Daylight saving in Australia for 2026 to 2027 began at 2am on Sunday 4 October 2026 in New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia, when clocks moved forward one hour. It ends at 3am daylight time on Sunday 4 April 2027. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not observe it.
Daylight saving turns Australia’s three standard time zones into five separate times for six months of the year. That catches out travellers, people booking flights between states, and anyone running meetings across the country. The dates and times below were checked against state government sources in October 2026.
- When does daylight saving start and end in Australia in 2026 and 2027?
- Which states have daylight saving in Australia?
- Which states do not have daylight saving?
- Time differences across Australia during daylight saving
- Why some states do not use daylight saving
- Local exceptions worth knowing
- Practical tips for travellers and businesses
- How the gap with the UK and Europe changes
- Daylight saving dates at a glance
- Frequently asked questions
When does daylight saving start and end in Australia in 2026 and 2027?
All five participating states and territories change their clocks on the same day. Since April 2008, they have used a common rule: daylight saving starts on the first Sunday in October and ends on the first Sunday in April of the following year.
Also readUK ETA: Who Needs It in 2026, the £20 Fee and How to Apply
- Start: Sunday 4 October 2026. At 2am local standard time, clocks moved forward to 3am.
- End: Sunday 4 April 2027. At 3am local daylight time, clocks go back to 2am.
In October, the hour between 2am and 3am does not exist, so most people lost an hour of sleep. In April, the hour between 2am and 3am happens twice, giving an extra hour. Phones, laptops and smartwatches update automatically when set to use network time. Older ovens, car clocks and some wall clocks need to be changed by hand.
Which states have daylight saving in Australia?
Five of the eight states and territories observe daylight saving. The decision sits with each state and territory government, not the federal government, which is why the map is split.
| State or territory | Daylight saving? | Standard time | Time from 4 Oct 2026 to 4 Apr 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Yes | AEST (UTC+10) | AEDT (UTC+11) |
| Victoria | Yes | AEST (UTC+10) | AEDT (UTC+11) |
| Australian Capital Territory | Yes | AEST (UTC+10) | AEDT (UTC+11) |
| Tasmania | Yes | AEST (UTC+10) | AEDT (UTC+11) |
| South Australia | Yes | ACST (UTC+9:30) | ACDT (UTC+10:30) |
| Queensland | No | AEST (UTC+10) | AEST (UTC+10) |
| Northern Territory | No | ACST (UTC+9:30) | ACST (UTC+9:30) |
| Western Australia | No | AWST (UTC+8) | AWST (UTC+8) |
New South Wales and the ACT
Sydney and Canberra moved from AEST to AEDT on 4 October 2026. The NSW Government lists the change as 2am AEST becoming 3am AEDT, and the return as 3am AEDT becoming 2am AEST on 4 April 2027. The ACT follows the same dates and times.
Victoria
Melbourne and the rest of Victoria change at the same moment as NSW. For the next six months, Melbourne and Sydney share the same time, while Brisbane sits one hour behind.
Tasmania
Tasmania’s Daylight Saving Regulations 2017 set the period from 2am standard time on the first Sunday in October to 3am on the first Sunday in April. The Tasmanian Government’s own page confirms the 4 October 2026 start. Tasmania historically ran a longer daylight saving season, but it has been aligned with the mainland states since 2008.
South Australia
Adelaide moved from ACST to ACDT at 2am on 4 October 2026. Because South Australia’s standard time is already 30 minutes behind the eastern states, Adelaide stays 30 minutes behind Sydney and Melbourne during daylight saving.
Which states do not have daylight saving?
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory keep standard time all year.
- Queensland: stays on AEST (UTC+10). Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Cairns are one hour behind Sydney until April. Queensland voters rejected daylight saving at a referendum in 1992.
- Western Australia: stays on AWST (UTC+8). Perth is three hours behind Sydney during daylight saving, compared with two hours the rest of the year. WA has trialled daylight saving several times, and voters have rejected it at referendums, most recently in 2009.
- Northern Territory: stays on ACST (UTC+9:30). Darwin is one hour behind Adelaide during daylight saving, even though both use central time in winter.
