Australia time zones
Australia has three main time zones, but daylight saving time splits them further: the south-eastern states move their clocks forward in summer (October to April) while Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia don't. In summer that gives five different times across the mainland.
| Area | Cities | Winter 2026–27 | Summer 2027 | Clocks change? | Time now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Howe Island | Lord Howe | UTC+11 | UTC+10:30 | Yes | — |
| Macquarie Island | Macquarie | UTC+11 (AEDT) | UTC+10 (AEST) | Yes | — |
| Tasmania | Hobart | UTC+11 (AEDT) | UTC+10 (AEST) | Yes | — |
| Victoria | Melbourne, Cranbourne, Geelong | UTC+11 (AEDT) | UTC+10 (AEST) | Yes | — |
| New South Wales (most areas) | Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra | UTC+11 (AEDT) | UTC+10 (AEST) | Yes | — |
| New South Wales (Yancowinna) | Broken Hill | UTC+10:30 (ACDT) | UTC+9:30 (ACST) | Yes | — |
| South Australia | Adelaide | UTC+10:30 (ACDT) | UTC+9:30 (ACST) | Yes | — |
| Queensland (most areas) | Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns | UTC+10 (AEST) | UTC+10 (AEST) | No | — |
| Queensland (Whitsunday Islands) | Lindeman | UTC+10 (AEST) | UTC+10 (AEST) | No | — |
| Northern Territory | Darwin | UTC+9:30 (ACST) | UTC+9:30 (ACST) | No | — |
| Western Australia (Eucla) | Eucla | UTC+8:45 | UTC+8:45 | No | — |
| Western Australia (most areas) | Perth | UTC+8 (AWST) | UTC+8 (AWST) | No | — |
See also: clock changes in Australia · US time zones · world time zone map · time zone converter
Questions people ask
How many time zones does Australia have?
Three main standard times: Western (UTC+8), Central (UTC+9:30) and Eastern (UTC+10), plus a few local times such as Lord Howe Island (UTC+10:30) and the unofficial Central Western time around Eucla (UTC+8:45).
Which Australian states use daylight saving time?
New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and South Australia move their clocks forward from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not.
Why is Brisbane an hour behind Sydney in summer?
Both are on UTC+10, but Queensland does not use daylight saving time, so from October to April Sydney moves to UTC+11 while Brisbane stays on UTC+10.
Source: IANA time zone database, version 2026e, which phones and computers use. Area names follow the database's own descriptions. “Time now” runs from this data, so it stays right even where a browser's built-in rules are out of date.