Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend

The 2022 Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend takes place from Saturday 11th June to Monday 13th June 2022. The public holiday on Monday gives us 3 days to play, explore, socialise and relax. The holiday traditionally marks the start of the Australian ski season.

The Queen’s Birthday holiday is a moveable feast celebrating the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II who is not only Queen of Great Britain but also Queen of Australia, New Zealand and 13 of the 50 other countries in the commonwealth.

On this day, businesses will generally be closed. Shops may open but observe restricted trading hours.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) was born on the 21st April 1926, is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states, head of the Commonwealth of Nations, Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.

Why do we celebrate in June, when the Queen’s birthday is in April?
Australia has been celebrating the ‘monarch’s birthday’ since 1788 when Governor Arthur Phillip declared a holiday to mark the birthday of the King of Great Britain. The monarch at the time was King George III (1760 – 1820) was born on the 4th June 1738. Until 1936 it was held on the actual birthday of the Monarch, but after the death of George V it was decided to keep it on the 2nd Monday in June.
Source: wikipedia.org

The celebration of the Queen’s Birthday falls on the second Monday in June in all states except for Western Australia and Queensland.