UK to Australia Meeting Times: Finding the Perfect Overlap

I've been scheduling UK-Australia calls for years. It's one of the worst timezone combinations in global business.

The gap ranges from 7 to 11 hours depending on the season and which Australian state you're dealing with. Someone always gets a bad slot.

Here's how to make it less painful.

The Time Gap Reality

The UK-Australia difference isn't fixed. It moves throughout the year based on daylight saving.

UK Runs On:

Winter: GMT (late October to late March)

Summer: BST, which is GMT+1 (late March to late October)

Australia Has Three Timezones:

Eastern (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra):

• AEST (UTC+10) in winter
• AEDT (UTC+11) in summer
• Except Queensland, which doesn't do DST

Central (Adelaide, Darwin):

• ACST (UTC+9:30) in winter
• ACDT (UTC+10:30) in summer
• Except Northern Territory (no DST)

Western (Perth):

• AWST (UTC+8) year-round
• No DST

The Math:

London to Sydney/Melbourne:

• November-March: 11 hours ahead (worst)
• April-October: 9 hours ahead (better)
• Transition weeks: 10 hours ahead (confusing)

London to Brisbane:

• UK winter: 10 hours ahead
• UK summer: 9 hours ahead

London to Perth:

• UK winter: 8 hours ahead (manageable!)
• UK summer: 7 hours ahead (even better)

When it's 9 AM Monday in London, it's already 8 PM Monday evening in Sydney (during Australian summer) or 6 PM (during their winter).

This shifts four times yearly because the UK and Australia change clocks on different dates.

Meeting Windows That Work

London + Sydney/Melbourne

Best option: 8-10 AM UK / 7-9 PM Sydney

UK gets early mornings (not terrible). Sydney wraps their day late (manageable).

You get two hours of overlap.

During Australian winter, 8 AM UK becomes 5 PM Sydney, which is even better for them.

Alternative: 6-8 PM UK / 5-7 AM Sydney next day

UK stays late. Sydney starts early.

Only works if your Australian folks are morning people. Ask first.

London + Brisbane

Brisbane doesn't do DST, which makes life easier.

Sweet spot: 8-10 AM UK / 6-8 PM Brisbane

Consistent all year (only UK's clock changes affect it). UK morning, Brisbane evening. Simple.

London + Perth

Perth is the easiest Australia call.

Golden window: 9 AM-12 PM UK / 5-8 PM Perth

Three full hours of overlap! Both teams in reasonable hours. This is as good as it gets for UK-Australia.

Extended option: 7-9 AM UK / 3-5 PM Perth

UK starts early, Perth is mid-afternoon. Works great for daily standups.

London + Multiple Australian Cities

Compromise time: 8 AM UK / 6 PM Melbourne / 5 PM Brisbane / 4 PM Perth

One meeting hits all major Australian cities at once. UK gets mornings, Australia gets late afternoons/evenings.

Not perfect for anyone, tolerable for everyone.

The DST Headache

UK and Australia change clocks in opposite seasons. This creates four different time gaps throughout the year.

2026 breakdown:

Jan-March: UK winter, Australia summer → Sydney 11 hours ahead (worst)

Late March-Early April: UK springs forward, Australia hasn't changed yet → 10 hours (transition chaos)

April-October: Both on "summer" time → Sydney 9 hours ahead (best period)

Late Oct-Dec: UK falls back, Australia springs forward → 11 hours ahead again (worst)

Key dates for 2026:

• March 29: UK springs forward
• April 5: Australia falls back
• October 4: Australia springs forward
• October 25: UK falls back

Use the meeting planner to handle this automatically, or check our 2026 DST guide.

Strategies That Work

Rotate Who Gets Screwed

Someone's always outside normal hours. Share the pain.

Week A: UK goes early (7 AM UK / 6 PM Sydney)

Week B: UK stays late (7 PM UK / 6 AM Sydney)

Rotate monthly or quarterly. Everyone takes a turn.

