For the 2027 Australian school holidays, take the July break to Sri Lanka’s east coast and the Cultural Triangle, and the summer break to the south and west coasts. April suits the east coast best, while the late September break is a gamble because rain climbs almost everywhere in October.
Your state matters. Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory break up earlier than the others in April and September, which changes both the weather and the Sri Lankan holidays you meet. We checked the eight official pages, and every other fact below, on 8 November 2026. This is desk research, not a first-hand report.
Key takeaways
- July: the east coast at Trincomalee averages 51 mm of rain on 3.4 days, against 173 mm on 15 days at Galle in the south-west.
- April: NSW, the ACT, WA, SA and Tasmania are on holiday for Sinhala and Tamil New Year (13 and 14 April 2027); Queensland, Victoria and the NT are back at school by then.
- Summer: Queensland, SA and the NT finish on 9 or 10 December, so those families can land before the Christmas rush.
- The ETA is free for Australians, but every traveller must get it online before flying.
2027 school holiday dates for every state and territory
These are government school breaks, counted from the day after the last school day to the day before students go back. Each comes from the official page, shown here with the date the page gives:
- NSW Department of Education, updated 6 November 2026
- Victorian Government, updated 2 October 2026
- Queensland Department of Education, updated 19 June 2026
- Western Australia Department of Education, no date shown
- South Australia Department for Education, updated 7 April 2026
- Tasmania Department for Education, Children and Young People, published 5 October 2026
- ACT Government, updated 14 August 2026
- Northern Territory Government, no date shown
| State or territory | April break | July break | September to October break |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 10 to 28 April | 3 to 19 July | 25 September to 10 October |
| Victoria | 26 March to 11 April | 26 June to 11 July | 18 September to 3 October |
| Queensland | 26 March to 11 April | 26 June to 11 July | 18 September to 4 October |
| Western Australia | 10 to 26 April | 3 to 18 July | 25 September to 10 October |
| South Australia | 10 to 25 April | 3 to 18 July | 25 September to 10 October |
| Tasmania | 10 to 25 April | 3 to 18 July | 25 September to 10 October |
| ACT | 10 to 27 April | 3 to 19 July | 25 September to 11 October |
| Northern Territory | 3 to 12 April | 19 June to 12 July | 18 September to 4 October |
NSW, Queensland, WA and Tasmania also print holiday dates. Our count is longer than theirs only by weekends and days before students return. NSW prints autumn holidays of 12 to 23 April, but students start term 2 on 29 April, after school development days on 27 and 28 April. Monday 19 July is another school development day. Victoria, SA, the ACT and the NT publish 2027 term dates only, so their breaks are our count between terms.
The NSW dates are for the Eastern division; Western division schools in the far west start the year later. Non-government schools can set their own dates, the NT page notes, and NSW says a few schools near the borders do too.
| State or territory | Last school day, 2027 | Back at school, 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Friday 17 December | Holidays end Friday 28 January |
| Victoria | Friday 17 December | Friday 28 January |
| Queensland | Friday 10 December | Holidays end Sunday 23 January |
| Western Australia | Thursday 16 December | Wednesday 2 February |
| South Australia | Friday 10 December | Monday 31 January |
| Tasmania | Thursday 16 December | Not published yet |
| ACT | Friday 17 December | Not shown on the page |
| Northern Territory | Thursday 9 December | Tuesday 25 January |
The Tasmanian page shows 2026 and 2027 only. The ACT page links its 2026 to 2030 dates as a PDF, which would not open for us.
Which side of Sri Lanka is dry in each break
Sri Lanka has two monsoons that hit opposite sides of the island. The Department of Meteorology gives May to September for the south-west monsoon, which wets the south-west, and December to February for the north-east monsoon. In between come two inter-monsoon spells, March to April and October to November.
The table uses the WMO climate normals for 1991 to 2020. It shows three weather stations: Galle on the south-west coast, Trincomalee (Trinco in the table) on the east coast and Anuradhapura in the Cultural Triangle. We downloaded them on 8 November 2026. Each cell gives average monthly rain in millimetres, with the average number of days of 1 mm or more in brackets.
