Get some extra Easter
Choose the leave you take and turn eight days off into a 16-day break
isn’t far away, just six weeks, with Good Friday falling on March 30.
Play your annual leave cards right – booking four days off each side of Easter – then adding on the book-ending weekends, and you could find yourself with a 16-day break.
Here are some of the hottest spots to head this Easter.
Where to go
“Aussies are exploring more of what is on their doorstep and the rise of holiday rental properties has made it easier and more convenient for them to enjoy a weekend staycation or short road trips away,” says Booking.com’s Luke Wilson.
Recent research released by the site showed Queenslanders preferred the comfort of their own back yard on domestic trips.
Eke out summer on Queensland’s beaches
“The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are once again the top destinations for Aussies choosing to stay local this Easter,” Wotif’s Kirsty La Bruniy says.
“With the 2018 Commonwealth Games taking place just a few days later, no doubt Aussies will be staying in town a few extra nights to be part of the initial action.”
Meet the neighbours
Known for its sunny days and fewer crowds, Easter is the perfect chance to explore what New Zealand is known for – its incredible scenery and warm locals.
With availability on tours such as the AAT Kings Best of New Zealand that departs March 24, 2018 (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide), you’ll travel past glaEASTER ciers, mountains and rainforest to Milford Sound and be welcomed with a haka at Rotorua.
Regional and country getaways
While many zig to the beaches, why not zag to the country for a quieter Easter?
“Just outside of our top 10 most popular destinations, we’re seeing growing interest in regional Victoria including Daylesford and the Mornington Peninsula,” says Ms La Bruniy.
In addition, Gippsland topped the list of most-visited tourism regions in Victoria, according to the Tourism Research Australia National Visitor Survey.
In NSW, the Snowy Mountains has seen a 30 per cent rise in Easter traffic over the past two years with people heading west with mountain bikes and hiking boots.
“It is Australia’s High Country so Mt Kosciuszko – the highest peak in Australia – is a real attraction,” says Wayne Kirkpatrick, chair of Snowy Mountains Tourism.
“But there’s also fishing in the lakes and rivers. You can swim in Lake Jindabyne, there’s boating and a number of horse riding activities that are nice to do in Man from Snowy River country.”
Go west side
With non-stop Qantas Perth to London flights taking off next month, there’s plenty of buzz surrounding Perth this Easter.
More than 20 new or redeveloped hotels opening in the CBD and surrounding areas in the past few years have helped to see the cost of an average night’s stay drop by 16.5 per cent.
The opening of the 60,000seat Optus Stadium last month has set the stage for AFL teams Fremantle and Essendon to clash on Easter Saturday, March 31.
Slow down in the NT
The Top End has been ranked at number 12 in the annual New York Times 52 Places to Go list in 2018.
Its icons, Kakadu and Uluru, are most popular during Easter when everything is lush and green and the weather is great in the lead-up to the dry season.
With Bruce Munro’s LED masterpiece, Field of Light, recently extended until 2020 and SBS’s slow TV special beaming The Ghan’s legendary journey to Darwin into lounge rooms last month, the Northern Territory will likely be top of mind for many Aussie travellers.