It’s only three days until Daylight Saving Time comes to an end as long summer evenings morph into cosy winter nights.
Most Australians will need to turn back their clocks back by one hour from 3am to 2am on Sunday April 1.
It means the mornings will be lighter but the evenings will be darker because sunrise and sunset will be an hour earlier.
American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is said to have come up with the idea in 1784 as a cost-effective solution to excessively burning candles.
It applies in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria but is not used in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
When clocks change in autumn, people will get an hour less in bed and in spring, an hour extra
When do the clocks change in Australia?
In 2018, Daylight Saving Time will end on April 1 in Australia which means that clocks will have to be put back by one hour at 3am to 2am. This usually occurs on the first Sunday in April each year.
Sunrise and sunset will be an hour earlier than it was the day before and there will be more light in the morning.
When do the clocks go forward in 2018 in Australia?
Daylight Savings Time will start on October 7 in 2018 which means that at 2am, clocks are turned forward one hour to 3am. DST usually starts on the first Sunday in October.
On this day, sunrise and sunset will be an hour later than on October 6 and there will be more light in the evening as Australia gets ready for summer.
When do the clocks change in New Zealand?
With all of New Zealand being in the same time zone, DST usually starts one week earlier but ends at the same time in Australia.
In 2018, Daylight Savings Time will end in New Zealand on April 1, the same as Australia, but will start on September 30.
Germany was the first to adopt DST in 1916 as a way to reduce fuel usage during World War I
What is Daylight Savings Time (DST)?
Australia is divided into three time zones known as Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) and Australian Western Standard Time (AWST).
In Australia, Daylight Savings Time is when clocks go forward by one hour for the winter and one hour back in the summer.
Germany was the first country to adopt DST in 1916 as a way to reduce fuel usage during the war and after its success, it was taken on by other countries. It was used again during World War II.
Tasmania was the first to implement Daylight Savings Time in 1968 and other states did the same in 1971. Queensland stopped participating in 1971.
However, five years later, a referendum was held in NSW asking whether or not DST should be adopted on a permanent basis, but the majority voted in favour of the clocks being put back and forward.
Which states do not participate in Daylight Savings Time?
Daylight Savings Time is observed in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
It is not used in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
DST can make people sick because of disruption to people’s body clocks or circadian rhythms
Benefits and drawbacks of Daylight Savings Time
In Australia, Daylight Savings Time is less popular in rural areas because farmers are affected by the changes in time.
However, changing the clocks does not create extra daylight because people are just adding an hour of natural sunlight to their days.
The extra daylight encourages people to get out of the house and do more outdoor activities as well as provide a boost to the tourism industry.
Studies have also shown that DST can make people sick because of the disruption to body clocks or circadian rhythms.