Easter Holiday Weekend Activities and Things to Do in Australia

Easter Holiday Weekend Activities and Things to Do

 

The Easter Holiday long weekend in Australia is a time when many Australians leave the capital cities and enjoy some time out with their friends and families in various locations, mostly in regional areas of Australia.

There is a mass exodus from the cities and concerted road safety campaigns run by the Police and Road Traffic Authorities are designed to reduce the road toll as so many cars are on the road.

It is usually a time when schools are on the first two week holiday since the start of school for the year and workers who have taken time off work spend extra time completing projects around the home – like painting, gardening, home renovations, paperwork etc.

But if you are a newcomer to Australia, you may be wondering where to go and what to do as many people that you have met will be disappearing for four or more days.

At the same time, there are many regular activities that stop over Easter and resume again after Easter.

 

This article gives you a variety of information on things that you might like to see or do over Easter in Australia. It will be a starting point for you to find something that you might really enjoy…

 

However, I guess we should start with the purpose of the Easter break. As you may be aware, it is a very important time on the Christian calendar when the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter.

The date varies as it is the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon following the vernal equinox. You can find the dates for Easter public holidays in Australia via http://australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/public-holidays. This includes Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday. Shops and retail outlet hours are also changed during this time with many stores closing on Good Friday.

As it is such an important time for Christians, you will find that there are many churches offering special services and you are encouraged to visit a church to see what it is all about. It is free to attend a church, however you may be invited to make a donation whilst you are there. You can find local churches in your local area through your Council Website, through the National Council of Churcheshttp://www.ncca.org.au or the Yellow Pages http://www.yellowpages.com.au(enter your suburb details).

 

Well known activities that occur over Easter:

 

 

It is also the time (if it is the first Sunday in April) when Daylight Savings in Australia ends http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/time and you are also encouraged to change your Smoke Alarm Battery http://www.changeyourbattery.com.au.

However, for many people, particularly newcomers without a huge budget to spend on entertainment, it can be a very lonely time. You may be a long way away from loved ones and the busy-ness of work or study subsides and everything appears quiet.

 

So what can I suggest for you?

 

Firstly, it is a good idea to do some activities that you either want to finish or that you enjoy. It may be a particularly good time to reach out to people who have come from the same country as you – so find the details of the community groups designed for other people of the same nationality and contact them by email or telephone and find out if there is an activity that you can join. (For instance, Google ‘Brazilian Association Melbourne’ to find Brazilians in Melbourne).

If you have left your organising a little too late, perhaps you can make arrangements for future activities as it is always a good idea to make new friends in Australia from different backgrounds as well as the same background.

 

Further suggestions:

 

  • visit the local tourist information centre and ask for suggestions
  • visit your local council website and see what local events are on
  • go for a walk, bike ride, drive, train trip to the country etc
  • talk to people that you meet – if it is a public place, you can easily start off a conversation about what they are doing for Easter and if they have any suggestions
  • visit the local event listing websites – for instance http://www.bcl.com.au (see the What’s On section) and look out for free events
  • go to a park, botanical garden, the beach, the mountains, a river
  • complete a ‘spring clean’ of your house before winter washing quilts, curtains, windows whilst they have a chance to dry during the day
  • go to a local community venue, hotel, restaurant, coffee shop and introduce yourself to the staff/owners and ask them for some suggestions as to what to do
  • sort your photos and maybe organise to print some
  • update your diary and start setting some goals and priorities for the coming months
  • start something you have always wanted to do

 

In theory, you have up to four days to do as you please if you have a ‘holiday’ from work – so I hope you have the opportunity to make the most of your break and have a lot of holiday fun!

 

If you have any other suggestions, please contact us!