Sydney, New South Wales Sunrise & Sunset Times

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, sits on one of the world's most dramatic natural harbours where the Pacific Ocean pours through sandstone headlands into a glittering web of bays and coves. The city's climate is classified as humid subtropical, with warm summers, mild winters, and over 230 days of sunshine each year. From the iconic sails of the Opera House to the golden arc of Bondi Beach, Sydney's outdoor lifestyle is inseparable from its generous sunlight.

As a Southern Hemisphere city, Sydney's longest day falls around the December solstice, when the sun rises at 05:39 and sets at 20:06, delivering 14 hours 27 minutes of daylight — perfect for long beach sessions at Manly or twilight harbour cruises. At the June winter solstice, sunrise shifts to 06:58 and sunset to 16:55, yielding about 9 hours 56 minutes of daylight. Winter days remain bright and crisp, and the lower sun angle casts a warm glow across the sandstone cliffs of the harbour foreshore that photographers treasure.

The seasonal shift in sunrise time spans 79 minutes, a moderate swing that marks the rhythm between Sydney's sun-drenched summers and its shorter but still luminous winters. During the morning blue hour (05:09 – 05:39) and golden hour (05:39 – 06:39), the eastern facades of the Opera House catch the first warm light while the Harbour Bridge stands silhouetted against a pastel sky. In the evening golden hour (19:06 – 20:06) through blue hour (20:06 – 20:36), the sun descends behind the western harbour, turning the water to liquid gold and lighting up the skyline from Circular Quay to Barangaroo — a spectacle that draws photographers to Mrs Macquaries Chair night after night.