Queen's Birthday in Australia

The Queen's Birthday is an Australian public holiday but the date varies across states and territories. Australia celebrates this holiday because it is a constitutional monarchy, with the English monarch as head of state.

Is Queen's Birthday a Public Holiday?

Queen's Birthday is a public holiday in 6 states, 3 external territories and 2 territories, where it is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

Celebrate the Queen's Birthday

Many Australians have a day off work on the Queen's Birthday. For many, it is a chance to do something with their family or to visit a sporting event. Some people take advantage of the three-day weekend to make trips to visit friends or relatives.

Some well-known sporting events are held on the second Monday of June. These include an Australian Football League game played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between the Collingwood Magpies and the Melbourne Demons. It is also traditionally seen as the opening weekend of the snow season in Australia, although it is often not possible to really ski for another few weeks.

Traditionally, many public fireworks displays were organized on the Queen's Birthday. However, these have been overshadowed by the New Year's Eve displays in recent years. People in many communities can only buy and set off fireworks on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Queen's Birthday weekend in the Australian Capital Territory. This is illegal at all other times of the year.

Public Life

The Queen's Birthday is observed on the second Monday of June in most of Australia. Schools, post offices, and other organizations are closed in most parts of Australia, except Western Australia, on this date. Stores that are open may have restricted opening hours. There may be some congestion on roads as many people use the long weekend to make trips. Public transport services may be reduced or not run at all.

The Queen's Birthday is a holiday in Western Australia at a different date to that observed by other parts of the country. The governor in Western Australia proclaims the holiday's date for this state. There are no fast rules about when it will fall but it is often on the last Monday of September or the first Monday of October. Western Australian schools, post offices, as well as many organizations, are closed when Western Australia celebrates the Queen's Birthday. Stores that are open may have restricted opening hours in the state. There may be some congestion on roads as many people use the long weekend to make trips. Public transport services may be reduced or not run at all.

About the Queen's Birthday

Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the official head of state is the Monarch of the Realms. This is currently Queen Elizabeth II. She is also the head of state of many other countries and territories, including Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Canada and New Zealand. She was born on April 21, 1926, although her official birthday is celebrated on a range of dates in the different countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Monarch's Birthday was first celebrated in Australia in 1788. In that year, King George III was the Monarch and Governor Arthur Phillip declared a holiday to mark his birthday. Originally, the Monarch's birthday was celebrated on the anniversary of the actual date of birth of the King or Queen. However, after the death of King George V in 1936, the date remained close to his birthday, which was June 3.

On the second Monday in June, the Queen's Birthday honors list is released. This contains the names of the new members of the Order of Australia and other honors issued by the Australian government or the Queen. These are generally for exceptional service to Australians, Australia or humanity as a whole.

About Queen's Birthday in Other Countries

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.