Australia Gains an Hour: More Sleep for Many

Clocks roll forward one hour on Sunday, 5 October 2025, as daylight saving time begins. In a blink, 2 am becomes 3 am, shifting the rhythm of the day.

The change opens up long golden evenings, perfect for late park picnics, beach walks or catching live music as the sun sets.

It also sets a new routine for travel, business, and daily life, with flights, trains, and even phone calls across states requiring a quick double-check to stay on track.

Where Daylight Saving Applies

Daylight saving time is not observed nationwide.

From October through to April, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT move their clocks forward by one hour.

The change means evenings stretch longer, creating more time for outdoor activities such as barbeques, evening swims, community festivals and concerts that continue well after sunset.

Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory remain on standard time all year.

This division can be confusing, particularly for travel and communication.

A short domestic flight or even a simple border crossing can shift the clock by one, two or sometimes three hours.

For travellers, this difference can impact flight schedules, train connections, and even phone or video calls with friends, family, or colleagues in another state.

How The Time Zones Shift

From 5 October, Australia operates in five different time zones.

Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart move to Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT, UTC+11).

Adelaide also shifts forward but keeps its half-hour difference, moving to Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT, UTC+10:30).

Brisbane remains on AEST (UTC+10), Darwin on ACST (UTC+9:30), and Perth on AWST (UTC+8).

On paper, the system looks straightforward, but in practice, it creates noticeable differences.

A 3 pm meeting in Sydney aligns with 2 pm in Brisbane, 2:30 pm in Adelaide and midday in Perth.

For travel, business or event planning, these variations add an extra layer of organisation, especially when schedules stretch across multiple states.

Travel And Transport Impacts

Transport operators don’t ignore daylight saving—they adapt to it.

NSW TrainLink, for example, runs Queensland services an hour earlier from October.

Airlines and interstate buses adhere to local times, so your ticket always displays the time for that city.

What appears to be a routine late-night flight on paper can feel quite different once you factor in the time change upon arrival.

Road trippers notice it most when crossing borders.

Drive a few minutes from Tweed Heads in NSW to Coolangatta in Queensland and suddenly the clock shows a one-hour difference.

It can be handy if you’re running late for dinner or frustrating if you’ve planned everything tightly.

Tips To Adjust Smoothly

• Change your clocks early. Move manual clocks forward before going to bed on 4 October so the morning starts on the right time. Digital devices usually update automatically, but it’s worth checking car dashboards, ovens and alarm clocks that don’t.

• Double-check bookings. Flights, buses, trains and even local events may appear different once time zones are involved. Confirm travel times, tickets and event schedules in the correct local time to avoid surprises.

• Keep state differences in mind. From 5 October, New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania run one hour ahead of Queensland and three hours ahead of Western Australia. These offsets can be critical for interstate calls, online meetings and planning activities across borders.

• Prepare for the sleep change. Losing an hour can leave some people feeling out of rhythm. Adjusting bedtime slightly in the days leading up to the shift helps ease the transition and keeps mornings less disruptive.

• Make the most of the evenings. Daylight saving creates longer afternoons and evenings, perfect for outdoor dining, beach visits, evening walks and community events. The later sunsets are often considered the best feature of this seasonal shift, giving more time to enjoy the warm months.

Daylight saving signals the arrival of longer days and later sunsets.

It’s a seasonal shift that touches everything from interstate flights to evening plans with friends.

With awareness and a few simple adjustments, it becomes a chance to enjoy the best of Australia’s summer evenings.