diff --git a/src/pkg/time/example_test.go b/src/pkg/time/example_test.go
index cda565ff3e..8928caabab 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/example_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/example_test.go
@@ -67,6 +67,38 @@ func ExampleTime_Format() {
 	// Nov 10, 2009 at 11:00pm (UTC)
 }
 
+func ExampleParse() {
+	const longForm = "Jan 2, 2006 at 3:04pm (MST)"
+	t, _ := time.Parse(longForm, "Feb 3, 2013 at 7:54pm (PST)")
+	fmt.Println(t)
+
+	// Note: without explicit zone, returns time in UTC.
+	const shortForm = "2006-Jan-02"
+	t, _ = time.Parse(shortForm, "2013-Feb-03")
+	fmt.Println(t)
+
+	// Output:
+	// 2013-02-03 19:54:00 -0800 PST
+	// 2013-02-03 00:00:00 +0000 UTC
+}
+
+func ExampleParseInLocation() {
+	loc, _ := time.LoadLocation("Europe/Berlin")
+
+	const longForm = "Jan 2, 2006 at 3:04pm (MST)"
+	t, _ := time.ParseInLocation(longForm, "Jul 9, 2012 at 5:02am (CEST)", loc)
+	fmt.Println(t)
+
+	// Note: without explicit zone, returns time in given location.
+	const shortForm = "2006-Jan-02"
+	t, _ = time.ParseInLocation(shortForm, "2012-Jul-09", loc)
+	fmt.Println(t)
+
+	// Output:
+	// 2012-07-09 05:02:00 +0200 CEST
+	// 2012-07-09 00:00:00 +0200 CEST
+}
+
 func ExampleTime_Round() {
 	t := time.Date(0, 0, 0, 12, 15, 30, 918273645, time.UTC)
 	round := []time.Duration{
diff --git a/src/pkg/time/format.go b/src/pkg/time/format.go
index 8d21040bf9..d9e27c1be7 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/format.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/format.go
@@ -641,7 +641,37 @@ func skip(value, prefix string) (string, error) {
 // 0, this time is before the zero Time).
 // Years must be in the range 0000..9999. The day of the week is checked
 // for syntax but it is otherwise ignored.
+//
+// In the absence of a time zone indicator, Parse returns a time in UTC.
+//
+// When parsing a time with a zone offset like -0700, if the offset corresponds
+// to a time zone used by the current location (Local), then Parse uses that
+// location and zone in the returned time. Otherwise it records the time as
+// being in a fabricated location with time fixed at the given zone offset.
+//
+// When parsing a time with a zone abbreviation like MST, if the zone abbreviation
+// has a defined offset in the current location, then that offset is used.
+// The zone abbreviation "UTC" is recognized as UTC regardless of location.
+// If the zone abbreviation is unknown, Parse records the time as being
+// in a fabricated location with the given zone abbreviation and a zero offset.
+// This choice means that such a time can be parse and reformatted with the
+// same layout losslessly, but the exact instant used in the representation will
+// differ by the actual zone offset. To avoid such problems, prefer time layouts
+// that use a numeric zone offset, or use ParseInLocation.
 func Parse(layout, value string) (Time, error) {
+	return parse(layout, value, UTC, Local)
+}
+
+// ParseInLocation is like Parse but differs in two important ways.
+// First, in the absence of time zone information, Parse interprets a time as UTC;
+// ParseInLocation interprets the time as in the given location.
+// Second, when given a zone offset or abbreviation, Parse tries to match it
+// against the Local location; ParseInLocation uses the given location.
+func ParseInLocation(layout, value string, loc *Location) (Time, error) {
+	return parse(layout, value, loc, loc)
+}
+
+func parse(layout, value string, defaultLocation, local *Location) (Time, error) {
 	alayout, avalue := layout, value
 	rangeErrString := "" // set if a value is out of range
 	amSet := false       // do we need to subtract 12 from the hour for midnight?
@@ -892,20 +922,19 @@ func Parse(layout, value string) (Time, error) {
 		hour = 0
 	}
 
-	// TODO: be more aggressive checking day?
 	if z != nil {
 		return Date(year, Month(month), day, hour, min, sec, nsec, z), nil
 	}
 
-	t := Date(year, Month(month), day, hour, min, sec, nsec, UTC)
 	if zoneOffset != -1 {
+		t := Date(year, Month(month), day, hour, min, sec, nsec, UTC)
 		t.sec -= int64(zoneOffset)
 
 		// Look for local zone with the given offset.
 		// If that zone was in effect at the given time, use it.
-		name, offset, _, _, _ := Local.lookup(t.sec + internalToUnix)
+		name, offset, _, _, _ := local.lookup(t.sec + internalToUnix)
 		if offset == zoneOffset && (zoneName == "" || name == zoneName) {
-			t.loc = Local
+			t.loc = local
 			return t, nil
 		}
 
