On the second Monday in the month of June, most Australian states and territories celebrate the Queen’s Birthday. This public holiday creates a long weekend for most Australian regions in June, which falls in the winter season for the Southern Hemisphere.
Queensland and Western Australia each celebrate this holiday in a different month, however – October and September, respectively.
Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday 2019 & 2020
For New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria, the June long weekend is the Queen’s Birthday public holiday celebration. In 2019, the date is Monday, the 10th of June.
For Western Australia, the Queen’s Birthday is celebrated on the last Monday of September, which is 30th September for 2019. Sometimes it is also held right at the beginning of October. In Queensland, the holiday is a Monday early in October, which is 7th October 2019.
The reason why Western Australia doesn’t hold the Queen’s Birthday celebration in June is that the June long weekend is already reserved for Western Australia Day (which was formally known as Foundation Day).
Schools, shops and businesses will close on the Monday public holiday, though there will still be some places which stay open in order to receive the business of more people off work and enjoying the freedom and long weekend celebrations.
Often, places that choose to stay open will operate under restricted trading hours this day. For the long weekend, it’s more common to have Saturday and Sunday stay more active and open in stores, and leave the Monday as day to close.
Businesses that will usually be open are hospitality based such as cafes, restaurants, and accommodations. This is a day for people to get out and about, and often they travel to regional or coastal areas and take time out of the busy city centers.
History of the Queen’s Birthday in Australia
This day is to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II, who is the monarch of 16 countries, 15 Commonwealth realms, and the United Kingdom. She’s been the Queen since 1952 and has the title of being the longest reigning British monarch in all of history.
Queen Elizabeth II was actually born on April 21, 1926. Britain has celebrated the birthday of the Monarch since 1748, and since the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia in 1788, Australia has also celebrated the birthday.
The Queen’s link to Australia is due to the constitutional monarchy that it holds over the country. Even after a referendum in 1999, the reigning of the Queen continued in Australia, retaining her status due to the outcome of the votes in favor of remaining with the monarchy.
Why isn’t the Queen’s Birthday holiday actually on the Queen’s birthday?
Until 1936, the birthday celebrations happened on the actual birthday of the Monarch. It’s said that the reason why the date changed was that King George V (the current Queen’s grandfather), died this year.
Ever since then, to commemorate the Kings birthday as well, which is on the 3rd of June, the date for the birthday celebration for the Queen was also moved to this date.
For more information about the history of this day, check out this guide from Wiki.
Things To Do on the Queen’s Birthday
Each year, in the ACT, the Royal Military Academy holds a parade for the Queen’s Birthday at Duntroon. This public event is a ceremony known as the Trooping of the Queen’s Colour.
Originally performed by specific regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies, the roots to this ritual lie in the battlefield tradition of regiments colours and flags being a rallying point for soldiers.
1748 saw the first ceremony to mark the birthday of the British sovereign. In Australia, the ceremony has been performed since 1956.
Another popular tradition which falls on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend is the AFL match between Collingwood and Melbourne on the Monday holiday at the Melbourne Cricket ground. This game has been played since the first season of the VFL (previously the AFL was called VFL – The Victorian Football League). In 1897.
In Sydney, there are lots of cultural events for people out and about in their time off work and school. The Vivid Sydney light festival happens from late may though the first week of June, with the culmination of the event happening on the long weekend.
This features an outdoor gallery of spectacular light displays, shows, and sculptures. The Sydney Opera House is the star, with many other places along the Harbour foreshore lit up with 3D installations. There’s also workshops, talks and other performances for the public to attend throughout the festival.
The Sydney Film Festival is also set to happen on the first 2 weeks of June. This is one of the world longest running festivals for film, with screenings of big feature films, documentaries, animations, and short films from international and local producers. There are workshops, talks and other events happening in this 12-day festival.
Further on the South Coast of New South Wales, the long weekend in June is known to be one of the busiest times for the coastal town that boast wineries, amazing landscape, beaches and national parks for camping.
Inland New South Wales, in Cowra, has a big bonfire and fireworks event with live entertainment during the long weekend. The Hunter Valley region will showcase the famous wineries with tastings, packages, and gourmet food to sample in the annual month for Wine and Food happening during the long weekend.
The Queen’s Birthday long weekend also sees many people travel to the snow regions in Victoria. This time marks the beginning of the snow season for places like New South Wales high country areas, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, and Victoria.
The famous snow parks of Thredbo, Perisher, and Jindabyne bring in many people to enjoy the sport and the landscape. A lot of the accommodation during the long weekend is often booked out months in advance.
National parks are also a favourite destination on the long weekend, and especially the area of the Blue Mountains, inland on the South Coast of New South Wales, is a special place go visit The heritage listed sites of forests boasts waterfalls, walking and hiking tracks, and beautiful accommodation.
In South Australia, the Cabaret Fringe Festival in Adelaide is happening during the June long weekend, showcasing international and local performers. There’s usually up to 15 venues and 45 events across the city during this time.
In Perth, the long weekend for the Queen’s Birthday generally during late September and early October, and many events happen during this time. The Perth Royal Show is on each year, as a large event celebrating the agricultural origins of the region.
There’s also a Wildflower Festival in King’s Park, and other festivals with music and entertainment, such as SpringFever and the York Jazz Festival.
Right across Australia, there are regional and city-based events of festivals, performances, and displays for all people to get involved in during the long weekends of the Queen’s Birthday.
The Queen’s Birthday Honours List
On the reigning monarch’s birthday in many Commonwealth realms, various individuals are granted an award or deception in honour of excellence in many different fields. Since 1860, with just a few exceptions, every year the Honours have been awarded since Queen Victoria’s reign.
Highlighting citizen’s in each of the countries that hold this tradition, it is a much anticipated time of this long weekend for the Honours List to be released.
Recognition in this Honours List in Australia is one of the biggest accomplishments that acknowledge the service that a citizen is making to their country. It’s a way for the Commonwealth to share in the pride of these people who display excellence in their contributions to the Australian way of life, society and community.
For the main Commonwealth in Britain, the categories for the Honours List include Law and Order, Science and Technology, Parliamentary, Sports, The Arts, Music and Dance, Industry and the Economy, Education, Health, Local Communities, and Women. In Australia, there is a range of awards under different categories.
The Order of Australia is the main award to recognise the most outstanding members of the national community with nominations open to all Australian public. Anyone is able to nutmeat a memory of their community to be recognised through the Order.
It was established in Australia in 1975, and currently awards people under the following categories:
Order of Australia: Includes General Division and Companion of the Order of Australia.
Officer of the Order of Australia: Includes General Division and Military Division.
Member of the Order of Australia: Includes General Division, Military Division, and Honorary Division.
Medal of the Order of Australia: Includes General Division, Military Division, and Honorary Division.
Meritorious Service: Includes Public Service Medal, Australian Police Medal, Australian Fire Service Medal, Ambulance Service Medal, Emergency Services Medal and Australian Corrections Medal.
Distinguished and Conspicuous Service: Includes Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Commendation for Distinguished Service, Conspicuous Service Cross, and Conspicuous Service Medal.
For more information on the process of how the Honours List is selected, read more here.
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