Current time in Sydney, Australia
The current local time in Sydney is shown below. Sydney observes AEST in winter and AEDT during daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time
Sunrise & sunset today
Timezone facts
Sydney in context
Sydney sits on a deep natural harbour on the south-eastern coast of Australia, the capital of New South Wales and the largest city in the country by population. The metropolitan area holds around 5.4 million residents across a sprawl that extends from the Pacific Ocean inland to the Blue Mountains. The harbour itself, formed by the drowned valley of the Parramatta River, divides the city into northern and southern halves connected primarily by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Eastern Distributor tunnels.
Timezone history of Sydney
Sydney follows Australian Eastern Standard Time at UTC+10, switching to Australian Eastern Daylight Time at UTC+11 from the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April. This is unusual among Australian states: Queensland and the Northern Territory hold to standard time year-round, and Western Australia abandoned daylight saving after a 2009 referendum. The mid-winter Sydney-to-Brisbane meeting therefore aligns easily, but for several summer months Brisbane sits one hour behind Sydney despite being on the same nominal timezone.
Working hours in Sydney
Sydney working hours follow Australian office norms of 09:00 to 17:00, with the financial sector centred on the eastern edge of the central business district starting earlier to track Asian markets. The working year is shaped by an extended summer holiday from late December into early February, when many offices effectively pause operations as staff take leave around Christmas and the school holidays. Public holidays unique to Australia include 26 January (Australia Day) and 25 April (ANZAC Day), alongside the conventional Christmas and New Year closures.