And that’s also been the view of all Wagga residents this week, with yesterday and today officially the city’s shortest days of the year.

Geoscience Australia shows the sun rising at 7.18am and setting at 5.04pm on both days in Wagga.

Not that it worries five-year-old Skye, who is North Wagga Public School’s shortest pupil at just 103 centimetres.

Skye loves to draw and colour-in – activities she can do indoors when it gets dark early. “I also like to play at school,” she said.

Aaron Harpley – the tallest kid at North Wagga Public – is not so keen on the length of the winter days.

“I like getting outside and playing footy and riding my bike, so I prefer the days to be longer,” the 11-year-old said.

“There’s more time to play when the sun is out.”