Time in Canberra, Australia 🇦🇺
The current local time in Canberra, Australia is shown below — the city is in the Australia/Sydney time zone (UTC +11:00 · AEDT).
Canberra local time
Friday, 23 October 2026 AEDT
Canberra at a glance
- Time zone
Australia/Sydney· Australian Eastern Standard Time- UTC offset now
- +11:00 AEDT
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC +10:00 / +11:00
- Coordinates
- 35.28° S, 149.13° E
- Population
- 426,704
- Country
- Australia · ISO AU
- Dialing code
- +61
- Currency
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Left
Canberra right now
Time difference
Canberra is shown here relative to your device's time zone.
Planning a call? Compare hours side by side in the time zone converter.
Upcoming public holidays
- Christmas Day Fri, Dec 25, 2026
- Boxing Day Sat, Dec 26, 2026
- Boxing Day (substitute day) Mon, Dec 28, 2026
- New Year's Day Fri, Jan 1, 2027
Sun today
Sunrise 06:12 · Sunset 19:25
Day length 13h 13m · twilight and monthly table →
Canberra time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Canberra doesn't overlap with 09:00–17:00 UTC. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Canberra | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Canberra vs. major cities
How far Canberra is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Canberra, and which hours of a 09:00–17:00 day the two places share. Daylight saving changes are applied automatically.
| City | Difference | At 09:00 in Canberra | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | −15 h | 18:00 (prev. day) | None |
| Los Angeles · United States | −18 h | 15:00 (prev. day) | 09:00–11:00 |
| São Paulo · Brazil | −14 h | 19:00 (prev. day) | None |
| London · United Kingdom | −10 h | 23:00 (prev. day) | None |
| Paris · France | −9 h | 00:00 | None |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | −9 h | 00:00 | None |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | −7 h | 02:00 | 16:00–17:00 |
| Delhi · India | −5:30 h | 03:30 | 14:30–17:00 |
| Singapore · Singapore | −3 h | 06:00 | 12:00–17:00 |
| Beijing · China | −3 h | 06:00 | 12:00–17:00 |
Shared office hours are shown in Canberra time. Compare any set of cities hour by hour in the time zone converter, or pick a slot that suits everyone with the event planner.
Cities near Canberra
The closest places to Canberra among the cities we track, measured in a straight line from the city centre. Some of them keep a different clock, so check the time difference before crossing a border or booking a call.
| City | Distance | Time difference |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 250 km (150 mi) northeast | Same time |
| Melbourne | 470 km (290 mi) southwest | Same time |
| Brisbane | 940 km (590 mi) northeast | −1 h / Same time |
| Adelaide | 960 km (600 mi) west | −0:30 h |
| Christchurch · New Zealand | 2,210 km (1,370 mi) southeast | +2 h |
| Auckland · New Zealand | 2,300 km (1,430 mi) east | +2 h |
| Wellington · New Zealand | 2,330 km (1,450 mi) southeast | +2 h |
| Perth | 3,090 km (1,920 mi) west | −3 h / −2 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Canberra.
Clock time vs. sun time in Canberra
Canberra's standard offset, UTC +10:00, is based on the 150° E meridian; the city itself lies at 149.13° E, 0.9° west of it. Its clocks are therefore within 3 minutes of local solar time in standard time (1 h 3 min off during daylight saving time). Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 11:54 (around 1 October) and 13:19 (around 12 February) on the clock.
How dates and times are written in Canberra
- Short date
- 22/10/2026 · DD/MM/YYYY
- Long date
- 22 October 2026
- Time
- 3:30 pm · 12-hour clock
- Week starts on
- Monday
Examples show 22 October 2026 at 15:30 using the Unicode CLDR conventions for en-AU, Australia's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Canberra
Since 1970, Canberra has gone through 3 distinct time-keeping periods, observing daylight saving time in 55 of 57 years. The current pattern, in place since 1972, is UTC +10:00 with UTC +11:00 in daylight saving time. Clocks currently go forward on the first Sunday in October and back on the first Sunday in April, a rule in place since 2008.
| Date | Change | Local clock | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 5 April 2026 | Back 1 hour | 03:00 → 02:00 | UTC +10:00 |
| Sunday, 4 October 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC +11:00 |
| Sunday, 4 April 2027 | Back 1 hour | 03:00 → 02:00 | UTC +10:00 |
| Sunday, 3 October 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC +11:00 |
When clocks go forward, sunrise and sunset both happen an hour later by the clock — darker mornings, lighter evenings — and the night of the change is an hour shorter. When they go back, the reverse applies.
Time zone history since 1970 (3 periods)
| Years | Offset | Daylight saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | UTC +10:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1971 | UTC +11:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1972–2026 | UTC +10:00, DST UTC +11:00 | Forward on the first Sunday in October, back on the first Sunday in April (since 2008) |
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Daylight in Canberra through the year
The longest day in Canberra is 22 December with 14h 32m of daylight; the shortest is 22 June with 9h 46m. Day length swings by 4 h 46 min over the year, with the long days falling in the southern summer (December–January). The earliest sunrise is at 05:39 on 3 October and the latest sunset at 20:23 on 4 January — the early sunrise comes just before clocks go forward on Sunday, 4 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Canberra in?
Canberra uses the Australia/Sydney time zone (AEST / AEDT): UTC +10:00 in standard time and UTC +11:00 during daylight saving time. Australia spans more than one time zone, so other cities in the country may show a different time.
Does Canberra observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Canberra go back on Sunday, 5 April 2026 at 03:00 and forward on Sunday, 4 October 2026 at 02:00.
When is the longest day of the year in Canberra?
Around 22 December, with 14h 32m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 June, with 9h 46m.
What is the dialing code for Canberra?
To call Canberra from abroad, dial your international access code, then Australia's country code +61, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Canberra?
The standard work week in Australia runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Keep this in mind when scheduling calls from countries with a different weekend.
What is the nearest city to Canberra on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Brisbane, about 940 km (590 mi) to the northeast. It is 1 h behind Canberra in January and the same time as it in July.
How are dates and times written in Canberra?
Following the en-AU conventions in the Unicode CLDR, a short date is written DD/MM/YYYY (22/10/2026) and times usually use the 12-hour clock (3:30 pm). Calendars start the week on Monday.
Explore more for Canberra
Everything else we track for Canberra: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.