Australia's time zones are about to get more complicated

Daylight saving time is looming, with half of Australia about to adjust to a new time zone. 

Here's what you need to know before the clocks change. 

When does daylight saving time start?

Next Sunday morning. 

Each year, daylight saving time kicks in on the first Sunday of October. 

This year, that's October 4.

Which states have daylight saving time?

• ACT
• New South Wales
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria 

The Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia do not observe daylight saving time, so the clocks will not change in those jurisdictions. 

Do the clocks move forwards or backwards?

Forwards. 

At 2am on Sunday morning, the clocks will move forward to 3am in jurisdictions that observe daylight saving time. 

The clocks will go back by an hour when daylight saving time ends in April.

The clocks in most smart devices will automatically update, so you probably won't have to change the time on your phone. 

However, you'll need to adjust the time on your analogue clocks, as well as the clocks on some appliances like ovens and microwaves. 

The New South Wales government recommends changing the time before you head for bed on Saturday. 

"To kickstart your day and avoid any timing issues, set your watch and household clocks that don't automatically update overnight to the new time before you go to bed," the NSW government website says. 

Preparing for the change

The SleepHealth Foundation recommends going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier in the three or four nights leading up to the weekend to help your body adjust to the time zone change. 

And set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier on the Saturday and Sunday to prepare yourself. 

Don't be surprised if you feel out of sorts for a few days, as experts advise it can take about a week for your body to adjust.

"Daylight saving throws our circadian rhythms out of sync because we are suddenly required to wake at a time when the body clock is still programmed for sleep," the foundation says. 

"In general, 'losing' an hour in the spring is more difficult to adjust to than 'gaining' an hour in the autumn when we move the clocks back one hour."

The foundation also recommends:

• Making your bedroom as bright as possible when you first wake up
• Exercising outside in the mornings
• Avoiding exercise just before bed
• Avoiding going to bed hungry or too soon after a meal

Another tip is to spend time outside in the morning light to reset your body clock.

What are the Australian time zones? 

We're still in standard time, meaning most of the country falls into one of three time zones:

• AEST: ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria
• ACST: Northern Territory and South Australia
• AWST: Western Australia

But once daylight saving time kicks in, a few more time zones are added to the mix. Here are the main ones:

• AEDT: ACT, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria
• AEST: Queensland
• ACDT: South Australia
• ACST: Northern Territory
• AWST: Western Australia

But there are a few exemptions.

For example, Broken Hill operates on South Australia's time zone despite technically being a NSW town.

Then there's Lord Howe Island, which is about a two-hour flight off the coast of NSW and has its own time zone.

Lord Howe Standard Time is 30 minutes ahead of AEST, adding an extra 30 minutes when daylight saving time kicks in.

And don't forget about the cluster of communities in southern Western Australia, which have chosen their very own time zone.

The pocket is called the Central Western Time Zone, but is more affectionately known as "Eucla Time".

There, residents operate halfway between WA and SA time zones, but also adopt daylight saving, putting them further out of kilter. 

The zone covers a small area of the Nullarbor that stretches from the eastern side of Caiguna to Border Village and is marked in purple on this map:

Does daylight saving time mean a long weekend?

Only for some jurisdictions. 

In ACT, New South Wales and South Australia, the introduction of daylight saving coincides with the Labour Day public holiday on Monday, October 5.

That gives locals a chance to adjust and make sure they turn up to work on time.

However, October 5 is not a public holiday in Tasmania or Victoria, despite them also switching the clocks.

Could daylight saving time become permanent?

As far as we know, that's not a discussion being had in any official capacity in Australia, but it is in the US. 

In July, the US House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would eliminate the need for states to change their clocks twice a year.

However, it has to pass the US Senate to become law and, as the USA Today Network points out, there aren't many more sitting days left for senators to vote on the act before the clocks are due to change in the US in November. 

Is there appetite for a similar change in Australia?

When we reported on the Sunshine Protection Act in July, we asked readers whether they support a time zone system that requires two time changes a year and the results were fairly evenly split.

Of the 1,800 readers who voted, 56 per cent said thy didn't support a time zone system that requires two clock changes per year.

But this isn't an official poll and with Australia's population at nearly 28 million people, 1,800 voters may not reflect the views of every Australian.