Daylight Saving in New South Wales
When the clocks change in New South Wales, which way they go, and how Sydney time compares with the rest of the country.
Daylight saving starts on Sunday 4 October 2026
Clocks go forward one hour — 2:00am AEST becomes 3:00am AEDT.
New South Wales local time
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory change their clocks. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not, so their clocks stay on standard time all year.
Clocks in New South Wales at a glance
- Winter (UTC+10)
- AEST
- Summer (UTC+11)
- AEDT
- Changeover, AEST
- 2:00am
New South Wales runs on AEST (UTC+10) for the cooler half of the year and AEDT (UTC+11) for the warmer half. The switch happens overnight on a Sunday: 2:00am AEST becomes 3:00am AEDT in October, and 3:00am AEDT becomes 2:00am AEST in April.
Daylight saving dates by year
| Year | Daylight saving ends | Daylight saving starts |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 5 April 2026 | Sunday 4 October 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday 4 April 2027 | Sunday 3 October 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday 2 April 2028 | Sunday 1 October 2028 |
Each changeover happens at the same local time in every state that observes daylight saving, so the dates are identical across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
The clock change and NSW long weekends
- Sunday 4 October 2026 — daylight saving startsThe clocks go forward inside the Labour Day long weekend (Sat, 3 Oct - Mon, 5 Oct).
- Sunday 4 April 2027 — daylight saving endsThe clocks go back on an ordinary weekend in New South Wales — no public holiday attached.
Which public holidays land beside a changeover shifts from year to year. See every NSW long weekend.
Sydney time compared with the rest of Australia
| State | October to April | April to October |
|---|---|---|
| VIC | Same time (AEDT) | Same time (AEST) |
| QLD | 1 hour behind (AEST) | Same time (AEST) |
| SA | 30 minutes behind (ACDT) | 30 minutes behind (ACST) |
| WA | 3 hours behind (AWST) | 2 hours behind (AWST) |
| TAS | Same time (AEDT) | Same time (AEST) |
| NT | 1 hour 30 minutes behind (ACST) | 30 minutes behind (ACST) |
| ACT | Same time (AEDT) | Same time (AEST) |
Differences are measured from Sydney. Both columns are fixed: standard-time offsets never move, and daylight saving adds exactly one hour in the states that observe it.
Local exceptions in New South Wales
Lord Howe Island moves its clocks by half an hour
Lord Howe Island keeps its own time. It sits on UTC+10:30 through winter — half an hour ahead of the New South Wales mainland — and moves forward by 30 minutes rather than a full hour when daylight saving starts, to UTC+11. That puts the island on the same clock as Sydney for the daylight saving months.
Broken Hill keeps South Australian time
Broken Hill runs on central time rather than eastern time: ACST through winter and ACDT during daylight saving, half an hour behind the rest of New South Wales all year. The clocks there still change on the same weekend as everywhere else in the state.
Frequently asked questions
Do the clocks go forward or back in New South Wales?
Both, once each a year. They go forward one hour when daylight saving starts on the first Sunday in October, and back one hour when it ends on the first Sunday in April. Either way the change happens at 2:00am AEST — 2:00am AEST becomes 3:00am AEDT in October, and 3:00am AEDT becomes 2:00am AEST in April.
When do the clocks change in New South Wales?
In New South Wales, daylight saving starts on Sunday 4 October 2026 and ends on Sunday 4 April 2027. Both changes fall on a Sunday, and the dates are the same in every state that observes daylight saving.
Do you get an extra hour of sleep when daylight saving ends in New South Wales?
Yes. At the April changeover the clocks go back from 3:00am AEDT to 2:00am AEST, so that Sunday runs for 25 hours and you get the hour back. The October changeover is the other way around: 2:00am jumps straight to 3:00am and that Sunday is 23 hours long.
What time zone is New South Wales on?
New South Wales is on AEST (UTC+10) from April to October, and AEDT (UTC+11) from October to April while daylight saving is on. Sydney keeps that clock, but Lord Howe Island and Broken Hill do not — see the local exceptions below.
Do phones and computers change the time automatically?
Yes. The NSW Government puts it plainly: most modern devices, such as smartphones, adjust for daylight saving on their own, while analogue clocks have to be changed by hand. So a phone, computer or smart speaker set to update its time zone automatically needs nothing from you, and wall clocks, ovens, microwaves and many car dashboards do.
Daylight saving in another state
Related tools
Picked for New South Wales.
Printable calendar
Print a calendar with public holidays and school terms, or save it as a PDF.
Is today a public holiday?
Check today's public holiday status in every state and territory.
Calendar subscriptions
Add public holidays to Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook.
Leave planner
Find the best dates to book annual leave around public holidays.
