The most affordable long weekend this year, revealed
Find out when you’ll get the best bang for your buck and where to go.
Usually, our advice for planning a vacation over a long weekend is to book early but if you’re a procrastinator looking for a last-minute deal, then you just might be in luck.
New data from online booking site Wotif reveals that not only is June one of the cheapest times to travel in Australia but the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in NSW is the cheapest long weekend of the year.
In fact, a vacation over this weekend is over 10% cheaper than the one in October and has a predicted average rate of $197 per night.
If you’ve yet to book anything over the June long weekend then you’re not alone. Just 15% of NSW travellers plan to leave home meaning it’s not too late to book a last minute getaway especially since the next long weekend isn’t for another four months.
If you can’t spot any good last minute fares, then the good news is, you can still find affordable accommodation options right in your home state.
Best value NSW getaways
If you’re planning to take advantage of the savings, here are the top destination picks with accommodation still available for this June long weekend and the predicted accommodation rate.
- Tamworth - $140 per night
- Parkes - $147 per night
- Wagga Wagga - $148 per night
- Coffs Harbour - $152 per night
- Port Macquarie - $157 per night
- Newcastle - $182 per night
If you want to plan ahead and make the most of the upcoming public holidays and long weekends then check out the below table for a good guide on what you can expect to pay.
We found some pretty interesting surprises like Labour Day is somehow $7 more expensive on average than Christmas in NSW. Also, the cheapest spot you can ring in the New Year when booking hotels is the Northern Territory and surprisingly, QLD has the highest average nightly rate ($248) out of all the states.
Average long weekend accommodation costs
| NSW long weekends | NSW | QLD | VIC | SA | WA | NT | TAS | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Eve | $229 | $248 | $222 | $186 | $199 | $155 | $222 | $169 |
| Australia Day | $198 | $181 | $213 | $156 | $179 | $125 | $194 | $159 |
| Easter | $204 | $200 | $192 | $171 | $188 | $140 | $188 | $202 |
| Queen’s Birthday | $197 | $167 | $193 | $158 | $154 | $192 | $176 | $187 |
| Labour Day | $226 | $207 | $195 | $170 | $175 | $159 | $178 | $215 |
| Christmas | $219 | $254 | $225 | $175 | $205 | $154 | $219 | $160 |
