Time in South Australia (SA), Australia 🇦🇺
The current local time in South Australia, Australia is anchored on Adelaide. The state uses the Australia/Adelaide time zone (UTC +10:30).
South Australia local time
Friday, 23 October 2026 ACDT
State information
South Australia
State of Australia
Population: 1,781,516
Code: SA
Time zone
IANA: Australia/Adelaide
UTC offset: +10:30
Daylight saving: Yes — back 5 April, forward 4 October
Country: Australia
How time works in South Australia
South Australia uses ACST (UTC +09:30), a half-hour offset, with daylight saving taking it to UTC +10:30 between October and April.
Time difference across Australia
How the clock in South Australia compares with other Australia regions on this site. Where the January and July figures differ, only one side observes daylight saving time.
| Region | Time zone | January | July |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | Australia/Perth | −2:30 h | −1:30 h |
| Queensland | Australia/Brisbane | −0:30 h | +0:30 h |
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia/Sydney | +0:30 h | +0:30 h |
| New South Wales | Australia/Sydney | +0:30 h | +0:30 h |
| Victoria | Australia/Melbourne | +0:30 h | +0:30 h |
Public holidays in South Australia in 2026
15 public holidays apply in South Australia, 5 of them regional (marked below) and not observed across all of Australia.
| Date | Holiday | |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | New Year's Day | |
| Mon 26 Jan | Australia Day | |
| Mon 9 Mar | Adelaide Cup Day | Regional |
| Fri 3 Apr | Good Friday | |
| Sat 4 Apr | Easter Saturday | |
| Sun 5 Apr | Easter Sunday | |
| Mon 6 Apr | Easter Monday | |
| Sat 25 Apr | Anzac Day | |
| Mon 8 Jun | King's Birthday | Regional |
| Mon 5 Oct | Labour Day | Regional |
| Thu 24 Dec | Christmas Eve | Regional |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day | |
| Sat 26 Dec | Proclamation Day | |
| Mon 28 Dec | Proclamation Day | |
| Thu 31 Dec | New Year's Eve | Regional |
South Australia vs. major cities
How far South Australia is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in South Australia, 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 South Australia | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | −14:30 h | 18:30 (prev. day) | None |
| Los Angeles · United States | −17:30 h | 15:30 (prev. day) | 09:00–10:30 |
| São Paulo · Brazil | −13:30 h | 19:30 (prev. day) | None |
| London · United Kingdom | −9:30 h | 23:30 (prev. day) | None |
| Paris · France | −8:30 h | 00:30 | None |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | −8:30 h | 00:30 | None |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | −6:30 h | 02:30 | 15:30–17:00 |
| Delhi · India | −5 h | 04:00 | 14:00–17:00 |
| Singapore · Singapore | −2:30 h | 06:30 | 11:30–17:00 |
| Beijing · China | −2:30 h | 06:30 | 11:30–17:00 |
Shared office hours are shown in South Australia 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.
Clock changes in South Australia
Since 1970, South Australia 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 +09:30 with UTC +10:30 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 +09:30 |
| Sunday, 4 October 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC +10:30 |
| Sunday, 4 April 2027 | Back 1 hour | 03:00 → 02:00 | UTC +09:30 |
| Sunday, 3 October 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC +10:30 |
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 +09:30 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1971 | UTC +10:30 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1972–2026 | UTC +09:30, DST UTC +10:30 | 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.
South Australia time questions
- What time zone is South Australia in?
- Most of South Australia uses the Australia/Adelaide time zone: UTC +09:30, +10:30 during DST. Some areas differ — see the notes on this page.
- Does South Australia observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. In 2026 clocks go back on Sunday, 5 April 2026 at 03:00 and go forward on Sunday, 4 October 2026 at 02:00.
- How many public holidays does South Australia have in 2026?
- 15 public holidays apply in South Australia in 2026, including 5 that are not on the national list: Adelaide Cup Day (Monday 9 March), King's Birthday (Monday 8 June), Labour Day (Monday 5 October), Christmas Eve (Thursday 24 December), New Year's Eve (Thursday 31 December).
Explore South Australia
More on South Australia: the country overview, the exact IANA zone, and tools for Adelaide.