| Month | Galle | Trinco | Anuradhapura |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar | 90 (6.9) | 55 (4.0) | 62 (5.0) |
| Apr | 202 (11.8) | 48 (4.2) | 180 (11.0) |
| July | 173 (15.1) | 51 (3.4) | 24 (2.5) |
| Sept | 261 (17.1) | 113 (5.7) | 67 (5.1) |
| Oct | 345 (18.2) | 216 (12.8) | 259 (13.8) |
| Dec | 176 (11.2) | 339 (15.0) | 225 (12.2) |
| Jan | 87 (6.6) | 152 (8.4) | 86 (6.4) |
Sri Lankan public holidays change a trip too. The 2027 list from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka puts these inside the breaks:
| Break | Drier areas | Sri Lankan holidays | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late March to mid April: Vic, Qld, NT | All three stations in March; the east coast in April | Good Friday, 26 March (Vic and Qld) | Rain builds in the south-west and centre during April |
| Mid to late April: NSW, ACT, WA, SA, Tas | The east coast | New Year, 13 and 14 April; Bak poya, 20 April | Busy days around New Year |
| July (all) | East coast, Cultural Triangle, the dry south-east | Esala poya, 18 July (NSW, ACT, WA, SA, Tas) | Monsoon rain on the south-west coast |
| Late Sept to Oct (all) | East coast and Cultural Triangle, in Sept | None | October rain almost everywhere |
| Summer (all) | South and west coasts, best from January | Unduwap poya, 13 December (Qld, SA, NT); Christmas Day | North-east monsoon on the east coast |
Poya days are full moon public holidays. What closes on them, and on the other holidays, is in our guide to Sri Lanka public holidays in 2027.
The winter break: east coast and the Cultural Triangle
All eight winter breaks fall between 19 June and 19 July. That is the middle of the south-west monsoon, so the rain sits on the other side of the island from the best July beaches.
On the east coast, Trincomalee averages 51 mm in July. Batticaloa, the station on the same stretch of coast as Pasikudah, averages 31 mm on 2.7 days. Inland, Anuradhapura gets 24 mm, and Hambantota in the dry south-east 31 mm. Galle and the south-west coast get 173 mm on about 15 days, and Kandy (the Katugastota station) 108 mm on 12.5 days.
The catch with kids is heat. Average July highs reach 35.3 °C at Trincomalee and 33.5 °C at Anuradhapura, so climbs and temple visits work best early. Nuwara Eliya in the hills has average July highs of 18.6 °C, which makes a cool middle stop.
Our Trincomalee travel guide covers the beaches, Pigeon Island’s fees and rules, and the boat trips. For whales, the International Whaling Commission says blue whales can be seen off Trincomalee between March and July, so July is the end of that window.
The elephant gathering at Minneriya comes a little later. Love Sri Lanka, a tourism promotion site, gives August and September as the best months. So a July trip comes just before the months it recommends.
Will the Kandy Perahera fall in the winter break?
No one can say yet. The Temple of the Tooth’s website showed no 2027 dates when we checked on 8 November 2026. In 2025 the first street procession was scheduled for 30 July and the last for Nikini poya, 8 August, Ada Derana reported. In 2026 the night processions were scheduled from 18 to 27 August, according to The Island. Both started after the last day of any 2027 winter break, but the Temple sets new dates every year. Our Kandy Esala Perahera guide will carry the 2027 dates once the Temple announces them.
The autumn break: two different trips
Queensland and Victoria start the autumn break on 26 March and the NT on 3 April. March is fairly dry at all three stations: Galle averages 90 mm, Anuradhapura 62 mm and Trincomalee 55 mm. As April goes on, inter-monsoon storms build in the south-west and the hills. Galle averages 202 mm in April and Kandy 189 mm, while Trincomalee stays near 48 mm.
The other five states break up on 9 April and stay off school until 25 to 28 April. Their whole break sits in April, so the east coast is the safer beach. They also get Sinhala and Tamil New Year on 13 and 14 April, and Bak poya on 20 April. Our Sinhala and Tamil New Year guide explains the customs and what the holiday means for shops, transport and hotels.
Good Friday, 26 March, is a public holiday in Sri Lanka too, on the first day of the Queensland and Victorian breaks.
The spring break: the hardest one
For the spring break, the answer depends on your state. Queensland, Victoria and the NT are off from 18 September, so most of their break sits in September. In that month Anuradhapura averages 67 mm and Trincomalee 113 mm, while Galle gets 261 mm on 17 days.
The other five break up on 25 September and run to 10 or 11 October. October is the wettest month on the WMO normals for Galle and Colombo, and wet across the Cultural Triangle too. Anuradhapura averages 259 mm, Trincomalee 216 mm and Galle 345 mm, with rain on 13 to 18 days.
Smartraveller warns that flooding and landslides happen in the monsoon seasons and tells travellers to be ready to change plans. If this is your only window, base the trip in the Cultural Triangle and on the east coast, and keep spare days. No Sri Lankan public holiday falls inside any state’s break: Binara poya (15 September) comes just before and Vap poya (15 October) just after.
