Aussies are preparing to celebrate the end of 2025 and the start of 2026 this week.

Celebrations will happen right around the country as millions gather to bring in the new year on Wednesday night.

So what can we expect for the major cities in Australia on New Year's Eve?

READ MORE: Sydney New Year's Eve 2025: Your complete guide to the celebrations

What is the weather forecast in Australia for New Years Eve?

Here is the weather forecast in all of the major cities in Australia on December 31:

Sydney

The eyes of the country and the world will be on Sydney Harbour for the annual fireworks display.

It will be a bit of a milder New Year's Eve compared to previous years, but will still be pleasant with a top of 27 degrees.

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There will be a bit of cloud about with the small chance of a shower in the afternoon and evening, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

However, the rain is expected to be no more than a millimetre, meaning festivities in the Harbour City shouldn't be dampened too much.

Melbourne

It will be a bit chilly in Melbourne on New Year's Eve, with temperatures only reaching a top of 20 degrees on the 31st.

Whilst it is highly unlikely to rain, temperatures will be as low as 14 degrees in the morning, with the wind chill factor making it feel even colder.

READ MORE: Two dead after suspected domestic violence stabbing in Sydney

The BOM projects it to be cloudy and about 16 degrees at midnight.

That said, it will warm up on New Year's Day in Melbourne, with temperatures climbing to 25 degrees.

Brisbane

The champagne should be flowing nice and early in Brisbane, with temperatures climbing above 30 degrees in the sunshine state on December 31.

It is set to be mostly sunny, though there will be a bit more cloud about as the day wears on.

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The cloud cover could make it a humid and muggy night, with temperatures set to be sitting at around 25 degrees at midnight.

There could also be a bit of rain about on New Year's Day, with up to four millimetres potentially falling on January 1, 2026.

Perth

Western Australia's capital has just gone through a Christmas heatwave, and it is set to be a scorcher for New Year's Eve as well.

It will be sunny and a top of 34 degrees as Perth will bring in the new year last of all of Australia's major cities.

It will at least be milder at midnight, with temperatures expected to sit at 22 degrees, but it will be warm again on New Year's Day, with peaks of 35 degrees expected.

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Adelaide

It will be partly cloudy but pleasant in Adelaide for New Year's Eve.

A slightly cool and cloudy morning will give way to sunny skies and temperatures of around 26 degrees in the afternoon.

It will cool again in the evening, dropping to around 15 degrees for the countdown to 2026.

The first day of the new year will be a warm one, with temperatures expected to hit 30 degrees.

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Hobart

It won't feel too much like summer in Hobart, with a cloudy day for the last day of 2025.

Temperatures won't even reach the 20s, with a top of 19 degrees expected for New Year's Eve.

Thankfully, the sun will be out and about a bit more on the first day of 2026, with a top of 22 degrees for Tasmania's capital.

Canberra

The nation's capital could receive some stormy weather to see out 2025.

It will be partly cloudy with a top of 30 degrees in Canberra, with showers potentially turning into storms in the afternoon.

Up to three millimetres of rain may fall, potentially impacting new year's festivities.

The rain will disappear on New Year's Day, with a cloudy day with tops of 25 degrees expected.

Darwin

As expected, it will be hot and humid in Darwin for New Year's Eve.

It will hit a top of 35 degrees during the day, with showers expected in the afternoon and evening.

Up to 15mm could fall on the 31st, whilst storms could follow on New Year's Day, with temperatures of 33 degrees and another 15mm of rain potentially facing the city.

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The initial crash involved two trucks colliding on the Kan-Etsu Expressway.

Two more people have been charged over the alleged fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old man at a shopping centre car park in Perth's south.

The victim died in hospital after he was found with stab wounds on Talisker Gate in Aubin Grove about 10.40pm on Christmas Eve.

Police have now charged a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man each with murder, deprivation of liberty and aggravated armed robbery.

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The two suspects will face court later today; the younger man will front Perth Children's Court and the other will appear before the Perth Magistrates Court.

