Oz Life (X): Time Zones (OJG)
Most of the things that I have seen (and therefor written about) in Australia have had a bit more common sense applied to them than other countries... well here is a prime example where that all falls apart!
The time zones in Oz are really crazy, I still have no idea how it all works, I doubt if all Australians know all the peculiarities, and in order to write this with any sort of factual content I had to do a fair bit of research!
Ok, first of all the basics, Australia traverses 3 time zones, and as such you would be right to expect some time differences. Of course even this is not simple, and although the West part adapts GMT+8 and the East parts uses GMT+10, the central strip decided to go with GMT+9hrs 30mins. So when going from Northern Territory to Queensland there is only a 30 minute difference, hardly seems worth it!
So far then, 3 time zones to remember...
Now, the next piece of the puzzle, daylight saving! Most of the Southern based states of Australia use Daylight Saving in the summer, which creates two new time zones of GMT+10.5 and GMT+11. Western Australia which is the only state to stretch from the South to the North did not have daylight saving until a few months ago, when it was suddenly put forward a trial in state government, and within 2 months it had been passed as law and put into action with almost immediate effect.
Most of the areas start their daylight saving at the same time, but some do not. Tasmania specifically starts theirs nearly a month earlier. I believe some smaller areas stop later.
So now there are 5 zones to remember, and plenty of dates (and don't bother writing it stone, things change very quickly)...
Now the final piece, peculiarities! There are too many to mention, but I will try and give a few examples. Some small towns that are close to the borders adapt the time zone of their neighbouring state, such as Broken Hill in NSW. Other remote towns have decided to create a time zone of their own, specifying that it be half the difference of the two closest time zones; GMT+8hrs 45mins !!! Finally, when special events have taken place such as the Olympics and more recently the Commonwealth Games, the daylight savings dates have been changed in order to accommodate the event.
So, 3 time zones for half the year, 5 time zones the other half, several mini time zones, plenty of different dates (which can change at a moments notice), and I haven't even mentioned any of the islands. Yes, this has definitely been designed to confuse.
The time zones in Oz are really crazy, I still have no idea how it all works, I doubt if all Australians know all the peculiarities, and in order to write this with any sort of factual content I had to do a fair bit of research!Ok, first of all the basics, Australia traverses 3 time zones, and as such you would be right to expect some time differences. Of course even this is not simple, and although the West part adapts GMT+8 and the East parts uses GMT+10, the central strip decided to go with GMT+9hrs 30mins. So when going from Northern Territory to Queensland there is only a 30 minute difference, hardly seems worth it!
So far then, 3 time zones to remember...
Now, the next piece of the puzzle, daylight saving! Most of the Southern based states of Australia use Daylight Saving in the summer, which creates two new time zones of GMT+10.5 and GMT+11. Western Australia which is the only state to stretch from the South to the North did not have daylight saving until a few months ago, when it was suddenly put forward a trial in state government, and within 2 months it had been passed as law and put into action with almost immediate effect.
Most of the areas start their daylight saving at the same time, but some do not. Tasmania specifically starts theirs nearly a month earlier. I believe some smaller areas stop later.So now there are 5 zones to remember, and plenty of dates (and don't bother writing it stone, things change very quickly)...
Now the final piece, peculiarities! There are too many to mention, but I will try and give a few examples. Some small towns that are close to the borders adapt the time zone of their neighbouring state, such as Broken Hill in NSW. Other remote towns have decided to create a time zone of their own, specifying that it be half the difference of the two closest time zones; GMT+8hrs 45mins !!! Finally, when special events have taken place such as the Olympics and more recently the Commonwealth Games, the daylight savings dates have been changed in order to accommodate the event.
So, 3 time zones for half the year, 5 time zones the other half, several mini time zones, plenty of different dates (which can change at a moments notice), and I haven't even mentioned any of the islands. Yes, this has definitely been designed to confuse.
3 comments:
Just wanted to wish you both a safe journey and good luck adapting to the climate change! Spending time in the tropics thins your blood, so you'll feel the cold much more - a perfect excuse for plenty of stodgy puddings. Sorry to hear Dil wasn't well, honestly, there's few things worse than being ill when you're far from comforts and familiars, as it were. At least you didn't have a language barrier to contend with!
Mozzies? I f**king hate them. I've been showing plots of land to people recently, and had encounters with 'yoong bpaa'- forest mosquitoes, which are completely different to regular coastal mozzies. Before I go off on one of these tedious ventures, I smother myself in Jaico, even my ears and temples, and still manage to get bitten in odd places, like under one of my chins or on a bit of thinning scalp (where you'd think there wasn't enough blood to make it worthwhile)! Forest mozzies also gift one with a different kind of bite, it itches for HOURS (often a whole 24-hour DAY) and actually elicits sympathy from locals instead of the usual hoots of derision. For my pains, the prices go up each trek!
The Ghastly Season is upon us with a vengeance! Money before Buddha, obviously. To add to the festive fun, we get power-cuts almost daily, since in normal times, we apparently use an average of 77gws of electricity a day (or 'electric-city' as it is called here), and only have a supply of 72gws from the mainland. The new 55gws under-sea pipe won't be ready for another 6 months, which translated means 'this year, next year, sometime, never'! But now that our customary million tourists have arrived, with their copious demands for aircon and long hot-water showers, the cuts are rife. We're almost out of candles. At least we didn't get flooded this year like we did last.
Hope you keep the blog up when you're back in Blighty, re-uniting with what you've missed and confirmations of why you left in the first place! It's an odd mix.
Keep well, both of you, and have FUN - Ho! Ho! Ho!
xxx
addendum to the mozzie thang...
It is an amusing custom amongst locals to slap someone on an exposed area of skin, and when the victim looks up in anger and
surprise, the slapper laughs and says "Yoong!" as if they'd done you a service by slapping off a mosquito. Har, har!
Over an indulgent Western feast with Double Dutch a few nights ago, we came up with the perfect
revenge. We are going to get a tattoo of a squashed mosquito in the centre of our palms.....
trying to work out all the time zones has given me a headache. there's only so much my brain can take in Oly!!!
Post a Comment