October Long Weekend 2026: Dates by State & Things to Do
For NSW, the ACT, South Australia and Queensland, the October long weekend runs from Saturday 3 to Monday 5 October 2026. Whether you get the Monday off depends on where you live. It's a public holiday in New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia and Queensland, though they're not all celebrating the same thing. Ring a friend in Melbourne that Monday and you'll interrupt a meeting.
NSW, the ACT and SA: Monday 5 October is Labour Day.
Queensland: Monday 5 October is the King's Birthday public holiday.
Victoria, Tasmania, WA and the NT: it's a normal working Monday, though WA, Victoria and parts of Tasmania all have their own days off at other times.
For plenty of families the long weekend lands in the middle of the spring school holidays, so half the cars have kids in the back. Caravan parks and camping grounds are as busy as they get all season. Book early.
What follows covers the dates in your state, where to point the car, what's on and what to pack.
When Is the October Long Weekend in Australia?
There isn't a national one. Each state and territory sets the date, and with it the reason you're off work.
October Long Weekend Public Holiday Dates for 2026
The holiday falls on Monday 5 October. NSW, the ACT, SA and Queensland get a three-day weekend, Saturday 3 to Monday 5 October. Plenty of drivers don't wait for the Saturday. By Friday afternoon the highways out of Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide are banking up.
October Public Holidays by State and Territory
Every state and territory sets its own public holidays. Across the country in October 2026:
State / Territory | Date | Holiday | October Long weekend? | Good to know |
New South Wales (NSW) | Monday 5 October | Labour Day | Yes (3–5 October) | Statewide. |
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | Monday 5 October | Labour Day | Yes (3–5 October) | Territory-wide. |
South Australia (SA) | Monday 5 October | Labour Day | Yes (3–5 October) | Statewide. |
Queensland (QLD) | Monday 5 October | King's Birthday | Yes (3–5 October) | Queensland's Labour Day was back on Monday 4 May. |
Victoria (VIC) | No October public holiday | – | No | Victoria gets Friday 25 September off ahead of the AFL Grand Final. Melbourne Cup Day follows on Tuesday 3 November (a few regional councils swap it for a local holiday). |
Western Australia (WA) | Monday 28 September | King's Birthday | No, WA's long weekend is 26–28 September | Karratha and Port Hedland moved the holiday to Monday 3 August instead. |
Tasmania (TAS) | Thursday 8 October | Royal Launceston Show | No | Applies to Launceston and several surrounding northern Tasmanian municipalities. Southern Tasmania observes the Royal Hobart Show on Thursday 22 October. |
Northern Territory (NT) | No October public holiday | – | No | The Territory's mid-year long weekend was Picnic Day on Monday 3 August. |
Where to Go for the October Long Weekend?
Three days changes the maths. Anything further than a few hours out of Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane or Adelaide eats into the break. That leaves the coast, the wine country and the national parks.
Coastal Escapes and Beach Destinations
If the beach is calling, Queenslanders don't have to go far. Up there the water is already warming while the southern states are still in jumpers. Out of Sydney or Canberra, Jervis Bay and the rest of the NSW South Coast are worth two or three good nights. From Adelaide, Victor Harbor and the rest of the Fleurieu Peninsula are an hour and a half south. Wherever you're heading, pack a jumper for the evening. If your coastal break includes picnics, beach days or an unpowered stop, a portable power station can also keep phones, a portable fridge and other small essentials powered away from an outlet.
Regional Towns and Food-and-Wine Regions
A food-and-wine weekend is just as easy. The Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale sit about an hour out of Adelaide, so a bottle bought at eleven is open by one. The Clare Valley takes longer to get to and pays it back in Riesling. Over the mountains west of Sydney, Mudgee and Orange have the cellar doors and the good restaurants, and the beds to put everyone up. Most cellar doors will want a booking over a long weekend. The rest will have a queue.
National Parks and Mountain Getaways
The Blue Mountains are the easy one from Sydney: bushwalking tracks, lookouts and towns to stay in. Canberrans head south into the Snowy Mountains for bushwalking, cycling, scenic drives and fishing, in country that spent winter under snow. Anglers get the best of the timing: the NSW trout season in rivers and streams reopens on the Saturday of the long weekend. An hour or so out of Brisbane, the Scenic Rim has bushwalks and mountain stays. The Flinders Ranges take a bigger commitment, with Wilpena Pound about five hours from Adelaide. For destinations that take several hours to reach, it helps to plan out a road trip around driving time, fuel stops and rest breaks before you leave.
What to Do Over the October Long Weekend?
Sport, festivals, camping, markets and road trips all compete for the same three days.
Attend Spring Festivals and Major Sporting Events
Four big ones land on or around the long weekend this year:
NRL Grand Final (Sydney, NSW): Sunday 4 October at Accor Stadium, rugby league's biggest night. Tens of thousands of interstate fans pour into Sydney — and the pubs, restaurants and trains cop it.
Freycinet Challenge (Tasmania): Coles Bay, 3–4 October. Over two days around the Freycinet Peninsula you get four disciplines: trail running, sea kayaking, road cycling and mountain biking.
Floriade NightFest (Canberra, ACT): Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 October. Commonwealth Park stays open after dark, for food stalls and live music among the tulips.
Deni Ute Muster (Riverina, NSW): Deniliquin, Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October. Country music fans, ute owners and trade exhibitors roll into town by the thousand for one of the best-known events on the regional calendar. Deniliquin isn't big, and you feel every one of them.