Go Async for Most Things

Save live meetings for:

• Strategy discussions
• Brainstorming
• Relationship building
• Hard decisions

Everything else? Slack it. Email it. Record a Loom.

Status updates, code reviews, documentation — these don't need real-time. See our async vs sync guide.

Split Into Regional Pods

UK has their own standups. Australia has theirs. Cross-team meetings happen weekly in that narrow overlap window.

Written handoffs bridge the gaps.

Follow-the-Sun Development

Turn the timezone gap into an advantage:

• UK works their day, hands off to Australia with notes
• Australia continues for their day
• Project moves forward 24/7
• Weekly syncs keep everyone aligned

Plan Around the Calendar

April-October: Schedule important stuff. The 9-hour gap is manageable.

November-March: The 11-hour gap is brutal. Minimize meetings, maximize async.

In-person visits: Aim for April-October when possible.

Meeting Best Practices

Before

Show both timezones in invites. "8 AM GMT / 7 PM AEDT" — always both, never just one.

Send agendas 24+ hours early. Let people contribute async. Limited sync time is precious.

Warn about DST changes a week ahead. Twice yearly, everything shifts. Communicate proactively.

During

Start and end on time. Someone joined at 8 PM or 6 AM. Respect that by respecting the clock.

Keep it focused. Use sync time for what needs discussion. Status updates go in Slack.

Record it. People who couldn't make it can catch up. Future team members will thank you.

After

Post notes immediately. Don't wait until "your morning" — it's already evening somewhere.

Clear action items with timezone context. "By EOD Friday Sydney time" not just "Friday."

Enable async follow-up. Dedicated Slack channels for questions that come up later.

Cultural Notes

UK folks: Generally stricter about work-life boundaries. "Out of hours" meetings are less normal. More indirect communication style.

Australian folks: More relaxed in many industries. Direct communication. "She'll be right" attitude. Strong work-life balance emphasis.

Holidays don't overlap: UK has bank holidays, Australia has ANZAC Day and Australia Day. Christmas hits during Australian summer — expect extended breaks.

Understanding these differences helps. Don't schedule around major holidays. Adjust communication style accordingly.

Common Mistakes

Ignoring DST: The gap changes four times yearly. March 29, April 5, October 4, October 25 in 2026. Mark them.

Always favoring one side: If UK always gets convenient morning slots, Australian resentment builds fast. Rotate.

Scheduling during transition weeks: Late March, early April, late October are confusing. Avoid important meetings then.

Forgetting Queensland doesn't do DST: Brisbane is different from Sydney half the year.

Expecting instant responses: With an 8-11 hour gap, "I'll get back to you today" is ambiguous. Be specific.

Tools That Help

• Whenest Meeting Planner**: Visualize both zones, find optimal windows
• Overlap Finder**: See when working hours actually align
• Time Zone Converter**: Quick DST-aware conversions

Check How It Works for walkthroughs.

Real Examples

Weekly standup: 8 AM UK / 7 PM Sydney, 30 minutes, recorded, UK starts fresh, Sydney wraps before dinner

Sprint planning: Alternating bi-weekly — one fortnight UK goes early (7 AM), next fortnight Australia goes early (5 AM). Fair rotation.

Leadership sync: 3 PM UK / 11 PM Perth. Perth's smaller gap makes late meetings tolerable occasionally.

Building the Right Culture

Say thank you when people join at weird hours.

Invest in relationships. Use some overlap time just to talk. Not about work.

Document everything. Written communication bridges gaps better than anything.

Be patient. A 10-hour delay isn't someone ignoring you. It's someone sleeping. Plan accordingly.

Read more in our time zone etiquette guide.

Bottom Line

UK-Australia is hard. 7-11 hour gap, opposite DST schedules, minimal overlap.

But it works when you: know the hours, rotate who gets the bad slot, go async for most things, use good tools, and respect each other's time.

April-October is easier (9-hour gap). November-March is rougher (11 hours). Plan accordingly.

Ready to find your overlap? Try the overlap finder for UK and Australian locations, or use the meeting planner to schedule your next call.