates, and note whether the page covers government schools only.
- Look for update notices, because the NSW Department of Education says dates may change.
- Confirm the school’s own calendar before you pay a deposit.
Private and Catholic calendars
Private and Catholic schools may follow their own calendars, and those can differ from the state government pages. The pages above cover government schools, so they may not match the school your children attend.
If your trip depends on one particular week, ask the school or read its own term calendar. Then save a copy with your booking details, so the dates are easy to find later.
Busiest weeks in Australian school holidays
No verified source ranks the busiest weeks, so this section explains the planning logic rather than giving a peak list. The sources do give one firm signal: summer flights cost most when the summer school holidays are under way. Treat summer as the busiest window until you have checked your own dates.
Movement is likely to rise at the start of a holiday and again when families head home. No source here measures that, so use it as a reason to check dates, not as a fact about any particular week.
Coastal and tropical destinations
Summer is also the wet season in the tropical north. The Bureau of Meteorology climate knowledge centre defines the northern wet season as 1 October to 30 April, while Tourism Australia gives November to April, with heavy rain and tropical storms in Darwin, Broome, Cairns and the Whitsundays.
For Darwin, the Northern Territory weather and seasons page gives the dry season as May to October, with daytime temperatures between 20°C and 33°C (68°F and 91°F). In the wet season, overnight minimums reach 25°C (77°F) and humidity rises to 80%.
On the Great Barrier Reef, stinger season runs from December to February, and Tourism Australia advises full-body wetsuits for snorkellers and divers. For reef timing, read our reef timing guide before you choose a month.
If your school break falls in summer and you want the tropical north, expect rain and pack a full-body wetsuit for the reef. The Darwin dry season offers drier weather, but it falls outside the summer holidays, so you may need to trade the school calendar for the weather.
Theme parks and inland road routes
No verified source names the busiest theme parks or road-trip routes for school holidays, so this article does not rank them. Instead, check the weather at each end of your route. Tourism Australia gives winter averages from 11°C (52°F) in the south to 30°C (86°F) in the north.
A winter road trip can mean cool mornings in the south and hot days in the north. Australia’s seasons run opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere, so plan with Australian months, as explained in Tourism Australia’s seasons guide.
Why holiday weeks lift flight and hotel prices
The verified sources do not give a figure for how much hotel prices rise during school holidays, so this article does not state one. They do show that demand drives prices, and summer school holidays are when flights cost most. When many families want the same seat or room, sellers have less reason to discount it.
Booking early matters most in those weeks. Tourism Australia gives these lead times in its Tourism Australia budget guide:
| Travel type | Suggested booking lead time | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Summer flights | 10 to 12 months ahead | December to February |
| Accommodation | About six months ahead | Peak periods |
Prices may start to climb before the holiday week itself, as bookings fill. So the lead times matter more than the exact day. Tourism Australia advises budget travellers to avoid peak periods, which is the clearest saving advice in the sources.
Travelling during or outside holiday weeks
The verified sources do not give a firm answer on whether to travel in or out of the holidays. The right choice depends on your trip type, so use these trade-offs and test prices on your exact dates before you commit.
- Families with school-age children: you usually must travel in the break, so focus on early booking and on the weather at your destination.
- Couples and independent travellers: you can use the weeks just before or after a break, which gives you more choice of dates.
- Budget travellers: Tourism Australia advises avoiding peak periods, so a week outside the holidays is the safer choice for saving money.
Weather matters as much as the calendar. The tropical north is wet from November to April, so a school-holiday trip there means rain. Summer across the major capital cities averages about 20°C to 37°C (68°F to 99°F), so heat can matter too.
Some trips have no choice. A trip built around the wet season, the reef’s stinger months or a school break may need to fit those dates, so decide which constraint matters most before you compare prices.
Planning a family trip around Australian school holidays
A family trip works best when you start from the school calendar, then check weather and prices for the same weeks. The example below shows how to read the dates and make a choice. It is an example only, built to show the steps.
Worked example: a family trip across states
Suppose a family in Victoria can travel only during the summer break, from Monday 21 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027. They want to see Darwin and the Great Barrier Reef. The first step confirms those dates on the Victorian page.
- Book flights roughly 10 to 12 months ahead, because summer is when flights cost most.
- Check Darwin’s season. The wet season runs from November to April, with overnight minimums of 25°C and humidity up to 80%.
- Check the reef. Stinger season runs from December to February, so the family would need full-body wetsuits for snorkelling.
- Compare a cooler southern city in the same weeks. The sources give no crowd or price figures for that, so check accommodation prices for your exact dates.
- Book accommodation about six months ahead, because the sources advise this for peak periods.
The example shows a real trade-off. Tourism Australia says prices are more affordable in the tropical wet season, from October to April, but that season also brings sun mixed with rain. A family that accepts rain and stinger gear may save money. A family that wants dry days and calm water should choose a drier window, even if it falls outside the school calendar.
Next steps for booking around Australian school holidays
- Confirm the official dates for every state on your route, starting with the NSW 2026 term dates and the Victorian term dates page.
- Check your child’s school calendar, because private and Catholic schools may differ from the state pages.
- Decide whether your dates are fixed. If they are flexible, compare a summer week with a week outside the break, since Tourism Australia advises budget travellers to avoid peak periods.
- Book summer flights about 10 to 12 months ahead, and accommodation about six months ahead for peak periods.
- If the trip includes the reef, read the reef timing guide before you choose a month.
Frequently asked questions
When are the school holidays in Australia in 2026?
There is no single national answer, because each state sets its own dates. For New South Wales’ Eastern division, Term 1 2026 runs from Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April, Term 2 runs from Wednesday 22 April to Friday 3 July, and Term 3 runs from Tuesday 21 July to Friday 25 September. The autumn, winter and spring holiday dates for NSW and the other states were not confirmed on official pages, so check the NSW 2026 term dates page and your state’s page before you book.
When are the school holidays in Victoria in 2026?
The official Victorian page confirms the summer break after Term 4 2026, which runs from Monday 21 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027, with students starting on Thursday 28 January. The autumn, winter and spring holiday dates for 2026 were not confirmed on an official page, so this article does not give them. Victoria’s term dates are set in five-year blocks, and the 2026-2030 block was approved on 28 June 2021.
When do Queensland school holidays start in 2026?
This article does not give a Queensland start date, because the 2026 dates were not confirmed on the official page here. The Education Queensland term dates page lists 2026 term dates, staff development days and school holiday dates, so check it first. The page labels holiday ranges by the term before them, so a break listed after Term 1 is the holiday that follows Term 1.
When are the NSW school holidays for 2027?
The official NSW future dates page lists 2027 Term 1 for the Eastern division from Thursday 28 January to Friday 9 April, and for the Western division from Thursday 4 February to Friday 9 April. The summer holidays running into 2027 are from Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027 in the Eastern division, and to Wednesday 3 February 2027 in the Western division. The 2027 autumn, winter and spring holiday dates were not confirmed, so check the official NSW pages for them.
Sources
- 2026 term dates – NSW Department of Education
- Future and past NSW term dates and school holidays
- NSW school holidays
- School term dates and holidays in Victoria
- Best times to visit Australia – Tourism Australia
- Climate knowledge centre – Bureau of Meteorology
- Australia’s seasons – Tourism Australia
- Weather & seasons in the Northern Territory – Northern Territory Tourism
- Australian Budget Guide – Tourism Australia
- School holidays and term dates – Education Queensland
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