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It feels like the year has only just begun, yet somehow we’ve said sayonara to summer and hello to autumn. There’s a lot to love about the fresh season – cool air, colourful trees and a packed festival calendar, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival – but the one thing many of us are sad to see go is daylight saving.
That’s right, Victorians will be saying goodbye to that extra hour of evening sunlight when daylight saving officially ends on Sunday, April 5. Now the all-important question: do we lose or gain an hour of sleep? Here’s everything you need to know about the end of daylight saving in Victoria in 2026.
When does Victoria daylight savings end 2026?
This year, daylight saving ends on Sunday, April 5, when the clocks wind back from 3am to 2am.
Do you lose an hour of sleep when daylight savings ends?
One good thing about daylight saving ending is that we gain an extra hour of sleep on the morning of April 5. With the shift, sunrise and sunset will happen one hour earlier, meaning brighter mornings but darker evenings. So, hooray for sunrise strolls, but boo for commuting home from the office in the dark.
When do clocks go back for daylight savings?
Anyone who uses their smartphone as their alarm clock won’t have to worry about this one – it’ll automatically do the job for you. But if you’re kicking it old-school with an analogue clock or watch, you’ll need to wind it back by one hour in the morning on April 5. We suggest doing it the night before.
Which Australian states have daylight savings?
Along with Victoria, the other states and territories that observe daylight saving include the ACT, NSW, Tasmania, South Australia and Norfolk Island. However, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory don’t change their clocks for daylight saving.
When does Victoria daylight savings start again in 2026?
It won't be long before daylight saving makes its shining return to Melbourne – in spring, on Sunday, October 4, 2026 – bringing back that beloved extra hour of evening sunlight. We’re already counting down the days.
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