When does daylight savings end in Australia in 2025?
It’s almost that time of year once again: the weather is cooling, the autumn leaves are beginning to fall and sea water temperatures will soon begin dropping off as we enter the winter months.
Yep, daylight savings – or daylight saving time, if you’re using the formal term – is all but done for another year.
From this Sunday, April 6, people in the ACT, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria will get an extra hour's sleep as daylight savings officially finishes in Australia.
Clocks will be turned backwards by one hour at 3am AEDT — they'll go to 2am AEST. That means more sleep for the states that observe daylight savings.
What do I need to do?
Amid the droves of digital devices in most modern homes, not as much as you would have a couple of decades ago.
Most Apple, Android and digital clocks will automatically go backwards by one hour. If a traditional analogue clock has a place on one of the walls in your house, take it down and wind the hands back; likewise, you will need to adjust your oven and microwave clocks too. Ditto your analogue wristwatch.
Most cars will require the internal clock to be wound back by an hour. This is usually done via the clock itself, or within the settings menu (Good luck!).
Do you get an extra hour’s sleep when daylight savings ends?
Yes, you do.
People in the Australia jurisdictions that observe daylight saving time will have the luxury of an additional hour in bed, as the change happens at 3am on Sunday morning (bringing the time back to 2am) – when most are asleep.
Why does daylight saving time end on April 6 in Australia?
Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday of April in Australia each year, for the jurisdictions that observe it.
For 2025, you could be forgiven for thinking daylight savings has finished earlier than usual.
That might be because the change occasionally coincides with Easter. However, Easter is late this year (2025) because it's determined by the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which occurs on or after the spring equinox, and this year's full moon falls later in April.
When does daylight saving time start again in 2025?
Daylight saving time starts each year on the first Sunday of October in Australia. For 2025, that means daylight savings time will start on Sunday October 5.
So, the date will change each year, but it'll always be on a Sunday.
Why does daylight savings begin and end on a Sunday in Australia?
There’s no written rule on this, however the assumption is that Sunday is a less disruptive day for businesses, schools and families.
Is daylight saving time different in other countries?
It certainly is.
As the northern hemisphere enters its warmer months, America traditionally begins daylight saving time on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday of November.
The UK is different again: daylight saving time there commences on the last Sunday of March and finishes on the last Sunday in October.
Which Australian states observe daylight saving time?
There are five Australian states and territories that observe daylight savings time: the ACT, NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
People in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia don’t observe daylight savings time – much to the delight of many farmers.