@@ -915,16 +944,14 @@ func Parse(layout, value string) (Time, error) {
 	}
 
 	if zoneName != "" {
+		t := Date(year, Month(month), day, hour, min, sec, nsec, UTC)
 		// Look for local zone with the given offset.
 		// If that zone was in effect at the given time, use it.
-		offset, _, ok := Local.lookupName(zoneName)
+		offset, _, ok := local.lookupName(zoneName, t.sec+internalToUnix)
 		if ok {
-			name, off, _, _, _ := Local.lookup(t.sec + internalToUnix - int64(offset))
-			if name == zoneName && off == offset {
-				t.sec -= int64(offset)
-				t.loc = Local
-				return t, nil
-			}
+			t.sec -= int64(offset)
+			t.loc = local
+			return t, nil
 		}
 
 		// Otherwise, create fake zone with unknown offset.
@@ -932,8 +959,8 @@ func Parse(layout, value string) (Time, error) {
 		return t, nil
 	}
 
-	// Otherwise, fall back to UTC.
-	return t, nil
+	// Otherwise, fall back to default.
+	return Date(year, Month(month), day, hour, min, sec, nsec, defaultLocation), nil
 }
 
 func parseNanoseconds(value string, nbytes int) (ns int, rangeErrString string, err error) {
diff --git a/src/pkg/time/time_test.go b/src/pkg/time/time_test.go
index 3698c4fe2a..583b248faa 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/time_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/time_test.go
@@ -478,6 +478,7 @@ var parseTests = []ParseTest{
 	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0800 2010", true, true, 1, 0},
 	{"RFC850", RFC850, "Thursday, 04-Feb-10 21:00:57 PST", true, true, 1, 0},
 	{"RFC1123", RFC1123, "Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:00:57 PST", true, true, 1, 0},
+	{"RFC1123", RFC1123, "Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:00:57 PDT", true, true, 1, 0},
 	{"RFC1123Z", RFC1123Z, "Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:00:57 -0800", true, true, 1, 0},
 	{"RFC3339", RFC3339, "2010-02-04T21:00:57-08:00", true, false, 1, 0},
 	{"custom: \"2006-01-02 15:04:05-07\"", "2006-01-02 15:04:05-07", "2010-02-04 21:00:57-08", true, false, 1, 0},
@@ -533,6 +534,42 @@ func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestParseInSydney(t *testing.T) {
+	loc, err := LoadLocation("Australia/Sydney")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Check that Parse (and ParseInLocation) understand
+	// that Feb EST and Aug EST are different time zones in Sydney
+	// even though both are called EST.
+	t1, err := ParseInLocation("Jan 02 2006 MST", "Feb 01 2013 EST", loc)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t2 := Date(2013, February, 1, 00, 00, 00, 0, loc)
+	if t1 != t2 {
+		t.Fatalf("ParseInLocation(Feb 01 2013 EST, Sydney) = %v, want %v", t1, t2)
+	}
+	_, offset := t1.Zone()
+	if offset != 11*60*60 {
+		t.Fatalf("ParseInLocation(Feb 01 2013 EST, Sydney).Zone = _, %d, want _, %d", offset, 11*60*60)
+	}
+
+	t1, err = ParseInLocation("Jan 02 2006 MST", "Aug 01 2013 EST", loc)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t2 = Date(2013, August, 1, 00, 00, 00, 0, loc)
+	if t1 != t2 {
+		t.Fatalf("ParseInLocation(Aug 01 2013 EST, Sydney) = %v, want %v", t1, t2)
+	}
+	_, offset = t1.Zone()
+	if offset != 10*60*60 {
+		t.Fatalf("ParseInLocation(Aug 01 2013 EST, Sydney).Zone = _, %d, want _, %d", offset, 10*60*60)
+	}
+}
+
 var rubyTests = []ParseTest{
 	{"RubyDate", RubyDate, "Thu Feb 04 21:00:57 -0800 2010", true, true, 1, 0},
 	// Ignore the time zone in the test. If it parses, it'll be OK.
diff --git a/src/pkg/time/zoneinfo.go b/src/pkg/time/zoneinfo.go
index 116d343005..c44477f474 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/zoneinfo.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/zoneinfo.go
@@ -145,15 +145,36 @@ func (l *Location) lookup(sec int64) (name string, offset int, isDST bool, start
 }
 
 // lookupName returns information about the time zone with
-// the given name (such as "EST").
-func (l *Location) lookupName(name string) (offset int, isDST bool, ok bool) {
+// the given name (such as "EST") at the given pseudo-Unix time
+// (what the given time of day would be in UTC).
+func (l *Location) lookupName(name string, unix int64) (offset int, isDST bool, ok bool) {
 	l = l.get()
+
+	// First try for a zone with the right name that was actually
+	// in effect at the given time. (In Sydney, Australia, both standard
+	// and daylight-savings time are abbreviated "EST". Using the
+	// offset helps us pick the right one for the given time.
+	// It's not perfect: during the backward transition we might pick
+	// either one.)
+	for i := range l.zone {
+		zone := &l.zone[i]
+		if zone.name == name {
+			nam, offset, isDST, _, _ := l.lookup(unix - int64(zone.offset))
+			if nam == zone.name {
+				return offset, isDST, true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Otherwise fall back to an ordinary name match.
 	for i := range l.zone {
 		zone := &l.zone[i]
 		if zone.name == name {
 			return zone.offset, zone.isDST, true
 		}
 	}
+
+	// Otherwise, give up.
 	return
 }