The summer break: south and west coasts, whales and Christmas
The summer break suits the south and west coasts, which the south-west monsoon has left by then. December is still a transition month there. Galle averages 176 mm on 11 days in December, then 87 mm on under 7 days in January. The east coast is the place to avoid: Batticaloa averages 469 mm in December and Trincomalee 339 mm.
Whales add a reason to go south. The IWC says blue whales can be seen off Mirissa between December and March, and the trips themselves are in our Mirissa whale guide.
Timing inside the break matters for cost. Experience Travel Group, a UK tour company, says in its December guide (updated April 2026) that prices rise sharply in the run-up to Christmas. It suggests arriving before 20 December, and says flights and rooms around Christmas and New Year book up fast, so plan 10 to 12 months ahead. Queensland, SA and the NT finish school on 9 or 10 December, so their families can do that.
Inside the break, Unduwap poya falls on Monday 13 December 2027 and Christmas Day on a Saturday. For anyone going this coming summer, Thai Pongal (15 January 2027) and Duruthu poya (22 January 2027) fall inside every state’s 2026 to 2027 holidays.
Getting to Sri Lanka from Australia
We read a week of arrivals on the Colombo airport timetable on 8 November 2026. SriLankan Airlines’ UL605 from Melbourne arrived every day, and UL607 from Sydney on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. A second Melbourne flight, UL609, was listed for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from mid-November. Jetstar’s JQ5 from Melbourne arrived on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Jetstar launched the Melbourne route on 25 August 2026, three times a week and year-round, 1News reported, and sells it on its Colombo page. The timetable showed no arrivals from Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide that week. From those cities, families connect in Melbourne or Sydney, or through hubs on the timetable such as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Our guide to Sri Lanka from New Zealand sets out the Melbourne connection in more detail.
Plenty of Australians already make the trip. Sri Lanka’s tourism authority counted 68,868 arrivals from Australia from 1 January to 6 August 2026, the sixth-largest market. Book July and summer flights early.
ETA, health and family practicalities
The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) is the online approval to visit. Under Alert 01 on the official ETA website, in force from 25 May 2026, it is free for Australians for 30 days with double entry. The same page says all foreign nationals must get an ETA before arrival, so apply for each passport in the family. Smartraveller adds that you can no longer get one on arrival at Colombo airport.
Smartraveller’s advice level is “Exercise a high degree of caution”, because of the threat of public demonstrations and security risks (updated 14 August 2026, still current on 8 November 2026). On health, it says dengue is a risk, with more cases in the monsoon season. It warns that rabies is present in dogs, cats, monkeys, bats and other mammals, and says to avoid contact with animals. It also tells travellers to ask a doctor about vaccines before going. Our Sri Lanka vaccinations guide goes through each one.
Smartraveller also says:
- Swimming is unsafe at some beaches, where strong rips can occur. Ask locally before going in, and stay out of rivers and lagoons.
- Driving is hazardous and road injuries and deaths are common, with a high number on intercity buses in particular.
- Medical services outside Colombo are extremely limited, so insurance should cover medical evacuation.
Trains are worth checking close to the date. On 26 October 2026 Sri Lanka Railways stopped Main Line trains from Gampola to Nanu Oya after severe weather, Newswire reported. We found no report that it had reopened by 8 November 2026.
For routes and places that work with children, see our Sri Lanka family holiday planner and our list of things to do in Sri Lanka with kids. If you would like help fitting a route to your state’s dates, send us your dates.
FAQ
When are the 2027 school holidays in Australia?
Each state sets its own. The April break starts on 26 March (Victoria, Queensland), 3 April (NT) or 10 April (the rest). July breaks run between 19 June and 19 July, and the spring break starts on 18 or 25 September.
Is Sri Lanka good in the July school holidays?
Yes, on the east coast and in the Cultural Triangle. Trincomalee averages 51 mm of July rain and Anuradhapura 24 mm, while the south-west coast is in the monsoon.
Can you go to Sri Lanka in the September school holidays?
You can, but it is the least reliable break. September is fairly dry in the Cultural Triangle and on the east coast. October is wet almost everywhere, so states that break up on 18 September have the better of it.
Do Australian children need a visa for Sri Lanka?
Everyone needs an ETA before arrival, and it is free for Australian passport holders for 30 days. Apply on eta.gov.lk for each family member.
Which airlines fly from Australia to Colombo?
On the airport timetable we read on 8 November 2026, SriLankan Airlines flew from Melbourne and Sydney and Jetstar from Melbourne. Other cities connect through Melbourne, Sydney or an Asian hub.
Top photo: Pasikudah Beach in the evening, 24 March 2017. Photo: Dr.S.Rajivraja, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
