What Time Is It in Australia Right Now?
Live local time across all of Australia’s time zones — eastern, central and western.
Current Time in Every Australian City
Australia spans three main time zones, so “the time in Australia” depends on which side of the continent you mean. Perth is two hours behind Sydney for most of the year and three hours behind during the Australian summer. These clocks update live:
| City | State / Territory | Time zone | Current local time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | New South Wales | AEST / AEDT | — |
| Melbourne | Victoria | AEST / AEDT | — |
| Brisbane | Queensland | AEST (no DST) | — |
| Adelaide | South Australia | ACST / ACDT | — |
| Darwin | Northern Territory | ACST (no DST) | — |
| Perth | Western Australia | AWST (no DST) | — |
| Hobart | Tasmania | AEST / AEDT | — |
| Canberra | ACT | AEST / AEDT | — |
Roughly three quarters of Australians live in the eastern zone, so when a news report or a flight schedule says “Australian time” without qualifying it, it almost always means Sydney and Melbourne time.
Australia’s Time Zones and UTC Offsets
Australia uses three standard time zones on the mainland, plus two unusual offsets in its island territories.
| Zone | Standard offset | Summer (DST) offset | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Eastern Time (AEST / AEDT) | UTC+10 | UTC+11 | NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, ACT — and Queensland, which stays on UTC+10 all year |
| Australian Central Time (ACST / ACDT) | UTC+9:30 | UTC+10:30 | South Australia (observes DST) and the Northern Territory (does not) |
| Australian Western Time (AWST) | UTC+8 | — | Western Australia, including Perth — no daylight saving |
| Lord Howe Island | UTC+10:30 | UTC+11 | The only place on Earth using a 30-minute daylight-saving shift |
| Norfolk Island | UTC+11 | UTC+12 | External territory in the Pacific |
The half-hour central offset is the one that surprises visitors most: Adelaide is not one hour behind Sydney but thirty minutes, and Darwin sits on the same clock as Adelaide for half the year and an hour behind it for the other half.
How Far Ahead of You Is Australia?
Australia is one of the last places to go to bed and one of the first to wake up. From North America and Europe it is almost always already tomorrow there, which is why a call scheduled for “Tuesday morning Sydney time” happens on Monday where you are.
| Your city | Sydney is ahead by (Apr–Oct) | Sydney is ahead by (Oct–Apr) |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 17 hours | 19 hours |
| New York | 14 hours | 16 hours |
| London | 9 hours | 11 hours |
| Berlin / Paris | 8 hours | 10 hours |
| Delhi | 4 hours 30 minutes | 5 hours 30 minutes |
| Tokyo | 1 hour | 2 hours |
| Auckland | 2 hours behind Sydney | 2 hours behind Sydney |
The gap changes twice a year in each hemisphere, and because the two hemispheres change in opposite directions, the difference between Sydney and New York swings by a full two hours over the course of a year.
Daylight Saving in Australia
Australia is split on daylight saving. Five jurisdictions observe it; three do not.
- Observe DST: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. Clocks go forward one hour at 2:00 am on the first Sunday in October and back at 3:00 am on the first Sunday in April.
- Do not observe DST: Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Their clocks never move.
The practical consequence is that Australia has five distinct clock readings in summer and three in winter. Between October and April, Brisbane falls an hour behind Sydney even though both are nominally on “eastern” time, and the Perth–Sydney gap widens from two hours to three.
Wondering about the date rather than the clock? See what day it is in Australia right now, which shows the live weekday and calendar date across the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is it in Australia right now?
It depends on the state. Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and Brisbane run on Australian Eastern Time (UTC+10, or UTC+11 in summer for everywhere except Brisbane). Adelaide and Darwin are on Australian Central Time (UTC+9:30, or UTC+10:30 in summer for Adelaide). Perth is on Australian Western Time (UTC+8) all year. The live clocks on this page show all of them at once.
How many time zones does Australia have?
Three on the mainland: Eastern (UTC+10), Central (UTC+9:30) and Western (UTC+8). Because only five of the eight states and territories observe daylight saving, Australia can show five different local times at once during the southern summer. Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island add two further offsets.
Is Australia ahead of or behind the United States?
Ahead, by a long way. Sydney is 14 hours ahead of New York and 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles between April and October, and 16 and 19 hours ahead respectively between October and April. For most of a US working day it is already the next calendar date in Australia.
What is the time difference between Sydney and Perth?
Two hours from April to October, when both are on standard time (Sydney UTC+10, Perth UTC+8). Three hours from October to April, when Sydney moves to daylight saving at UTC+11 and Perth stays put. Perth is always behind Sydney, never ahead.
Why is Adelaide half an hour behind Sydney?
South Australia adopted a UTC+9:30 offset in 1899 as a compromise between the eastern and western zones, and never changed it. The Northern Territory shares the same offset. It is one of a handful of half-hour time zones in the world, alongside India, Iran and parts of Canada.
Does Australia change its clocks?
Some of it does. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT move their clocks forward one hour on the first Sunday in October and back on the first Sunday in April. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia keep the same time all year.
Current Time and Day Elsewhere
Keep exploring: days of the week in 18 languages · which day starts the week where you live · day-of-the-week calculator