Moving house over Christmas on the Northern Beaches: dates, closures and when to book

A carport on a sunny summer morning with flat-packed moving boxes against the back wall, an old armchair and a bed frame beside them, a box trailer of garden offcuts and three wheelie bins by the driveway.

Moving house over Christmas: how many working days do you get?

Source: NSW Government, public holidays; Northern Beaches Council, book a bulky goods collection; Kimbriki, mixed waste

Fewer than you'd think. Count the ten days from Christmas Day to the first Sunday of 2027 and only three of them are ordinary weekdays: Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 December.

That's our count, and here is the working. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026, Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December, Monday 28 December is an Additional Day public holiday and New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027. Of the ten days, four are public holidays. Three more are weekend days: Sunday 27 December, then Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 January. That leaves three.

Those three days also sit in the last week of December, when Council's bulky goods collection "is not available". A move squeezed between the holidays has the least room for the truck and the clear-out at once.

The answer isn't to avoid Christmas. It's to move the clear-out, the paperwork and the booking earlier, so the move day itself is the only thing left.

Why is Monday 28 December a public holiday?

Rule: when Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day falls on a weekend, the following weekday is an additional gazetted public holiday.
2026: Boxing Day is Sat 26 Dec
Additional Day public holiday: Mon 28 Dec

Fri 25 DecSat 26 DecSun 27 DecMon 28 Dec

Source: NSW Government, public holidays

Plenty of people won't see this one coming. NSW's rule is that when Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day falls on a weekend, the following weekday is an additional gazetted public holiday.

Boxing Day 2026 is a Saturday. So the extra day lands on Monday 28 December, and Christmas becomes a four-day run from Friday to Monday.

If your move depends on someone else's working day, such as collecting keys from an agent or a handover with a landlord, check now whether they're working that Monday. Don't assume it's business as usual.

Moving house before Christmas: when should you book?

October to April Peak severe weather season
Tue 13 Oct Term 4 starts
5pm Fri 13 Nov to Mon 30 Nov Council technology upgrade: some services unavailable or limited After 30 Nov: delays while backlogs clear
Thu 17 Dec Term 4 ends
Fri 18 Dec Eastern division summer holidays start
Fri 25 Dec Christmas Day
Sat 26 Dec Boxing Day
Mon 28 Dec Additional Day public holiday
Fri 1 Jan New Year's Day
Wed 27 Jan Eastern division summer holidays end

Source: NSW Government, school holidays; NSW Government, public holidays; Northern Beaches Council, technology upgrade; Bureau of Meteorology

The school calendar sets the pace. Term 4 ends Thursday 17 December 2026, and the Eastern division summer holidays run from Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027.

The likely pinch points are the days either side of the last school day and the days around each public holiday. That's when many families want to move: the kids are off, and work hasn't started again. At Palm Beach Removals our advice is to settle your date as early as you can and keep a second date in mind, rather than waiting to see how December shapes up.

Summer brings weather into it too. The Bureau of Meteorology says "October to April is the peak time for severe weather in Australia", so a Christmas move should come with a back-up plan. Our storm season moving guide sets one out.

Clearing out before a Christmas move: bulky goods, bins and Kimbriki

Option	Over the Christmas break	Rules to know	Source
Bulky goods collection	Not available last week of December; longer waits over summer	Book before items go out, put out only the night before; 2 pre-booked collections in 12 months for mainland households paying the domestic waste charge, assigned to the property	Northern Beaches Council, book a bulky goods collection
Regular bins	Continue as normal through Christmas and New Year	Collection any time 6am to 6pm; out the night before, in within 24 hours	Northern Beaches Council, bin collection days
Kimbriki, Ingleside	Open 7 days, 7am to 5pm, closed Christmas Day	Proof of residency needed; dry waste only, no food, chemicals, liquids or hazardous waste	Kimbriki, mixed waste
Leaving items on the street	Illegal	Hefty fine and criminal record possible	Northern Beaches Council, bulky goods collection

Our Council Clean Up guide covers the bulky goods rules in full, including who owns the bookings. Over the holidays, timing is what changes.

Bulky goods collection. Council says the service is not available during the last week of December, and longer wait times may be experienced over the summer holidays due to peak demand. You need a booking before anything goes out, and items may only go out the night before the collection date. For a Christmas move, that points to booking in November or early December.

There's a second catch. Mainland households paying the domestic waste charge can pre-book 2 collections in 12 months, and the bookings are assigned to the property, not the resident. If both are already used when you check, that isn't a refusal of you personally: the allowance belongs to the property, so check before you plan a clear-out around it.

Regular bins. Council's bin service "will continue as normal throughout the Christmas and New Year Period". Collection can happen any time from 6am to 6pm, bins go out the night before and come in within 24 hours. If your bin day falls on move-out day, leave a little time to bring the bins in before you hand over.