There are now three males before the courts over the stabbing. 

An 18-year-old man was arrested earlier this week and charged with murder.

He faced the Perth Magistrates Court yesterday, where he was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on January 7.

Police will allege the trio were fighting the 19-year-old man inside and outside a car on Talisker Gate when he was stabbed several times.

It is believed to be an isolated incident, and police are not searching for anyone else. 

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promoted a government-led campaign aimed at uniting the community in response to the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach.

The "One Mitzvah for Bondi" initiative encourages people of all faiths and communities to complete acts of kindness.

Albanese said the campaign urges every Australian to "bring light into the world through an act of kindness".

READ MORE: New poll shows Aussies support tough changes after Bondi Beach terror attack

"From checking in on a neighbour to volunteering your time in service of others, every mitzvah brings light into the world," he said.

"And by standing together, we show that hatred and violence will never define who we are."

Australians can describe their deed in up to 10,000 characters and log it on a form on the NSW government website.

"Please describe your good deed in honour of the Bondi victims," the form reads.

In the Jewish tradition, Mitzvah refers to an act of kindness or moral responsibility.

It can be something small, but when carried out collectively, it can have a large impact.

Albanese has been unable to shake off criticisms over his response to antisemitism and the attack. 

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He has ruled out a federal royal commission, saying it would take years and delay action, despite strong calls from the opposition and Jewish community to open one.

Instead, he is likely to recall parliament early to introduce a landmark gun buyback scheme, hate speech laws, a new landmark offence that outlaws the radicalisation of children, and more powers for the home affairs minister to cancel or refuse visas if a person is suspected of promoting hate and violence or is associated with a terrorist organisation.

Less than a dozen of the 41 people injured remain in hospitals across Sydney after one of the worst terrorist attacks in Australia on December 14.

The alleged father and son gunmen opened fire on the Jewish community, who were celebrating the first day of Hanukkah, and killed 15 people.

Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in a shootout with police.

His son, Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences and remains in custody. 

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Police packing unprecedented amounts of firepower will be on hand to protect revellers at Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations, Premier Chris Minns has revealed in a plea for people to return to Bondi.

Minns urged Sydneysiders not to steer clear of the New Year's Eve fireworks, saying they should instead "thumb their nose" at terrorists who wanted to split the community following the Bondi Beach terror attack.

"We can't let these people win. We have to show defiance by going out and spending time with family and friends heading into the New Year's period," he said today.

READ MORE: Two dead after suspected domestic violence stabbing in Sydney

He also emphasised that there would be plenty of protection for people wanting to celebrate.

"NSW Police will be out in massive numbers, in some cases carrying weapons and firearms you haven't seen before," he said.

He later elaborated that officers would be carrying longarms, which is atypical for NSW Police.

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Minns acknowledged it would be "uncomfortable for some people", but that security was the state government's first obligation.

He also said the state was "in discussions" about whether the military could become involved in general security operations.

Outside the December 31 celebrations, Minns, alongside Waverley Council Mayor Will Nemesh, and Jobs Minister Steve Kamper, urged Sydneysiders to come back to Bondi to support local businesses, who they said had been doing it tough since the attack.

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"When the terrorist attack unfolded, our local businesses became refuges and safe havens," Nemesh said.

"Now it is our turn to back our local businesses."

Anecdotally, businesses have said foot traffic had been slower than usual for the time of year, and bookings had been cancelled in the two weeks since the terror attack.

"We need you to return to Bondi," Minns said.

"This is a great opportunity for you to show your support for the local community."

Businesses within two blocks of the site of the attack have access to support packages of up to $25,000.

Plans to shut down prayer halls

Community prayer halls could be shut down under new legislation being prepared by the state government, if they are found to give a podium to "hate preachers".

"No organisation that preaches hate should have access to any government money under any circumstances," Minns said.

He said the government could even cut off such buildings from power and water as part of a shutdown.

And he said the hate speech laws were not targeting the Islamic community.

