Australia time now, live flip clock
Australia's three mainland time zones are Western, AWST, UTC+8; Central, ACST, UTC+9:30; and Eastern, AEST, UTC+10. They become five in summer, because only some states change their clocks. The main clock shows Sydney. Pick another zone above to move it.
Time zones in Australia
The table gives each zone's standard and summer time and its largest cities. It includes Lord Howe Island and the unofficial time around Eucla. The buttons under the clock move the main clock to any of them.
| Time zone | Standard time | Daylight saving time |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Western TimePerth, Mandurah, Bunbury, Geraldton | AWST, UTC+8 | Not observed |
| Central Western Time, unofficialEucla | UTC+8:45 | Not observed |
| Australian Central TimeAdelaide, Adelaide Hills, Mount Gambier, Morphett Vale | ACST, UTC+9:30 | ACDT, UTC+10:30Not observed in Darwin |
| Australian Eastern TimeSydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Brisbane | AEST, UTC+10 | AEDT, UTC+11Not observed in Brisbane and Lindeman |
| Lord Howe Standard TimeLord Howe | LHST, UTC+10:30 | LHDT, UTC+11 |
Current time in major Australian cities
The local time now in the cities people ask about most. Pick a city to put it on the main clock.
When the clocks change in Australia
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory move their clocks forward for summer. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not. Lord Howe Island moves its clocks by only half an hour. So it has its own row below.
| Time zone | Clock changes |
|---|---|
| Australian Central Time and Australian Eastern Time |
|
| Lord Howe Standard Time |
|
How many hours ahead or behind Sydney
On 7 October 2026, Auckland is 2 hours ahead of Sydney.
| City | Difference from Sydney |
|---|---|
| Auckland | 2 hours ahead |
| Tokyo | 2 hours behind |
| Singapore | 3 hours behind |
| Kolkata | 5 hours 30 minutes behind |
| Dubai | 7 hours behind |
| London | 10 hours behind |
| Los Angeles | 18 hours behind |
| New York | 15 hours behind |
| Your time zone | Detected after this page loads |
Where the rules differ in Australia
- Three zones, five in summer
- 5
- In winter the mainland keeps three time zones. In summer, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT move their clocks forward. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not. So the three zones become five.
- Queensland said no
- 54.5%
- Queensland stays on AEST, UTC+10 all year. In a referendum, 54.5% of its voters rejected daylight saving. Western Australia later voted it down in a referendum of its own. So in summer Brisbane runs an hour behind Sydney.
- Lord Howe Island's half hour
- 30 min
- Lord Howe Island, part of New South Wales, keeps Lord Howe Standard Time, LHST, UTC+10:30. In summer it moves its clocks forward by only 30 minutes, to LHDT, UTC+11.
- Broken Hill on Adelaide time
- ACST
- Broken Hill, in far western New South Wales, keeps Australian Central Standard Time with South Australia, not Sydney's time. It changes its clocks with Adelaide. It runs half an hour behind the rest of its state all year.
Questions about time in Australia
How many time zones does Australia have?
Three on the mainland in winter: Western, AWST, UTC+8; Central, ACST, UTC+9:30; and Eastern, AEST, UTC+10. In summer they become five, because only some states change their clocks. Lord Howe Island adds a small zone of its own. So does the unofficial time used around Eucla, on the Nullarbor near the South Australian border.
Which states have daylight saving time?
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory move their clocks forward one hour for summer. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not. Lord Howe Island moves its clocks by half an hour. The table above gives the next change dates.
Is Brisbane on the same time as Sydney?
In winter, yes: both keep AEST, UTC+10. In summer, no. Sydney moves its clocks forward to AEDT, UTC+11, while Brisbane stays on standard time. So Brisbane is an hour behind Sydney until the clocks go back in autumn. The Gold Coast and Cairns follow Queensland's time too.
What is the time difference between Australia and the UK?
Sydney is between 9 and 11 hours ahead of London, depending on the time of year. That is because the two change their clocks in opposite seasons. In the British winter, when Sydney is on summer time, the gap is 11 hours. In the British summer it is 9. Perth is 7 or 8 hours ahead of London.
Who keeps Australia's official time?
The National Measurement Institute. Its national time scale is the legal reference for time in Australia. It comes from a caesium atomic clock at its Lindfield laboratory in Sydney. Each state and territory then sets its own standard time and summer time by law.
Time zone names for developers
| IANA zone | Standard time | Daylight saving time |
|---|---|---|
| Australia/Perth | AWST, UTC+8 | No |
| Australia/Eucla | UTC+8:45 | No |
| Australia/Adelaide | ACST, UTC+9:30 | Yes |
| Australia/Broken_Hill | ACST, UTC+9:30 | Yes |
| Australia/Darwin | ACST, UTC+9:30 | No |
| Antarctica/Macquarie | AEST, UTC+10 | Yes |
| Australia/Brisbane | AEST, UTC+10 | No |
| Australia/Hobart | AEST, UTC+10 | Yes |
| Australia/Lindeman | AEST, UTC+10 | No |
| Australia/Melbourne | AEST, UTC+10 | Yes |
| Australia/Sydney | AEST, UTC+10 | Yes |
| Australia/Lord_Howe | LHST, UTC+10:30 | Yes |
Sources
We checked each fact on this page against these sources on 30 September 2026. Times, offsets and clock changes come from the time zone database.