About the direction from Melbourne
Melbourne lies southwest of Sydney and has its own starting direction toward Makkah. Being in the Southern Hemisphere does not make a flat-map line reliable; use the computed great-circle bearing.
How to face 279° in Melbourne
- Find true north using a phone compass that reports true heading or a map aligned to north.
- Turn clockwise from north by 279°. For reference, due east is 90°, south 180°, west 270°.
- If you use a magnetic compass, adjust for local magnetic declination; NOAA's declination calculator gives the current value for Melbourne.
The figure is the great-circle initial bearing, the standard approach described by Movable Type Scripts and the same idea behind Google's Qibla Finder. See how it works for the details.
Common questions
What is the Qibla direction in Melbourne?
From the approximate city center of Melbourne, the Qibla is 278.8° clockwise from true north, roughly west.
How far is Melbourne from the Kaaba?
About 12,741 km along the great circle, the shortest path over the Earth's surface.
Does the bearing change across Melbourne?
Yes. This figure uses the city center, not your exact position. The difference depends on your distance from the center and from Makkah; it can be noticeable in cities close to the Kaaba, especially Jeddah. Use the live finder for your own location.