"Our hate speech laws in NSW apply to everybody. Anybody who is preaching hate to any part of our community is subject to some of the toughest penalties in Australia," he said.

It is unknown how retroactively the penalties will reply. Minns did not delve into specifics but said there was "no statute of limitations" on hate speech.

"We will need legislation for tougher penalties and more onerous regulations," he said.

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The builder successfully sued the couple after they refused to pay their bills.

An embattled Cairns-based cruise ship has run aground while sailing around the South Pacific.

The vessel ran into trouble on Saturday morning, during its first trip back at sea after the death of an 80-year-old passenger on Lizard Island in October.

Australian-flagged vessel, the Coral Adventurer, hit a coral reef and ran aground off the Papua New Guinea coast, stuck around 30 kilometres from the city of Lae.

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Crew alerted relevant authorities around 6am.

9News understands there are 123 people on board the luxury cruise ship, including 80 passengers and 43 crew.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement "there are no injuries among the passengers and crew onboard".

The PNG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre also confirmed an officer has boarded the vessel and is assisting with the incident.

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Crews were waiting for high tide to help re-float the ship, to assess if there's any damage.

It's been troubled waters for the luxury cruise ship that's already navigated a turbulent two months after it made headlines in October.

Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old New South Wales tourist, was found dead on remote Lizard Island several hours after being left behind by the Coral Adventurer.

The tragedy ultimately sparked several investigations, including by the AMSA and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, which remains ongoing.

This latest 12-night cruise, which costs $13,280 per person, departed from Cairns on December 18, reaching Papua New Guinea last Saturday on December 20.

It's then been cruising up the coastline over the past week before this latest bungle happened on December 27.

Passengers were due to disembark on December 30.

Coral Expeditions responded on Saturday evening, saying an initial inspection has found no damage to the vessel and further investigations will be undertaken.

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Ghostwriting was the last side hustle Kristy Lee Kelly thought she'd fall into after being made redundant in 2020.

The 32-year-old from Sydney didn't even know ghostwriting existed until an old colleague suggested it could help her make ends meet.

Kelly figured there was no harm trying it, at least until she found a new job.

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Instead she ended up ghostwriting for more than four years.

For those not in the know, a ghostwriter is a professional author paid to write books (among other things) for other authors, celebrities, even royals.

Prince Harry's Spare was ghostwritten by acclaimed journalist and author J. R. Moehringer, who reportedly charges seven figures per book.

Other, less established ghostwriters make tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per book.

The trade-off is that most receive no credit for what they write because it's published under someone else's name (celebrity ghostwriters such as Moehringer are outliers).

But Kelly, a self-proclaimed "lover of words", didn't mind writing for other people at first.

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She was just happy getting paid to do something she enjoyed.

"You can't realistically live on one income anymore," she told 9news.com.au.

"It was a combination of extra cash while having a creative outlet that appealed to me."

It only took a few beginner projects to build her confidence and start landing bigger, well-paid contracts writing romance.

It's a booming genre, with Australians forking out $50 million on romance novels in 2024 alone, according to Nielsen BookScan.

And Kelly was "floored" to realise how many authors in it and other popular genres don't write their own books.

"People don't know how much of the publishing industry is built on ghostwriters," she said.

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Like most jobs, ghostwriting gigs are advertised online with details such as the genre of the book, the level of experience required, and the rate of pay.

And almost all of them require the hired ghostwriter to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) prohibiting them from ever revealing they wrote it.

Kelly had to sign one for every single book she worked on, but the cash was worth it.

Before long, she was ghostwriting for major publishers in the US and UK, as well as a few authors directly.

As her profile increased, so did her pay.

"I would negotiate the overall amount, then get paid in milestones," she explained.

"It started with the outline, then it was usually in 10,000- to 20,000-word increments, and then for any further edits."

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It became a lucrative side hustle and when Kelly landed a full-time job in the disability sector in 2021, she decided to keep ghostwriting.

Having an extra income as the cost-of-living crisis was kicking off was a huge relief.

Especially when Kelly and her husband learned they were expecting their first child the following year.

