Daylight saving time: When we fall back in Melbourne, Florida, Australians spring forward

It’s almost time for daylight saving time! That usually means a little confusion and a lot of disruption for some twice a year when the clocks change.

Not to add to the confusion, but …

If you live in Melbourne, Florida, daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. EST the first Sunday in November, so you set your wall clocks back one hour or “fall back.”

If you live in Melbourne, Australia, daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. EST the first Sunday in October, so you set your wall clocks forward one hour or “spring forward.”

But, wait, there’s more …

If you live in Melbourne, Florida, when daylight saving time ends in the fall, you gain an hour of sleep and it gets darker earlier in the evening.

But if you live in Melbourne, Australia, when daylight saving time begins in the fall, sunrise and sunset will be an hour later, and there will be more light in the evening.

In short, when it’s fall in Melbourne, Florida, it’s spring in Melbourne, Australia. Australia’s seasons are at opposite times to those in the northern hemisphere — December to February is summer, March to May is autumn, June to August is winter, and September to November is spring, according to australia.com.

Below are some things to know about daylight saving time — in America and Australia.

When do we fall back?

In the U.S., daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, unless you live in a state or area that does not observe daylight saving time. That’s when to change wall clocks back by one hour or “fall back.”

In Australia, in the states and areas where daylight saving time is observed, they set the wall clocks back by an hour at 2 a.m. the first Sunday in April. Australians will “fall back” at 2 a.m. Sunday, April 7, 2024.

Why do we still fall back? US Senate OK'd Sunshine Protection Act, but Floridians will have to change their clocks

When do we spring forward?

In the U.S., daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. EST Sunday, March 10, 2024, unless you live in a state or area that does not observe daylight saving time. That’s when to set wall clocks forward by one hour or “spring forward.”

In Australia, in the states and areas where daylight saving time is observed, they set the wall clocks forward one hour at 2 a.m. the first Sunday in October. Australians will “spring forward” at 2 a.m. AEST Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. (AEST is short for Australian Eastern Standard Time.)

Didn't "fall back" used to occur in October and "spring forward" in April in the U.S.?

This is a popular search topic, and it's tied to this query: Did candy makers have anything to do with daylight saving time changes?

An NPR report in March 2007 addressed the topic during an "All Things Considered" interview with host Melissa Block and Michael Downing, author of "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time."

"This may be kind of an urban legend, but I thought I had heard that one of the backers behind extending Daylight Saving Time into the beginning of November was the candy industry, and it all had to do with Halloween," Block said in the NPR excerpt.

"This is no kind of legend," Downing responded, adding, "this is the truth. For 25 years, candy-makers have wanted to get trick-or-treat covered by Daylight Saving, figuring that if children have an extra hour of daylight, they'll collect more candy."

A 2020 story in USA TODAY also mentioned the Halloween-daylight saving time tie: "Lobbyists for the golf industry told Congress in 1986 that just one hour of extra natural light during the day would result in about $200 million in extra sales; the barbecue industry estimated that extra revenue for them would be around $100 million. The candy lobby wanted to benefit as well, claiming that one more hour of sunlight on Halloween would result in more trick or treating and therefore more candy purchases," the story states.

In reality, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended daylight saving time from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March (three or four weeks earlier than the previous law), and in the fall from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November (one week later than the previous law), according to a U.S. Department of Energy report. It went into effect in 2007.

Who’s in charge of daylight saving time in America?

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the nation's time zones and the uniform observance of daylight saving time, according to transportation.gov. The oversight of time zones was assigned to the DOT to help keep track of transportation. The DOT manages daylight saving time and cites energy reduction and reduced crime as reasons for the time change.

Which states in America don’t observe daylight saving time?

Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize DST. There's also no need to change the clocks in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

Which states in Australia don’t observe daylight saving time?

According to the Australian government's site, “daylight saving is observed in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island. Daylight saving is not observed in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Christmas Island or the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.”

"With a land mass close to 7.7 million square kilometers (or 2.9 million square miles), Australia is the world's sixth largest country and is divided into three separate time zones," the Australian government site states. That's Australian Eastern Standard Time, Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) and Australian Western Standard Time (AWST).

Did Halloween play a role in daylight saving time? Yes ... and no.

When did Australia start observing daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time was introduced during World War I, then made into law in the U.S. in 1967.

Similarly, according to a 2021 Royal Australian Historical Society story, "The Daylight Saving Act 1916 implemented daylight-saving time on the Australian home front and was initially intended as a wartime fuel-saving measure. ... Tasmania was the first Australian state to introduce the practice permanently in 1967 as an alternative to power rationing during drought. NSW (New South Wales) and most other states followed suit in 1971," making 2021 the 50th anniversary of daylight saving being permanently used across most of Australia, the site states.

Why does daylight saving time exist in some place but not others?

In Australia, adopting daylight saving time meant using less resources to turn on the lights and heat up homes during the summer. A 2021 travel story about daylight saving time on news.au.com mentions a "downside" of DST and the sun rising later in the evening: "A good chunk of Australia has never got on board with daylight saving. Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory don’t change their clocks at all. Part of the reason is because daylight saving makes less sense the closer to the equator you get. Along the equator the sun is in the sky for an almost equal duration whether in summer or winter. Daylight hours in Darwin, (Australia) for instance, only differ by between 11.5 and 13 hours in length all year round."

The article continues: "But days in Hobart (Australia) can vary from nine to 15 hours in length. That extra hour of daylight in the evening is far more useful for Tasmanian than Territorians (residents of the Northern Territory aka Northern Territorians). Most of Europe and North America change their clocks twice a year. But Africa and the vast majority of Asia, nearer the equator, don’t dilly dally with daylight saving."

Which countries observe daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time is used in more than 70 countries worldwide and affects more than a billion people each year. The beginning and end dates vary from one country to another. According to timeanddate.com, here's a list of countries, including the U.S., that "still used" daylight saving time in 2023:

• Aland Islands

• Albania

• Andorra

• Antarctica

• Australia

• Austria

• Bahamas

• Belgium

• Bermuda

• Bosnia-Herzegovina

• Bulgaria

• Canada

• Chile

• Croatia

• Cuba

• Cyprus

• Czechia

• Denmark

• Egypt

• Estonia

• Faroe Islands

• Fiji

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Gibraltar

• Greece

• Greenland

• Guernsey

• Haiti

• Hungary

• Ireland

• Isle of Man

• Israel

• Italy

• Jersey

• Kosovo

• Latvia

• Lebanon

• Liechtenstein

• Lithuania

• Luxembourg

• Malta

• Mexico

• Moldova

• Monaco

• Montenegro

• Morocco

• Netherlands

• New Zealand

• Norfolk Island

• North Macedonia

• Norway

• Palestine

• Paraguay

• Poland

• Portugual

• Romania

• St. Pierre and Miquelon

• San Marino

• Serbia

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• Turks and Caicos Islands

• Ukraine

• United Kingdom

• Vatican City State

• Western Sahara

Why does daylight saving time get so much attention?

Globally speaking, we live in a time-obsessed culture.

What time is it? When's dinner? How soon until I take my lunch break? What time can I start trick-or-treating on Halloween? How many days or hours until we celebrate Diwali, Lunar New Year, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas?

And, of course, one of the most popular holidays of all time revolves around a clock — New Year's Eve. Worldwide, we love that holiday so much, we dress up, drink Champagne at midnight, or watch a ball drop (in person, virtually or on TV). So when we have to alter our schedules or time, it has a big impact on our lives.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 2023 daylight savings: When do we fall back, why do we change clocks?