Daylight Saving Ends Australia 2025: Dates, Times & States

If you’re in Sydney, Melbourne, or any of the five Australian jurisdictions that observe daylight saving, you’re about to trade an hour of evening light for an hour of morning sun. Clocks roll back on the first Sunday of April — and this year that means Sunday, 6 April 2025, when 3:00 AM AEDT becomes 2:00 AM AEST. The shift affects millions, but not everyone in Australia will notice.

DST End Date 2025: Sunday, April 6, 3:00 AM AEDT ·
Clock Change: Back 1 hour to 2:00 AM AEST ·
Participating States: NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, SA, ACT ·
Non-Participating: Queensland, NT, WA ·
Next Start: October 5, 2025

Key dates and affected jurisdictions are summarized in the table below.

When does daylight saving end in Australia in 2025?

DST ends on the first Sunday of April across all observing Australian jurisdictions. In 2025, that date falls on Sunday, April 6. At precisely 3:00 AM AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), clocks automatically roll back one hour to 2:00 AM AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time), giving residents an extra hour of sleep that Sunday morning (Business Victoria).

Sydney (NSW)

Sydney follows the same schedule as the rest of the eastern states. Clocks shift from AEDT to AEST, moving the city from UTC+11 to UTC+10. The NSW Government notes that modern smartphones and computers typically adjust automatically, but residents with older devices or manual clocks should make the change before bed on Saturday night (NSW Government).

Victoria

Victoria’s official government page confirms the April 6 date, with the change occurring at 3:00 AM daylight saving time back to 2:00 AM standard time. Victoria has observed DST since 1971, with the current harmonized rule in place since 2008-09 (Business Victoria).

Other states

South Australia operates on ACDT (UTC+10:30) during standard time and ACDST (UTC+11) during daylight saving, shifting one hour back on April 6. Tasmania follows the same UTC+10/UTC+11 pattern as NSW and Victoria. The ACT aligns with eastern states’ timing. Broken Hill in western NSW follows South Australia’s time zone and DST schedule due to geographic proximity (Wikipedia).

The implication: if you’re coordinating across jurisdictions that weekend, remember that Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia never made that 3 AM adjustment — they stayed on standard time year-round.

Is daylight savings ending in Australia?

Yes — in the five jurisdictions that observe it. DST ends in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria on Sunday, April 6, 2025 (Reserve Bank of Australia). The change is permanent for this year; these jurisdictions will resume daylight saving on the first Sunday of October, which in 2025 falls on October 5 (The Urban List).

Yes, in participating states

The Reserve Bank of Australia publishes the official DST schedule confirming these five jurisdictions observe the change. This schedule is used by financial institutions, broadcast networks, and government services to coordinate national operations across time zones (RBA).

What this means: while the clocks change uniformly on April 6, the practical impact varies. Melbourne and Sydney see earlier sunrises but noticeably darker evenings. Adelaide, sitting half an hour behind eastern capitals, adjusts its local time accordingly.

Which Australian state doesn’t do daylight savings?

Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory do not observe daylight saving time. They remain on standard time year-round, which means during the DST period (October through early April), they’re one hour behind the eastern states (Reserve Bank of Australia).

Queensland

Queensland has rejected DST in two referendums — 1992 and 1994 — with the “no” vote winning decisively in both. The state’s northern latitude means longer days in summer are less pronounced than in southern states, and regional surveys have consistently shown majority opposition to changing clocks. The Queensland Government maintains its position, citing insufficient public support (Wikipedia).

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has never observed DST since the practice began in the Australian states. Its tropical latitude — closer to the equator — means minimal variation in daylight hours across seasons, making the social and economic rationale for DST weak (Wikipedia).

Western Australia

Western Australia trialed DST from 2006 to 2009 but reverted to standard time after a 2009 referendum showed majority opposition. The state’s vast geographic span and the trial’s mixed economic results led policymakers to abandon the practice. WA remains on UTC+8 (AWST) year-round (Wikipedia).

Do the clocks go back in October in Australia?

No — clocks go forward in October. October marks the start of daylight saving, when clocks shift forward one hour to extend evening daylight. In 2025, DST begins on Sunday, October 5, at 2:00 AM standard time, advancing to 3:00 AM daylight saving time (The Urban List).

No, clocks forward in October for start

The pattern is consistent: clocks roll forward in October (gaining an hour of evening light, losing an hour of sleep) and roll back in April (gaining an hour of morning light, gaining an hour of sleep). This two-step annual rhythm has been in place since 2008-09, when Australia harmonized the start and end dates across observing jurisdictions (Wikipedia).

The catch: while “spring forward, fall back” is the familiar rhyme in the Northern Hemisphere, Australians experience this in opposite calendar order. April is autumn (fall), when clocks go back. October is spring, when clocks go forward.

Why doesn’t Queensland do daylight savings?

Queensland’s rejection of daylight saving stems from geographic, cultural, and political factors. The state’s lower latitude means less dramatic seasonal daylight variation than southern states. Queensland’s 1992 and 1994 referendums both showed rural and regional communities voting heavily against DST, fearing it would disrupt farming schedules and evening school activities for children walking home in darkness during winter mornings (Wikipedia).

Historical and regional reasons

Regional Queensland communities expressed concerns about children traveling to school in darkness if sunset shifted later in winter. Farmers worried about livestock schedules and the practical difficulties of coordinating with markets in southern states. The political consensus has remained against DST despite periodic advocacy from tourism and retail sectors who argue extended evening daylight would boost economic activity (Wikipedia).

What this means: Queensland residents effectively live one hour behind their eastern state neighbors during summer, which can affect cross-border business communication and travel planning. There have been no serious moves to revisit the policy since the 1994 referendum.

The Reserve Bank of Australia publishes the official schedule that financial institutions, government departments, and broadcast networks follow for DST changes. This schedule is the most reliable reference for confirming exact dates and times across all observing jurisdictions.

Related reading: Melbourne time zone and DST · ABC Radio Melbourne schedule

While eastern states like NSW and Victoria turn clocks back on April 6, global clocks-back dates for 2025 also cover US, UK, EU schedules for comparison.

Frequently asked questions