Living in the Upper Lachlan Shire, Mr Cummins brought home his now eight-week-old son Riley after spending 18 days in special care at Canberra Hospital.

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Riley was born just over a month early to Mr Cummins' fiance Jamie Power.

"It's challenging," he added. "He's got his days and nights mixed up and we're getting no sleep."

But he said his experience of fatherhood has been "the best thing".

This Sunday, September 1 marks Father's Day, an annual day to thank our dads and father figures. It celebrates fatherhood and male parenting and is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide.

While some families will make handmade gifts or take dad out to a special event, others will thank their fathers with a more traditional gift.

"I suppose I'll be getting the old socks and undies," Mr Cummins joked.

For Australian dads, the role of fatherhood has shifted and many fathers are raising kids differently to their own fathers. Research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that dads these days are more hands-on and flexible than previous generations.

Scott Kensit, also a first-time father, said he was fortunate that he was able to spend more time at home with his son, Archie.

"I try to do as much as possible, especially working here at the farm. I come home for smoko or at lunchtime, I can change a nappy or give him a feed and I'm straight home after work to spend more time with him."

Six-month-old Archie was born with a bilateral cleft lip palate and spent two weeks at Calvary Private Hospital in Bruce before he made the trip home to Hollywood in the Upper Lachlan Shire.

"It's had a few challenges," Mr Kensit said as he recalled having to change his first nappy.

"I can't complain. He's a bloody good sleeper, he sleeps right through the night," he added.

However, the rewards make up for the challenging moments and Mr Kensit has settled into fatherhood.

"It's the best thing that you can do," he said.

Mr Kensit said he will spend Father's Day with his family, Archie and wife Tristan.

Men's Line Australia says it is important for all dads to look after themselves and build a strong support network. For some people Father's Day can be difficult and emotionally confronting. Men's Life advises that one of the best things to do is talk about it.

Parents at Work, an advocacy group, is calling on the Australian government to review its parental leave schemes as the pressure falls on mums to be the primary care-giver.

Eligible parents can take up to 18 weeks paid parental leave at national minimum wage, or about $740.80 a week. Most dads or partners caring for a child are reliant on the Dad and Partner Pay Scheme, which is two weeks at the minimum wage.

The founder of Parents at Work, Emma Walsh, said: "Australia has, unfortunately, one of the least generous paid parental leave schemes among all OECD nations."

Just one in 20 Australian men take primary parental leave, most day-to-day responsibility for the child was taken by mothers. It is still rare for the primary care-giver to be a stay-at-home dad.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies shows there are about 80,000 stay-at-home fathers in Australia in 2016. This is around 4.6 per cent of all two-parent families.

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