Take a Scenic Road Trip
Out of Sydney, your best runs are the Grand Pacific Drive down to the South Coast, or west up into the Blue Mountains. From Brisbane, either head north up the highway to the Sunshine Coast or duck inland towards the Scenic Rim. For Adelaide, you're spoiled for choice: either head north into the Barossa, or point south towards McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu.
If you're spending hours between powered sites, portable power can keep a 12V fridge, phones, lights and selected cooking gear running between stops. The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus Portable Power Station is suited to higher-demand road-trip setups, with enough output for appliances such as induction cooktops and electric kettles as well as everyday touring gear. It can also be recharged between stops, making it useful for multi-day trips where access to powered sites is limited.
Go Camping and Explore Bushwalking Trails
October is good camping weather across much of NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. The days are mild, the nights stay cool, and nobody has to think yet about where the sun lands on the tent. Popular national parks and coastal campgrounds can be heavily booked over the weekend, so confirm your site before building the rest of the itinerary around it. Check what the site has, too — power, water, whatever else you're planning to rely on. By dusk the camp kitchen is the busiest spot in the campground.
At an unpowered site, the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus Portable Power Station can provide a practical power supply for campsite lights, phones, camera batteries and a portable fridge overnight. Its portable size also makes it easier to carry between the car and campsite, while solar charging can extend runtime when you're staying off-grid for more than a day or two.
Discover Farmers Markets and Local Produce
Some of the best regional markets trade on the Saturday of the long weekend. Willunga Farmers Market in South Australia and Eumundi Markets on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast are two worth knowing. Between them you'll find fresh local produce, artisan food and locally made goods. Get there early, grab breakfast and take your time. Half the fun is the crowd — prams, busy stalls and a queue at the coffee van. Bring some cash as a backup, too, in case you come across a stall that doesn't accept your preferred payment method.
Go Wildlife Watching and Whale Spotting
October sits in the middle of the humpback migration south, when mothers are travelling with newborn calves. Eden, Port Stephens and Hervey Bay are the go-to spots, from a headland or the deck of a cruise boat. Off Victor Harbor in South Australia it's mostly southern right whales, not humpbacks, and the tail of their season can run into October. Binoculars beat a phone camera at that distance. Kangaroos, wallabies and birdlife in the coastal national parks are the busiest first thing in the morning.
How Should You Prepare for the October Long Weekend?
Most of what goes wrong over a long weekend is predictable. What's open, the roads, the weather: check all three, and get the essentials sorted before you go.
Does the October Long Weekend Fall During School Holidays?
For state schools, yes. The long weekend overlaps with the spring school holidays in NSW, the ACT and South Australia, while in Queensland the Monday is the final day of the school holiday period. School holiday dates are set separately from public holidays, so check your state education department or individual school calendar before making plans.
Book Accommodation and Transport Early
Boutique stays, holiday parks and hire cars in the regional centres often book out weeks ahead, sometimes months. Camping grounds in the national parks go the same way, so book through your state's parks booking system rather than turning up on the Saturday. If it looks booked out, ring the park and ask about cancellations. A quick check of your camping essentials before leaving can also help make sure you've covered lighting, food storage, water and other basics for an unpowered stay.
Monitor Regional Weather and Road Conditions
Spring weather can turn quickly. Alpine frost, a coastal trough that wasn't in the forecast, dust across an outback road: all of it can arrive within hours. Treat the forecast as a starting point rather than a promise. Check the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warnings before you leave. For closures and detours, keep an eye on Live Traffic NSW, QLDTraffic or your state's equivalent. Fire danger ratings are worth a look too. A total fire ban rules out the campfire. For NSW and ACT drivers, double demerits run from Friday 2 October to Monday 5 October.
Conclusion
The October long weekend runs 3–5 October 2026, and only in NSW, the ACT, SA and Queensland: Labour Day in three, the King's Birthday in the fourth. Book early, because caravan parks fill up fast, and check what's open on the Monday. Look at the weather and the roads the night before, put the clocks forward on Sunday in NSW, the ACT and SA, and sort fuel, water, food and power before the last servo is in the mirror. Get that right and Monday night comes around far too soon.
FAQ
Which Part of Australia Is Best to Visit in October?
Take the south and east coast in October and you get the good version of spring: temperatures you can sit outside in, settled weather, none of the summer heat. The pick of the bunch: the NSW South Coast, the Barossa and Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
Do Clocks Go Forward in October in Australia?
Yes. Daylight saving kicks in on the first Sunday in October in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT. In 2026 that's Sunday 4 October. Clocks go forward an hour at 2:00 am, so you lose an hour's sleep over the long weekend. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory stay on standard time all year.
What Is Happening in Sydney in October 2026?
The NRL Grand Final is at Accor Stadium on Sunday 4 October. Later in the month, Sculpture by the Sea takes over the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, 16 October to 2 November. Humpbacks are heading south past the headlands, and the Royal Botanic Garden is in spring flower.
What Should I Pack for a Long Weekend Trip?
Spring mornings can be properly cold even once the afternoons warm up. Pack layers you can add or peel off, plus a broad-brimmed hat, sunscreen and insect repellent. Off-grid trips need more: plenty of drinking water, offline maps for when the reception drops out, a properly stocked first-aid kit and a portable power station to keep your phone, 12V fridge and camp lights going.
How Big a Portable Power Station Do I Need for Camping?
For a weekend of basic camping, a portable unit of 1,000Wh to 1,500Wh is usually the right size. That covers campsite lighting, camera gear, smartphones and an efficient 12V portable fridge for several days, and heavier setups running cooking appliances or an electric kettle will want a unit in the 2,000Wh+ range.