Australian Regions Change Time Zones Ahead of Time

SYDNEY, Australia —  Trips across Australia this week will leave travelers twiddling furiously with their watches as the country’s eight states and territories break up into five different time zones.

The decision by New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory to end Daylight Saving Time and put clocks back Sunday morning, two weeks earlier than Victoria, South Australia and the island of Tasmania, threatens chaos, critics said.

“I think it’s going to be total confusion on Monday and Tuesday,” said the owner of a bus company that has buses crossing the Victoria-New South Wales border every day.