How many time zones are in Australia and what are they called?

Answer 1

Australia has three time zones - Eastern ( EST), Central (CST), and Western (WST) Standard Time. Sometimes the zones are prefaced with the word 'Australian' to distinguish them from those of the US.

• EST - Queensland, New South Wales except Broken Hill, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.
• CST - South Australia and Broken Hill, and the Northern Territory.
• WST - Western Australia.

Daylight Savings complicates this arrangement as different states start and finish on different dates, and Queensland and the NT don't have it at all. See the Related Links below for help on determining the current situation.

Answer

There is also a semi-official time zone on the WA/SA border, as far as Cocklebiddy in WA on the Nullarbor Plain. This is called Central Western Time and is halfway between WA & SA time, or 45 minutes ahead of Perth (WST) time. The External Territory of Norfolk Island has a unique time zone, 1.5 hours ahead (UTC plus 11:30hr) of Eastern Standard Time, and does not have daylight saving. The External Territories of Christmas Island (UTC + 7hr) and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (UTC +6:30hr) also differ from mainland Australia.