Current Time in Sydney
Australia — Australia/Sydney
About Time in Sydney
Sydney operates on Australian Eastern Standard Time (IANA: Australia/Sydney). During standard time, this is AEST at UTC+10. From the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April, clocks move forward to Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) at UTC+11. Note that Australian DST runs during the Southern Hemisphere's summer (October-April), which is the opposite of Northern Hemisphere DST schedules.
Sydney is 15 hours ahead of New York during EST (when Sydney is on AEDT) and 14 hours ahead during EDT (when Sydney is on AEST). It is 11 hours ahead of London during AEDT and 10 hours ahead during GMT. Sydney is 2 hours ahead of Tokyo during AEDT and 1 hour ahead during AEST. The opposing DST schedules between Australia and the Northern Hemisphere mean that the time difference between Sydney and cities like New York or London changes four times a year.
Sydney's timezone creates unique challenges for international business. When it is Monday morning in Sydney, it is still Sunday evening in most of the world. The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) opens at 10:00 AM AEST/AEDT and closes at 4:00 PM, with its morning session overlapping with the end of the previous day's trading in New York. Sydney's position in the Asia-Pacific region means it has good overlap with Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong during standard business hours.
Time Facts
Australia has three mainland time zones (AWST UTC+8, ACST UTC+9:30, AEST UTC+10) and some states observe DST while others do not — Queensland, for instance, is also AEST but does not use DST, meaning Sydney and Brisbane are on different times for half the year.
Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks over the Harbour Bridge are among the first major celebrations globally — at midnight AEDT (UTC+11), it is only 1:00 PM on December 31 in London and 8:00 AM in New York.
The opposing DST schedules mean the time difference between Sydney and London ranges from 9 hours (UK summer, Australia winter) to 11 hours (UK winter, Australia summer), with brief transition periods of 10 hours.
Sydney's famous Bondi Beach lifeguards adjust their patrol hours seasonally — from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM AEDT in summer to 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM AEST in winter, reflecting the significant daylight variation at 33.9 S latitude.
Business Hours
Standard business hours in Sydney are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM AEST/AEDT (23:00-07:00 UTC during AEST, 22:00-06:00 UTC during AEDT).