Moving to a new country is not only about learning a language, getting to know new places, new experiences and flavours. You also need to immerse yourself in their routine, customs and habits to live the experience to the fullest.
The Australian population is one of the world's early risers, with almost half of Australians getting out of bed before 7am. This can have a major impact on foreign students from countries with nocturnal habits such as Latin America and Spain for example.
Eating habits in Australia can also be quite different from those in other countries. Australians usually have three meals a day:
- Breakfast, eaten in the morning, either light and cold in warmer seasons (cereal, toast, coffee) or hearty and hot in winter and cooler areas (bacon, eggs, sausages).
- Lunch, usually between 12 and 2 p.m., is a light meal, such as a sandwich or salad. However, with plenty of influence from their neighbouring countries, Australians often have curry, noodles, sushi or pizza on the menu.
- Dinner - (usually between 18:00 and 21:00) the main meal of the day takes place in the evening. They don't usually have a five o'clock tea as their evening meal is quite early.
Australia Hours of Daylight
The sun's path in the southern hemisphere makes Australia's summer days short and it's winter days long compared to Europe or the Northern Hemisphere. In December, the longest daylight is about 14:40 hours.
For example in Byron Bay, the most easterly city in Australia, located in the state of New South Wales, the sun rises at 5:40 a.m. and sets at 7:22 p.m. on the longest days of the year.
The winter solstice is on June 21st. This is the shortest day of the year and in Sydney for example, the day has 9 hours and 53 minutes of daylight, but this varies depending on how far north or south you are.
Australia is divided into three separate time zones
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST): UTC+10:00
States and territories under this time zone are Queensland, New South Wales (except Broken Hill), Victoria, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory. This is the most popular time in Australia’s population, as Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra run by this time.
- Australian Central Standard Time (ACST): UTC+09:30
States and territories under this time zone are South Australia, Northern Territory and the town of Broken Hill in western New South Wales. Cities like Adelaide, Darwin, Broken Hill use the ACST.
- Australian Western Standard Time (AWST): UTC+08:00
South Australia, Northern Territory and the town of Broken Hill in western New South Wales are under this time zone. Adelaide, Darwin, Broken Hill use AWST.
When is the Australia Time Change
Everyone in Australia is already used to Australia time daylight saving, but if you are a first-timer this is something that might take you by surprise. So, what is the reason for daylight savings time?
The idea behind the time change is to optimise sunlight in the northern hemisphere, where days begin to extend in the spring and shorten in the autumn. By moving the time forward and backward, an hour of sunlight is added to the end of the working day.
Arguments in favour of daylight saving time often focus on boosting evening activities. Rather than sitting on the sofa, people tend to spend more time outdoors when it is light after work - doing sports, walking, taking the children to the park and going out.
If you are wondering… Do clocks go forward or back in October in Australia?
The answer is Forward! Daylight Saving Time starts at 2am on the first Sunday of the month of October, when clocks are set forward one hour. It ends at 2am (which is 3am Daylight Saving Time) on the first Sunday in April, when clocks are set back one hour.
Daylight saving is observed in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island. With Daylight Saving, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory have a time difference of UTC+11:00.
Time Difference between Sydney and the rest of the World
- Time difference with Mexico City, Mexico: -17 hours
- Time difference Australia and New York, USA: -16 hours
- Time difference with Brasilia, Brazil: -14 hours
- Time difference Australia and Buenos Aires, Argentina: -14 hours
- Time difference Australia and Berlin, Germany: -10 hours
- Time difference with Madrid, Spain: -10 hours
- Time difference with London, England: -11 hours
- Time difference with Doha, Qatar: -8 hours
- Time difference with New Delhi, India: -5.30 hours
- Time difference Australia and Tokyo, Japan: -2 hours
Moving to Australia?
If you're thinking of moving to Australia, get a Student Visa! Student Visas are a great pathway to Permanent Residence and will give you time see if it's really what you're looking for.
At Study Destination we give you free advice to help you find the course that best suits your interests and needs. Contact us now!
