Today in Melbourne

Golden hour Sun up Twilight

Coordinates

Latitude-37.8136°
Longitude144.9631°
TimezoneAustralia/Melbourne
Elevation31 m

Sunrise, sunset and sun path in Melbourne

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia · -37.8136°, 144.9631° · Australia/Melbourne

Longest day
14h 47m
summer solstice
Shortest day
9h 32m
winter solstice
Highest sun
75.6°
midsummer noon
Lowest noon sun
28.8°
midwinter noon

The sun's path today

you stand at the centre; the rim is your horizon
Today Summer solstice Winter solstice

What the sun does here through the year

Melbourne sits at latitude -37.81°, which sets the whole shape of its year. The longest day runs to 14h 47m and the shortest shrinks to 9h 32m — a swing of 5h 15m between the two solstices.

The sun climbs to 75.6° above the horizon at midsummer noon, but only 28.8° at midwinter. That difference matters more than the daylight hours do, because a low sun is easily blocked: a 2 m fence casts a shadow 3.6 m long at midwinter noon here, against just 0.5 m in June.

Sunrise swings a long way round the horizon through the year. In Melbourne the sun comes up at a bearing of 121° (ESE) at the summer solstice and 61° (ENE) at the winter one — a spread of 60°. This is why a window that catches the sunrise in June can sit in shade all winter: the sun is simply rising somewhere else.

For anything you are aiming at the sun — solar panels, a greenhouse, a seating area — the useful rule here is that the sun spends the middle of the day roughly north of you, and reaches its yearly average noon height of about 52°. Panels at 32° facing north are close to the annual optimum at this latitude.

Sunrise and sunset by month in Melbourne

MonthSunriseSunsetDaylight Noon sunSunrise bearingSunset bearing
January 06:14 20:44 14h 29m 73.3° ESE 118° WSW 242°
February 06:49 20:19 13h 30m 64.9° ESE 107° WSW 253°
March 07:18 19:40 12h 22m 54.4° E 94° W 267°
April 06:46 17:54 11h 07m 42.5° ENE 78° WNW 282°
May 07:13 17:19 10h 06m 33.4° ENE 67° WNW 293°
June 07:33 17:07 9h 33m 28.9° ENE 61° WNW 299°
July 07:32 17:19 9h 47m 30.7° ENE 63° WNW 297°
August 07:05 17:44 10h 39m 38.1° ENE 73° WNW 287°
September 06:20 18:10 11h 49m 49.1° E 87° W 273°
October 06:35 19:36 13h 02m 60.7° E 101° W 259°
November 06:00 20:09 14h 09m 70.6° ESE 114° WSW 246°
December 05:52 20:37 14h 46m 75.4° ESE 121° WSW 239°

Calculated for the 15th of each month in 2026, local time, including daylight saving. Bearings are compass degrees from north.

Frequently asked

What time does the sun rise and set in Melbourne?

At the summer solstice the sun rises at 05:54 and sets at 20:41. At the winter solstice it rises at 07:35 and sets at 17:08. All times are local to Australia/Melbourne and include daylight saving where it applies.

How high does the sun get in Melbourne?

The midday sun reaches 75.6° above the horizon at the summer solstice and 28.8° at the winter solstice. At the equinoxes it sits at 52.4°.

How long is the longest day in Melbourne?

14h 47m from sunrise to sunset, against 9h 32m on the shortest day — a difference of 5h 15m.

Want this for your exact address?

These figures are for the centre of Melbourne. Sun times shift by only a few seconds per kilometre, so they hold across the whole city — but your own horizon does not. Use the tools to add the buildings, fences and trees that actually block your light.