It was a challenging juggle and Kelly had to write before and after work and on her lunch breaks to meet tight project deadlines.

"Whenever I had a spare moment, I was writing," she said, describing it as "exhausting but fulfilling".

"Then on weekends I smashed out as much as I could."

The only drawback was that Kelly had no ownership of her writing, even on the projects where she was given almost total creative freedom.

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For one project, she was given a vague theme and allowed to run wild with it for three books.

But as soon as the ink dried, her words were taken away to be published under a stranger's name.

"That's the one series I wish I could've put my name on, because it had so much of me in it and I still to this day have no idea where it ended up," Kelly said.

Of the 20 books she ghostwrote, Kelly has only ever found two on shelves – both by accident.

What happened to the rest remains a mystery.

It was only after becoming a mother that Kelly decided to finally step away from ghostwriting after more than four years.

"It was incredibly draining to give pieces of myself – my humour, my creativity, even my trauma – to other people's books," she explained.

"I started to question why I was bringing other people's stories to life but not the ones that I've been carrying around inside of me."

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Hoping to show her daughter that it's never too late to chase your passions, Kelly is now writing original fiction between part-time work and raising a toddler.

But she doesn't regret her time as a ghostwriter.

"This has all led me to a path where I'm working on my own writing, and I'm excited to see where it leads me," she said.

"It could lead to a pile of books that never see the light of day, but at least I put pen to paper."

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at Google Play.

More than 10 million Australians will head overseas in 2026, if recent travel trends are any indication.

But there are many destinations the federal government has strenuously warned against holidaying to, even though some of them are trying to entice foreign tourists.

Heading into the new year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) Smartraveller service has slapped a "do not travel" warning on 23 countries.

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None of them are much surprise: war-torn Ukraine, Palestine and Yemen; military junta-run Myanmar and authoritarian North Korea; and large swaths of Africa, where the threat of terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crime looms, all feature on that list.

So too do Russia and allied Iran and Belarus, where Australians are at risk of arbitrary detention or arbitrarily enforced laws targeting Westerners.

"Russian authorities regard Australia as an 'unfriendly' nation and act accordingly," DFAT said about the world's largest country. 

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"If you're in Russia, leave immediately using commercial options."

The starkest warning, though, is saved for Afghanistan.

After re-seizing power in the country in 2021 following the disastrous US exit, the Taliban has promoted itself as a tourism destination in an attempt to bolster its fragile, war-ravaged and aid-dependent economy.

"The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them," Deputy Tourism Minister Qudratullah Jamal said in June. 

"Tourism brings many benefits to a country.

"We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them."

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While some Australians are among the foreigners who have travelled there, despite Afghans who have fled the country cautioning that it risks legitimising the Taliban's violent and abusive regime, the federal government's advice about a visit is blunt.

"Nowhere in Afghanistan is safe… understand that you could die and make a will before you go," it states.

While the "do not travel" countries are unsurprising, travellers may be a little shocked to see the advice for some of the safer nations on Smartraveller's list.

France and the United Kingdom are the only Western European countries to be marked as "exercise a high degree of caution" – the second level of advice.

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Thailand, another popular destination for Australians, also has the same warning, while travellers to Rwanda and Zambia, which both have Mpox outbreaks and border "do not travel" areas, are told to "exercise normal safety precautions" – the first and lowest tier of Smartraveller advice – although specific parts of those nations have higher advisories.

The advice for each country is based on a range of factors, including intelligence from ASIO and Australia's allies, and objectively reflect the risks travellers would face there, according to DFAT.

"We frequently review our travel advisories. However, we don't change them for all issues and incidents," Smartraveller states.

"We update travel advisories if there are new or increased risks to Australians."

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Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Kyiv after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he plans to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida Sunday, as efforts continue to end the nearly four-year war in Eastern Europe.

The aerial attack killed at least one person – a 71-year-old – and injured 32 more, including two children, according to Kyiv police.

