Illawarra residents eager to wind their clocks and watches forward have been warned that while daylight saving generally starts on the October long weekend, a rare calendar quirk means this year it doesn’t.

In most years, the time change occurs on the Sunday of the long weekend. However, every seven years – on average – daylight saving starts a week later.

The laws of time in NSW are governed by the Standard Time Act 1987, which states that the summer time period starts “at 2am on the first Sunday in October each year”. 

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This year, the first Sunday of the month is October 7. Clocks go forward one hour at 2am on that day.

While technology takes care of most daylight saving adjustments, for those who rely on retro tech, a premature wind up of clocks and watches could prove inconvenient or even embarrassing.

Daylight saving will end on Sunday April 7, 2019.

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