Mainland Australia uses three standard time zones: Western (UTC+8), Central (UTC+9:30) and Eastern (UTC+10). New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and South Australia use daylight saving time from the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not. Lord Howe Island moves its clocks by only 30 minutes.
Current time in Australia's cities
| City | Time now | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 21:50 | AEDT (UTC+11) |
| Melbourne | 21:50 | AEDT (UTC+11) |
| Brisbane | 20:50 | AEST (UTC+10) |
| Perth | 18:50 | AWST (UTC+8) |
| Adelaide | 21:20 | ACDT (UTC+10:30) |
Time zones in Australia
The IANA time zone database lists 12 zones for Australia. Each has its own entry because its clock history differs, even where the current time is the same. The offsets below are for mid-January and mid-July 2027.
| IANA zone | Area | January 2027 | July 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
Australia/Lord_Howe | Lord Howe Island | UTC+11 | UTC+10:30 |
Antarctica/Macquarie | Macquarie Island | AEDT (UTC+11) | AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia/Hobart | Tasmania | AEDT (UTC+11) | AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia/Melbourne | Victoria | AEDT (UTC+11) | AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia/Sydney | New South Wales (most areas) | AEDT (UTC+11) | AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia/Broken_Hill | New South Wales (Yancowinna) | ACDT (UTC+10:30) | ACST (UTC+9:30) |
Australia/Brisbane | Queensland (most areas) | AEST (UTC+10) | AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia/Lindeman | Queensland (Whitsunday Islands) | AEST (UTC+10) | AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia/Adelaide | South Australia | ACDT (UTC+10:30) | ACST (UTC+9:30) |
Australia/Darwin | Northern Territory | ACST (UTC+9:30) | ACST (UTC+9:30) |
Australia/Perth | Western Australia (most areas) | AWST (UTC+8) | AWST (UTC+8) |
Australia/Eucla | Western Australia (Eucla) | UTC+8:45 | UTC+8:45 |
Clock changes in Australia in 2026 and 2027
No clock changes in 2026 or 2027: Australia/Brisbane, Australia/Lindeman, Australia/Darwin, Australia/Perth, Australia/Eucla.
Antarctica/Macquarie, Australia/Hobart, Australia/Melbourne, Australia/Sydney:
- Sunday 5 April 2026: at 03:00 clocks go back to 02:00. AEDT (UTC+11) becomes AEST (UTC+10), and the hour from 02:00 happens twice.
- Sunday 4 October 2026: at 02:00 clocks go forward to 03:00. AEST (UTC+10) becomes AEDT (UTC+11), and the hour in between is skipped.
- Sunday 4 April 2027: at 03:00 clocks go back to 02:00. AEDT (UTC+11) becomes AEST (UTC+10), and the hour from 02:00 happens twice.
- Sunday 3 October 2027: at 02:00 clocks go forward to 03:00. AEST (UTC+10) becomes AEDT (UTC+11), and the hour in between is skipped.
Australia/Broken_Hill, Australia/Adelaide:
- Sunday 5 April 2026: at 03:00 clocks go back to 02:00. ACDT (UTC+10:30) becomes ACST (UTC+9:30), and the hour from 02:00 happens twice.
- Sunday 4 October 2026: at 02:00 clocks go forward to 03:00. ACST (UTC+9:30) becomes ACDT (UTC+10:30), and the hour in between is skipped.
- Sunday 4 April 2027: at 03:00 clocks go back to 02:00. ACDT (UTC+10:30) becomes ACST (UTC+9:30), and the hour from 02:00 happens twice.
- Sunday 3 October 2027: at 02:00 clocks go forward to 03:00. ACST (UTC+9:30) becomes ACDT (UTC+10:30), and the hour in between is skipped.
Australia/Lord_Howe:
- Sunday 5 April 2026: at 02:00 clocks go back to 01:30. UTC+11 becomes UTC+10:30, and the hour from 01:30 happens twice.
- Sunday 4 October 2026: at 02:00 clocks go forward to 02:30. UTC+10:30 becomes UTC+11, and the hour in between is skipped.
- Sunday 4 April 2027: at 02:00 clocks go back to 01:30. UTC+11 becomes UTC+10:30, and the hour from 01:30 happens twice.
- Sunday 3 October 2027: at 02:00 clocks go forward to 02:30. UTC+10:30 becomes UTC+11, and the hour in between is skipped.
Time difference between Australia and major cities
How far each city is ahead of or behind Australia (using Australia/Sydney, the time in Sydney), and how the gap changes when either side changes its clocks between now and the end of 2027.
| City | Now | Through 2026 and 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| London | 10 hours behind | 10 hours behind until 25 Oct 2026; 11 hours behind 25 Oct 2026 to 28 Mar 2027; 10 hours behind 28 Mar 2027 to 4 Apr 2027; 9 hours behind 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 10 hours behind 3 Oct 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 11 hours behind from 31 Oct 2027 |
| New York | 15 hours behind | 15 hours behind until 1 Nov 2026; 16 hours behind 1 Nov 2026 to 14 Mar 2027; 15 hours behind 14 Mar 2027 to 4 Apr 2027; 14 hours behind 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 15 hours behind 3 Oct 2027 to 7 Nov 2027; 16 hours behind from 7 Nov 2027 |
| Los Angeles | 18 hours behind | 18 hours behind until 1 Nov 2026; 19 hours behind 1 Nov 2026 to 14 Mar 2027; 18 hours behind 14 Mar 2027 to 4 Apr 2027; 17 hours behind 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 18 hours behind 3 Oct 2027 to 7 Nov 2027; 19 hours behind from 7 Nov 2027 |
| Dubai | 7 hours behind | 7 hours behind until 4 Apr 2027; 6 hours behind 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 7 hours behind from 3 Oct 2027 |
| Mumbai | 5½ hours behind | 5½ hours behind until 4 Apr 2027; 4½ hours behind 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 5½ hours behind from 3 Oct 2027 |
| Singapore | 3 hours behind | 3 hours behind until 4 Apr 2027; 2 hours behind 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 3 hours behind from 3 Oct 2027 |
| Tokyo | 2 hours behind | 2 hours behind until 4 Apr 2027; 1 hour behind 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 2 hours behind from 3 Oct 2027 |