Nullarbor Time Zones

Crossing the Nullarbor you pass through three different times — and one of them isn't official. Here's what the clocks do between Western Australia and South Australia.

The three times on the Eyre Highway

Where	Time	Daylight saving?
Western Australia, up to and including Caiguna	Western time (UTC+8)	No
Just east of Caiguna to Border Village — Cocklebiddy, Madura, Mundrabilla, Eucla and Border Village	Central Western time (UTC+8:45) — unofficial	No
South Australia, from Nullarbor Roadhouse east	Central time (UTC+9:30)	Yes — UTC+10:30 in summer

Central Western time: the Nullarbor's own time zone

For about 340 kilometres, from just east of Caiguna to Border Village on the South Australian side, the roadhouses keep their own time: 45 minutes ahead of Perth. Locals call it “Eucla time”. It is a compromise between Western and Central time, and it has no legal status — but it's the time the roadhouses, motels and restaurants in that stretch run on. There are signs on the highway telling you to adjust your clocks.

Watch your phone. Because Central Western time isn't official, phones don't switch to it — yours will show Perth time (or South Australian time) unless you change it by hand. If you're relying on a roadhouse's opening or closing time in this stretch, work it out in Eucla time.

How big is the jump at the border?

South Australia uses daylight saving and Western Australia doesn't, so the difference changes through the year. South Australian daylight saving runs from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April.

Moving between	April–October	October–April
Perth time → Eucla time	+45 min	+45 min
Eucla time → South Australian time	+45 min	+1 hr 45 min
Perth time → South Australian time (total)	+1 hr 30 min	+2 hr 30 min

Heading east you lose that time; heading west you gain it back. In summer, a crossing from Perth to Adelaide puts your watch forward two and a half hours, so allow for it when you plan how far to drive each day — and remember that kangaroos and other wildlife are most active around dusk.

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