Sydney time zone history
On standard time, clocks in Sydney run 5 minutes behind local mean solar time. Local mean time, UTC+10:04:52, ended in 1895.
UTC+10
Standard time is UTC+10 (AEDT/AEST); clocks go forward to UTC+11 on the first Sunday in October and back on the first Sunday in April.
Summer time in 56 of 57 years since 1970
Before 1970
Standard time changes
| Date | Change | New standard time | Clock label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1970 | |||
| February 1, 1895 | Local mean time (UTC+10:04:52) replaced | UTC+10 | AEST |
Daylight saving periods
| Years | Clocks go forward | Clocks go back | Shift and labels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1970 | |||
| 1917 | January 1 | March 25 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1942 | January 1, September 27 | March 29 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1943 | October 3 | March 28 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1944 | not that year | March 26 | 1 hour |
| Since 1970 | |||
| 1971 | October 31 | not that year | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1972 | October 29 | February 27 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1973–1981 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | first Sunday in March, 03:00 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1982 | October 31 | April 4 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1983–1985 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | first Sunday in March, 03:00 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1986 | October 19 | March 16 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1987–1989 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | third Sunday in March, 03:00 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1990–1995 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | first Sunday in March, 03:00 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 1996–1999 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | last Sunday in March, 03:00 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 2000 | August 27 | March 26 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 2001–2005 | last Sunday in October, 02:00 | last Sunday in March, 03:00 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 2006 | October 29 | April 2 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 2007 | October 28 | March 25 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
| 2008–2037 | first Sunday in October, 02:00 | first Sunday in April, 03:00 | 1 hour, AEST to AEDT |
Clock changes in 2026, 2027 and 2028
The clocks go forward 1 hour (AEST to AEDT) on October 4, 2026, October 3, 2027 and October 1, 2028 at 02:00 and back 1 hour (AEDT to AEST) on April 5, 2026, April 4, 2027 and April 2, 2028 at 03:00, local time.
Also on UTC+10
Melbourne (Australia), Brisbane (Australia), Hobart (Australia), Lindeman (Australia), Macquarie Island (Australia), Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Guam, Vladivostok (Russia) and Ust-Nera (Russia).
Clocks next door since 1970
- Melbourne (714 km): same time except 70 days in 1982, 1987, 1990 and 1995.
- Brisbane (733 km): same time except 8,055 days in 1972–1989 and 1992–2026.
- Lord Howe Island (780 km): usually 30 minutes ahead; different on 10,859 days in 1970–2026.
- Broken Hill (936 km): usually 30 minutes behind; different on 65 days in 1971–2026.
- Hobart (1,058 km): same time except 766 days in 22 different years between 1970 and 2007.
How it compares
Standard time has stayed at UTC+10 since 1895.