The spring racing carnival runs through October in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup, held on the first Tuesday of November. 4 October 2026 falls inside this build-up, alongside the NRL and AFL grand finals held earlier in the month, two of the biggest fixtures on the national sporting calendar.
A public holiday that falls on a Sunday sits inside the weekend rather than beside it, and whether a substitute day off applies to the following Monday depends on the specific holiday and the state. Sunday 4 October 2026 falls on this day of the week, at the close of the weekend, immediately before the working week resumes.
Contracts and legal deadlines that specify calendar days count every day from 4 October 2026 including weekends and public holidays, while deadlines specified in working or business days count only the days this page includes in its working-day total. The difference between the two conventions can shift a deadline by several days once weekends and holidays are counted.
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