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Your once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the world’s newest comet

Taylah Darnell Taylah Darnell
This may just be the celestial event of the century.

Look up into the night sky this October and you may just catch a rare celestial visitor. Known as C/2025 R2 (SWAN), it takes more than 600 years to pass Earth. In other words, this is the first and last time you’ll ever be able to see it.

What makes C/2025 R2 (SWAN) so special?

Identified on 11 September by an amateur astronomer in Ukraine, C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is a completely new visitor to our solar system. Vladimir Bezugly, from the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, first spotted the comet when viewing images from SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), a joint-project spacecraft between NASA and the ESA tasked with observing the sun.

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
C/2025 R2 (SWAN) was only discovered a few weeks ago. (Image: Adam Block)

C/2025 R2 (SWAN) seemingly appeared out of nowhere, a “bright blob" moving close to the sun. It’s not only one of the brightest findings ever made via SOHO, but also happens to be one of the newest comet discoveries in the world. Characterised by its gorgeous green glow and exceptionally long tail (the stream of gas and dust left in its wake), it’s a true sight to behold – and you’ve got one opportunity to catch it.

Experts have been working hard to learn more about the object, which has been classified as a long-period comet with an orbital cycle of over 600 years. For context, Earth’s orbital cycle is just one year, meaning that’s how long it takes us to complete one full lap around the sun. So if C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is about to pass Earth, it won’t be back until 2625.

What’s the likelihood of seeing it in Australia?

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
The comet is characterised by its green glow and long tail. (Image: Adam Block)

At its most recent, C/2025 R2 (SWAN) clocked a magnitude of +7 (magnitude being the scale astronomers use to measure the brightness of celestial objects). The lower the number, the brighter the object, with +6.5 considered the limit for naked-eye visibility under a non-polluted sky.

While C/2025 R2 (SWAN)’s rating is relatively low compared to others of its kind – Halley’s Comet sat at +2.1 and 96P/Machholz at +2.2 when they last passed Earth – it doesn’t mean you won’t see it. Our interstellar guest is estimated to pass through around mid-October, approximately 40 million kilometres away. For us Earth-dwelling folk, that sounds quite far. But in space talk, it’s quite the opposite!

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

Hot tips for comet chasers

While a celestial sighting can never be guaranteed, there are definitely ways to improve your chances. One of the easiest ways is simply finding a patch of sky as far-removed from the big smoke as you can get. Light pollution significantly decreases the likelihood of catching an astronomical event, because it’s artificial, it washes out fainter light, reducing the overall contrast of the sky and preventing the human eye from fully adjusting to the dark.

That’s why places like the outback, national parks and other areas are among Australia’s best stargazing spots – they’re isolated by design. Or head to Kestrel Nest EcoHut in NSW, the first official International DarkSky Approved Lodge in Australia.

Kestrel Nest EcoHut in NSW
Kestrel Nest EcoHut is Australia’s only DarkSky Approved Lodge. (Image: Grant Hardwick)

Be sure to pack a good pair of binoculars, too. For those who take the sport a little more seriously, opting for a telescope is your best bet. You’ll also want to bring a camp chair, bug spray, blankets, snacks and a red-light lamp. If you’re determined to catch the show, you may be waiting for a while, so these items will not only keep you comfy but also allow you to stay out later and for longer.

Aussies usually aren’t too lucky when it comes to catching comets, but it seems the odds are in our favour this time. Right now, C/2025 R2 (SWAN) has primarily been visible from the southern hemisphere. Currently tracking further from the sun and closer to Earth, it will reach perigee (its closest point to our planet) on 21 October. C/2025 R2 (SWAN) will then continue on its centuries-long orbit, making this a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

You can stay up to date with C/2025 R2 (SWAN)’s movements via The Sky Live.

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Taylah Darnell
Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. She began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's keen to check out places like Scotland and North America, her favourite place to explore will always be her homeland.
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The perfect mid-week reset an hour from Melbourne

    Kellie Floyd Kellie Floyd
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    Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.

    Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.

    walking trails in the Yarra Valley
    You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.

    A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy

    holding a glass of wine at Yarra Valley Dairy
    Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.

    a cheese tasting plate atYarra Valley Dairy
    A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.

    I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.

    Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.

    Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate

    Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate
    Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.

    As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate, I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.

    oysters at Restaurant 1309, Balgownie Estate
    Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.

    On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.

    I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.

    kangaroos in Yarra Valley
    Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels

    the Yarra Valley vineyards
    Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)

    Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.

    COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.

    It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.

    A detour to the Dandenong Ranges

    legs hanging over the sides of the train, Puffing Billy Railway
    The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.

    The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.

    I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.

    The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.

    After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.

    A traveller’s checklist

    Staying there

    Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.

    Playing there

    the TarraWarra Museum of Art, Yarra Valley
    Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art. Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.

    Eating and drinking there

    Olinda Tea House offers an Asian-inspired high tea. Paradise Valley Hotel, Clematis has classic pub fare, while the iconic Yering Station offers wine tastings and a restaurant with seasonal dishes.

    seasonal dishes at the restaurant inside Yering Station
    The restaurant at Yering Station showcases the best produce of the Yarra Valley. (Image: Visit Victoria)