Time differences across Australia during daylight saving
This table shows what time it is across the country when it is 12 noon in Sydney between 4 October 2026 and 4 April 2027.
| City | Local time | Difference from Sydney |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | 12:00pm | Same time |
| Adelaide | 11:30am | 30 minutes behind |
| Brisbane | 11:00am | 1 hour behind |
| Darwin | 10:30am | 1 hour 30 minutes behind |
| Perth | 9:00am | 3 hours behind |
Outside daylight saving, from April to October, the gaps shrink. Brisbane matches Sydney, Adelaide and Darwin share the same time 30 minutes behind Sydney, and Perth is two hours behind.
Why some states do not use daylight saving
The arguments have stayed fairly consistent over the decades. Supporters point to longer light evenings for sport, shopping and tourism, and easier business dealings with Sydney and Melbourne. Opponents in the tropical north argue that extra evening light matters less closer to the equator, where day length changes little across the year.
Farming communities have also raised concerns about work that starts at dawn. In Queensland, support has tended to be stronger in the south-east than in regional areas.
Local exceptions worth knowing
A few places do not follow the simple state-by-state pattern.
- Broken Hill, NSW: this outback city follows South Australian time, not Sydney time. It observes daylight saving on the South Australian schedule, so it uses ACDT (UTC+10:30) until April.
- Lord Howe Island, NSW: the island moves its clocks forward by only 30 minutes for daylight saving, not a full hour.
- Border towns: towns on the NSW and Queensland border, such as Tweed Heads and Coolangatta, sit an hour apart in summer despite being next to each other. Check which side of the border your booking is on.
Practical tips for travellers and businesses
Daylight saving causes most problems for people moving between states or working across them. A few habits help.
- Read flight times as local time. Airline tickets show departure and arrival in the local time of each airport. A Brisbane to Sydney flight in summer will appear to take an hour longer than it does.
- Set meeting invites with a time zone. Calendar apps adjust for daylight saving if the invite includes a city or zone. Our list of free productivity apps includes tools that handle this automatically.
- Check TV and live sport times. National broadcasts may air at different local times in Queensland, WA and the NT.
- Plan for school pick-ups and trading hours. Families near state borders, and businesses with staff in more than one state, should confirm which time a roster or bell schedule follows.
- Check overseas calls. Northern Hemisphere countries end their own summer time in late October and early November, so the gap between Australia and Europe or North America changes twice within a few weeks.
Planning a longer trip abroad next year? See our guide to the best countries to visit in 2027.
How the gap with the UK and Europe changes
Australia and Europe change their clocks in opposite directions at different times of the year. In early October, Sydney moved forward while London was still on British Summer Time. When the UK returns to GMT in late October, the gap widens again.
For example, once the UK is back on GMT (UTC+0) and Sydney is on AEDT (UTC+11), Sydney is 11 hours ahead of London. Perth, on UTC+8 all year, is eight hours ahead of London in the northern winter. Use a world clock app to confirm exact gaps around the changeover weekends.
Daylight saving dates at a glance
- Started: Sunday 4 October 2026, 2am standard time
- Ends: Sunday 4 April 2027, 3am daylight time
- Next expected start: under the first Sunday in October rule, Sunday 3 October 2027
- Observed in: NSW, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania, South Australia
- Not observed in: Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory
Frequently asked questions
When does daylight saving end in Australia in 2027?
Daylight saving ends at 3am daylight time on Sunday 4 April 2027, when clocks go back one hour to 2am in NSW, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia.
Does Queensland have daylight saving?
No. Queensland stays on AEST (UTC+10) all year, so Brisbane is one hour behind Sydney and Melbourne from October to April.
Do clocks go forward or back in October in Australia?
Clocks go forward one hour in October. On 4 October 2026, 2am became 3am in the five states and territories that observe daylight saving.
What is the time difference between Sydney and Perth during daylight saving?
Perth is three hours behind Sydney during daylight saving. For the rest of the year, the gap is two hours.
Does the Northern Territory change its clocks?
No. The Northern Territory stays on ACST (UTC+9:30) all year, so Darwin is one hour behind Adelaide during daylight saving.
Sources: NSW Government: Daylight saving, Tasmanian Government: Daylight saving in Tasmania, Tasmanian Legislation: Daylight Saving Regulations 2017, SBS News: Daylight saving in Australia explained.
