In case you missed the news, tomorrow, September 22, is Australia’s National Day of Mourning to allow people to pay their respects following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The National Day of Mourning is a one-off recognised public holiday and a National Memorial Service will be held in Canberra.
Being a bit different to most public holidays, it’s a bit confusing on what is open and not open.
So, we’ve done all the hard work and put together this list of what is open, what is shut and how you can watch the National Memorial Service across the nation tomorrow, Thursday, September 22.
National Memorial Service:
A National Memorial Service will take place at Parliament House.
The memorial will “pay tribute to the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II” according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Singer Anthony Callea is set to perform at the memorial service. A minute silence will then be held at 11am Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
ABC will be televising and streaming the service online from 10:30am AEST.
Schools:
Most schools in NSW and Western Australia will be closed for the day with students to return for one day on Friday before heading on holiday.
Schools in South Australia, the Northern Territory, the ACT and Tasmania will close for the day before reopening on Friday.
Victorian and Queensland kids are already on holiday, so won’t be affected.
Supermarkets:
All the major supermarkets will be open and trading with altered hours depending on the state and chain.
Woolworths stores in NSW will be open from 7am-9pm. Victorian stores will open from 7am-10pm, Queensland stores will operate from 9am-6pm, and Western Australia stores will be open from 11am-5pm. As always, check the Woolies website here for your local store’s times.
Public holiday trading hours are set to apply for Coles stores nationwide as per a Coles spokesperson. You can check the opening hours of your local store via the Coles website here.
Aldi stores will remain open across all the major states except for the Northern Territory (which doesn’t have Aldi). All stores will close at 8pm so you can check your local Aldi closing store’s time here.
Pubs, Clubs, Retail and Hospitality Venues:
It’s probably best to check with your local coffee shop before heading out to get your morning coffee because depending on your state, they could be closed.
If you’re in NSW, then most smaller retailers and hospitality venues will be operating on public holiday hours.
The rules for the rest of the states are the same except in Western Australia, who are allowing businesses to operate between 11am and 5pm, and South Australia, who are operating between 12pm-9pm.
Double Demerits:
We have another friendly public service announcement ahead of the National Day of Mourning: double demerits are now in force in some states across the country.
In NSW, Double Demerits came into force at 12:01am on Wednesday (September 21) and will run until 11:59pm on Sunday (September 25).
If you’re travelling over to Western Australia for the school holidays, then keep in mind double demerits will begin on Friday (September 23) and end on Monday (September 26).
As per The Daily Aus, there will be no double demerits in Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania or the ACT.
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Images: Instagram / @royalfamily
By Bek Lougher
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