Australia's time zones are about to get more complicated - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Daylight saving time begins on the first Sunday of October, but not for all Australians.  (ABC News: Kylie Sylvester)

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. 

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

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

At 2am on Sunday, 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.

Clocks will move forward on October 4.  (ABC News: Kylie Silvester)

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 go to 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. 

The Sleep Health 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 30 minutes earlier on Saturday and Sunday to prepare yourself. 

Get out in the early morning sunshine to help your body adjust to the time change.  (Reuters: Will Burgess)

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."

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

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

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

Then there's Lord Howe Island, a two-hour flight off the NSW coast, which 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 own time zone.

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

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

A map marking the approximate area where Australian Central Western Standard Time is used. (Google Maps/Tom Howder)

In ACT, New South Wales and South Australia, 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.

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 they didn't support a time zone system that requires two clock changes a year.

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