Sun position in Gold Coast

Where the sun stands over Gold Coast, Australia (-28.0003°, 153.4309°) - today's sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length and shadow length, plus the sun path across the whole year.

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Sun times in Gold Coast on 4 November 2026

Local time in Gold Coast, UTC+10, with no daylight saving time.
Sunrise04:53rises toward ESE (108°)
Solar noon11:30sun 77.3° above the horizon
Sunset18:08sets toward WSW (252°)
Day length13 h 15 min 
Civil dawn04:28first usable light
Civil dusk18:32last usable light
Golden hour, morning04:53–05:25warm low light
Golden hour, evening17:35–18:08warm low light
Shadow at noon0.22 mper metre of height

Times are computed for -28.0003°, 153.4309° and refreshed every day. For any other date, an exact azimuth or a shadow drawn on the map, open the interactive sun position map for Gold Coast.

The sun’s path over Gold Coast

How high the sun stands and where, from sunrise to sunset: today, at both solstices and at the equinox. The higher a curve climbs, the higher the sun; where a curve meets the bottom line, the sun rises or sets at that compass bearing.

Sun path over Gold Coast 10° 20° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° S SW W NW N NE E SE S 0° 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00
  • Today, 4 November
  • 21 June
  • Equinox, March and September
  • 21 December

The sun's altitude against its compass bearing over Gold Coast. On 21 June the sun rises at 64° (ENE), climbs to 38.6° at solar noon and sets at 296° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 117° (ESE), climbs to 85.4° at solar noon and sets at 243° (WSW).

The sun through the year in Gold Coast

Sunrise, sunset, day length, noon altitude and noon shadow on the 15th of each month, on the local clock
MonthSunriseSunsetDay lengthNoon altitudeNoon shadow
January05:0418:4713 h 43 min83.1°0.1 m
February05:2918:3213 h 03 min74.7°0.3 m
March05:4718:0312 h 17 min64.2°0.5 m
April06:0317:2911 h 26 min52.3°0.8 m
May06:2017:0510 h 44 min43.2°1.1 m
June06:3516:5810 h 23 min38.7°1.2 m
July06:3717:0810 h 31 min40.5°1.2 m
August06:1817:2411 h 06 min47.9°0.9 m
September05:4517:3911 h 54 min58.9°0.6 m
October05:1017:5412 h 44 min70.5°0.4 m
November04:4618:1613 h 30 min80.4°0.2 m
December04:4418:3813 h 54 min85.3°0.1 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 85.4° above the horizon in Gold Coast and the day lasts 13 h 55 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 38.6° and the day shrinks to 10 h 22 min. That difference is what decides whether a garden, a window or a solar array sees the sun in winter. The noon shadow column gives the length of the shadow of anything one metre tall.

Gold Coast through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day22 December13 h 55 min, 04:47–18:42
Shortest day21 June10 h 22 min, 06:37–16:59
Earliest sunrise2 December04:42
Latest sunrise2 July06:38
Earliest sunset10 June16:58
Latest sunset11 January18:47
Highest midday sun22 December85.4°
Lowest midday sun21 June38.6°
Sunrise directionthrough the year64° ENE (21 June) to 117° ESE (22 December)
Sunset directionthrough the year243° WSW (22 December) to 296° WNW (21 June)
  • At solar noon the sun in Gold Coast always stands due north, so the north side of a building, a garden or a roof is the one that gets the sun.
  • The earliest sunset is on 10 June, 11 days before the shortest day (21 June), and the latest sunrise on 2 July, 11 days after it. Solar noon drifts through the year, so the darkest afternoon and the darkest morning do not fall on the shortest day.
  • The longest day in Gold Coast is 3 h 33 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 1.7 minutes a day.

The winter solstice 2026: the moment, and the shortest and the longest day, city by city →

When the days start getting longer: the earliest sunset, the latest sunrise and lighter evenings, city by city →

Planning around the sun in Gold Coast

Solar panels

At 28.0° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 24°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -28.0003°, 153.4309° for the exact optimum, the seasonal optima and the loss from an east or west facing roof.

Buying a flat or a plot

At the June solstice the noon sun in Gold Coast sits 38.6° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 1.3 times its own height at midday. Check what stands to the north before you commit: place the building on the map and read the shaded hours for 21 June.

Photography

Golden hour runs 04:53–05:25 in the morning and 17:35–18:08 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (252°). The golden hour calculator gives the same windows for any date, and the map’s alignment finder shows the days when the setting sun lines up with a street.

More on planning around the sun: which way a house, garden or balcony should face, how long golden hour lasts and why the earliest sunset comes before the shortest day.

Other cities

Near Gold Coast

On the same latitude

Gold Coast lies at 28.0° S. On the same parallel the longest and the shortest day last just as long and the noon sun climbs just as high, whatever the clocks say there:

Sunrise and sunset in all 15 cities in Australia →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about Gold Coast

What time is sunrise and sunset in Gold Coast today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 04:53 and sets at 18:08 in Gold Coast (UTC+10), giving 13 h 15 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Gold Coast today?

Solar noon is at 11:30, when the sun stands due north, 77.3° above the horizon. It is the middle of the day by the sun and the moment shadows are shortest.

When is the longest day of the year in Gold Coast?

On 22 December, with 13 h 55 min between sunrise at 04:47 and sunset at 18:42.

When is the shortest day of the year in Gold Coast?

On 21 June, with 10 h 22 min between sunrise at 06:37 and sunset at 16:59.

How high does the sun get in Gold Coast?

At solar noon the sun reaches 85.4° on 22 December, its highest of the year, and only 38.6° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 77.3°.

In which direction does the sun rise and set in Gold Coast?

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 64° (ENE) and 117° (ESE), and sunset between 243° (WSW) and 296° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Gold Coast?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 24° for the most energy over a year. A steeper tilt favours the winter months and a flatter one the summer.

When is the earliest sunset in Gold Coast?

On 10 June at 16:58, 11 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 2 July at 06:38, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in Gold Coast?

Straight after the shortest day, 21 June, but slowly at first: by 30 June the day is only 1 minute longer, by 31 July 25 minutes longer and by 31 August 1 h 08 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 10 June.

What time does it get dark in Gold Coast in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 18:29 and the sky is dark by about 18:55, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 18:46 and darkness at about 19:12.