Daylight Saving Time in Melbourne
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Article published: 10th October 2023
Being aware of and understanding Melbourne’s time zone and daylight saving is essential.
In this post, we will discuss Melbourne daylight saving and those twice yearly clock adjustments that will leave you feeling like you’ve gained or lost precious hours of sleep.
Ultimately, as you will see, it all makes sense.
Contents
Melbourne Time Zone
Let us first look at the time zone Melbourne is in.
Melbourne (and the whole state of Victoria) is in the Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) zone. This time is plus 10 of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). You will also see this written as UTC +10:00.
Remember AEST for later in the text.
What does UTC +10:00 mean?
AEST or UTC +10:00 means that the local time is 10 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
For example, if it is 12:00 PM UTC, the local time in a UTC +10:00 location (for example, Melbourne) would be 10:00 PM.
This is Melbourne’s standard time zone for most of the year. But it is not that simple. There is an interesting twist that occurs during daylight saving time.
About Melbourne Daylight Saving Time
Melbourne and the state of Victoria have Daylight Saving Time.
This is a common practice in many places in the world where clocks are adjusted forward by one hour during the warmer months of the year to make better use of natural daylight in the evenings.
Simply, you put your clock one hour forward at the start of daylight saving and put back one hour when it ends.
During Daylight Saving Time, Melbourne and Victoria operate one hour ahead of the usual AEST. In other words, UTC+11. This time is called the Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).
Is Melbourne on Daylight Saving?
To know whether Melbourne is currently on Daylight Saving Time, we need to be aware of the starting and finishing dates for daylight saving time in Victoria.
When does Daylight Saving start?
Melbourne transitions to AEDT (Daylight Savings starts) on the first Sunday in October. During this change, clocks are set forward by one hour at 2:00 AM local time, becoming 3:00 AM AEDT. The change to daylight saving time makes it easier to enjoy Melbourne outdoor activities and exciting night life.
When does Daylight Saving end?
On the other hand, Daylight Savings ends in April. Melbourne switches back to AEST on the first Sunday in April. At 3:00 AM AEDT, clocks are set back to 2:00 AM AEST. This change means the end of daylight saving time, meaning the arrival of cooler weather and shorter daylight hours.
Is Melbourne currently AEST or AEDT?
As we discussed above, this question will depend on the time of the year. Melbourne goes into AEDT on the first Sunday in October and switches back to AEST on the first Sunday in April.
Let’s look at it for 2022, 2023 and 2024.
2022/ 2023 Melbourne Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time / AEDT begins (and AEST ends) on Sunday 2nd October 2022 (at 2am).
Daylight Saving Time / AEDT ends (and AEST starts) on Sunday 2nd April 2023 (at 3am).
2023/ 2024 Melbourne Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time / AEDT begins (and AEST ends) on Sunday 1st October 2023 (at 2am).
Daylight Saving Time / AEDT ends (and AEST starts) on Sunday 7th April 2024 (at 3am).
Do we gain or lose an hour in Melbourne?
The idea of gaining or losing time is a bit of a strange one. Let’s look at it in some detail.
When daylight saving time begins in October, and clocks move forward by an hour, you lose an hour of sleep on that night. But you are gaining an extra hour of daylight in the evenings and it means warmer weather is coming.
On the other hand, when daylight saving time ends (in April), and clocks are placed back by one hour, you get an extra hour of sleep on that one night. But it also signifies colder months coming as well as shorter days.
Do the clocks go forward or back in October?
In October every year, clocks in Melbourne go forward by an hour, signalling the start of daylight saving time.
Do the clocks go forward or back in April?
In April, clocks in Melbourne go back by an hour, signalling the start of daylight saving time.
References
- Coordinated Universal time, from official Wikipedia page, accessed October 2023, link here
- Daylight Saving, Business Victoria Government page, accessed October 2023
Disclaimer: While Melbourne Buddy make every effort to keep the information on this page up to date and correct, no guarantees are made to the accuracy of the daylight savings time information provided. Mistakes can and do happen and some of the information provided may be incorrect or out of date. Always confirm everything with official resources and do your own research.