Kimbriki at Ingleside. Kimbriki is open 7 days, 7am to 5pm, and closed on Christmas Day. Bring proof of address, such as a licence or rates notice. It's a dry-waste facility that takes no food, chemicals, liquids or hazardous waste, so sort those out separately.

What not to do. Council says that if items are left over, you shouldn't leave them on the street when you move or add them to someone else's pile. It calls this illegal, with a hefty fine and a criminal record possible.

Illustration of a plain white moving truck parked at the kerb of a leafy Palm Beach street on a sunny summer morning, with moving boxes stacked on the footpath, beach cars parked along the other side and Barrenjoey lighthouse on its headland across the water. — Illustration.

Parking a moving truck in Palm Beach over summer

Summer weekends in Palm Beach mean the kerb is shared with the beach crowd. At the south end of Pittwater Park, Council limits parking to four and eight hours on weekends and public holidays with a Beach Parking Permit or P Ticket. It points visitors to the seasonal Careel Bay playing fields carpark and the 199 bus. The two P5 spaces near the ferry wharf are for unloading, with a five-minute limit, so they suit a quick drop-off rather than a full removal load.

With four of those ten Christmas days being public holidays, plan where the truck stops before the day. Our guide to where the truck actually stops in Palm Beach covers the through road, the hillside lanes and the Pittwater side.

If your move needs anything from Council, watch November, and tell us early so we can fold it into the plan. Council is running a major technology upgrade from 5pm 13 November to 30 November 2026. It says some services will be unavailable or limited, delays are expected after 30 November while backlogs clear, and people are encouraged to bring forward or delay applications. Council's page doesn't name parking or works zone requests, so check its list of impacted services, and lodge anything for Christmas week before 13 November if you can.

What to sort before the break: notice, power and meters

TENANCY NOTICE

Give tenancy notice (21 days to end a periodic agreement, 14 days at the end of a fixed term) NSW Government, notice periods
Landlord and tenant can agree to end a tenancy at any time NSW Government, notice periods

POWER AND GAS

Tell your energy retailer early Energy Made Easy
Write down meter readings at both addresses Energy Made Easy
Give a forwarding address for the final bill Energy Made Easy
Moving into a new build, allow that power and gas connection can take a few months Energy Made Easy

Tenancy notice. In NSW a tenant gives 21 days' notice to end a periodic agreement, and 14 days at the end of a fixed term. Our estimate: to hand back keys on Tuesday 29 December, that means giving notice by about Tuesday 8 December on a periodic lease, or about Tuesday 15 December at the end of a fixed term. Those dates are worked back from the minimum periods, so check the current periods on that page before you rely on them.

Landlords generally need 60 days for a fixed term of 6 months or less, or 90 days for a longer fixed term or a periodic agreement, for grounds such as a sale or the owner moving in. Either way, these are minimum periods, and a landlord and tenant can also agree to end the tenancy at any time. That page was last updated 19 May 2025, so check it's still current.

Power and gas. Energy Made Easy says to tell your retailer early, because you may pay for energy used at the old address after you leave. Write down your meter readings before you move and again when you arrive, and give your retailer your new address for the final bill. Moving into a new build? It can take a few months to get gas and electricity switched on, so that call can't wait for the holidays.

Your Christmas move on one page

DATES

Term 4 ends: Thu 17 Dec; nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/school-holidays
Eastern division holidays: Fri 18 Dec to Wed 27 Jan; nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/school-holidays
Public holidays: Fri 25 Dec, Sat 26 Dec, Mon 28 Dec, Fri 1 Jan; nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/public-holidays

CLEAR-OUT

Bulky goods: Not available last week of December; northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/services/rubbish-and-recycling/bulky-goods-collection/book-your-collection
Bulky goods: 2 collections per property per 12 months; northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/services/rubbish-and-recycling/bulky-goods-collection/book-your-collection
Bins: Continue as normal; northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/services/rubbish-and-recycling/bins/bin-collection-days
Kimbriki: Closed Christmas Day; kimbriki.com.au/recycling-reuse/mixed-waste-type/mixed-waste; No kerbside dumping; northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/services/rubbish-and-recycling/bulky-goods-collection

PAPERWORK

Council technology upgrade: 5pm, 13 November to 30 November; northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/council/news/major-technology-upgrade-to-deliver-improved-online-services
Tenancy notice: 21 days periodic, 14 days end of fixed term; nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/rules/minimum-notice-periods-for-ending-a-residential-tenancy; Tell the energy retailer early; energymadeeasy.gov.au/article/moving-house-or-business

The dates are fixed, the clear-out has a gap, and the paperwork has deadlines. Here they are side by side.

Book your Christmas move with Palm Beach Removals

If you're moving between mid-December and late January, the most useful thing you can do this week is pick a preferred date and a back-up. Send both, with your two addresses and anything tricky about access, through our quote page. Then book the bulky goods collection, diarise your notice date and ring your energy retailer. With those done before December, Christmas is just a moving day.