Time zones and daylight saving
Australia has three time zones, and the clocks only change in some states. Pick where you are from to see who is ahead of you and who is behind.
Checked 16 October 2026. Your choice stays on your device.
Where are you from?
At your place: —
- Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart —
- Brisbane —
- Adelaide —
- Darwin —
- Perth —
- Broken Hill —
- Lord Howe Island —
“Ahead” means their clock shows a later time than yours. Change the time above to plan a call, then tap Now to go back to the live time.
Daylight saving
Daylight saving: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT put their clocks forward one hour each summer. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not.
Starts
2am, first Sunday in October
Clocks go forward 1 hour. This year: Sunday 4 October 2026.
Ends
3am, first Sunday in April
Clocks go back 1 hour. Next: Sunday 4 April 2027.
The time zones
-
Eastern AEST UTC+10
NSW (except Broken Hill and Lord Howe Island), Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT.
Daylight saving: UTC+11 (AEDT) in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT. Queensland stays on UTC+10.
-
Central ACST UTC+9:30
South Australia, the Northern Territory and Broken Hill.
Daylight saving: UTC+10:30 (ACDT) in South Australia and Broken Hill. The Northern Territory stays on UTC+9:30.
-
Western AWST UTC+8
Western Australia.
No daylight saving.
-
Lord Howe Island LHST UTC+10:30
A small island off NSW with its own time.
Daylight saving: UTC+11. It adds 30 minutes, not a full hour.
What it means in real life
- Sydney and Brisbane. From October to April Sydney and Melbourne are an hour ahead of Brisbane. The rest of the year they are the same time.
- Perth. Two hours behind Sydney for most of the year, and three hours behind in summer.
- Adelaide. Always half an hour behind Sydney, because both change their clocks.
- Darwin. Half an hour behind Brisbane all year, and an hour and a half behind Sydney in summer.
- Working the night the clocks change? Check your award or agreement. Business Victoria says that if it says nothing about daylight saving, you are paid by the clock.
The first four are worked out from the zones above.
SourcesNSW Government — Daylight saving (who changes, and the 2026–27 dates)Business Victoria — Daylight saving (the rule, and pay on the night)NSW Government — Definitions of time (zones and offsets, Broken Hill, Lord Howe Island)Bureau of Meteorology — Daylight Saving Time (zone names)
Time is set state by state, so check your own state’s page for the exact date. See also airport maps.