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said more than 2600 residential buildings are currently without heating, as well as 187 kindergartens, 138 schools and 22 social institutions in the capital, amid freezing temperatures.

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The attack lasted nearly 10 hours in total, making it one of the longest of the year.

Speaking on board a plane bound for the United States Saturday, Zelenskyy repeated calls for the bolstering of Ukraine's air defences, saying the country needed more missiles amid Russia's relentless attacks.

"The support of Europeans is important to us today. We do not have enough additional air defence systems," he said.

Ahead of meeting Trump, Zelenskyy is stopping in Canada for talks with President Mark Carney.

On Friday, Zelenskyy told reporters that the 20-point peace plan hammered out by Ukrainian and US officials is "90 per cent ready" and that he planned to discuss with Trump how Ukraine's allies could guarantee its security in the future.

Trump said in an interview with Politico that he expects the meeting to "go good," but cautioned that Zelenskyy "doesn't have anything until I approve it". He added that he also expects to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin "soon, as much as I want".

In total, Russia launched nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Zelenskyy said on Saturday morning, adding that while Russian officials are engaging in talks to end fighting, the ongoing violence speaks for itself.

The most recent strikes primarily targeted energy and civilian infrastructure in the capital city, Kyiv, Zelenskyy said.

"In some districts of the capital and the region, electricity and heating are currently unavailable," he said. "Firefighting efforts are underway."

A CNN reporter in the capital heard attack drones flying overhead and a series of explosions early on Saturday, when Air Force warnings were in place.

Fires broke out across the city, engulfing a car repair shop and several residential buildings, and forcing elderly residents to evacuate a care home as flames spread, according to Kyiv Emergency Service.

Pointing to Russia's recent engagement in talks with US representatives to end fighting in the country, Zelenskyy wrote on X in the wake of the attack that "Russian representatives engage in lengthy talks, but in reality, Kinzhals and 'shaheds' speak for them."

He added, "This is the true attitude of Putin and his inner circle."

In response to the attacks, Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily closed two airports, Reuters reported, citing a post by the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency on X.

The shutdowns of Rzeszow and Lublin airports, in the country's southeast, were triggered by "unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security," according to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) posted on the US Federal Aviation Administration's website.

US officials said they were hopeful that Sunday's Zelenskyy-Trump meeting would be productive after a week of intensive efforts between US and Ukrainian negotiators. While officials did not cite a specific goal for the meeting, Zelenskyy told Axios on Friday that he wanted to conclude a framework to end the war.

The meeting is not expected to include any European leaders, according to US and European officials. However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will join a call on Saturday with Zelenskyy, Trump and other European leaders, a commission spokesperson told Reuters.

The Ukrainians have been pushing for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump for months, European officials said. The Europeans expect a positive meeting because they describe the current dynamic between the US and Ukraine as productive. Still, they acknowledge that the outcome of any meeting with Trump is unpredictable.

"There is no low-risk scenario with Trump," said one NATO official.

In preparation for Sunday's meeting, Zelenskyy said on Friday that he had spoken with the leaders of NATO, Canada, Germany, Finland, Denmark and Estonia to coordinate their positions.

"Ukraine has never been and will never be an obstacle to peace, and we will continue working efficiently to ensure all necessary documents are prepared as quickly as possible," he said.

Zelenskyy's announcement comes after he offered to compromise on some of the thorniest issues that have so far stalled the US-mediated peace process with Russia. It is not clear, however, whether Zelenskyy's concessions will satisfy the Kremlin.

Asked about Zelenskyy's potential willingness to consider territorial concessions for a peace deal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN that "giving up the rest of Donetsk could contribute significantly."

The initial 28-point peace plan, which emerged in November following talks between the United States and Russia, was criticised by Ukraine's allies as heavily favouring Moscow.

Following weeks of talks between Ukrainian and US officials, that draft has been slimmed down to the current 20-point plan, which Zelenskyy has said can serve as a "foundational document on ending the war."

Latest on peace negotiations

Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine had not received an official response from the Kremlin to the latest proposal. He said Kyiv is negotiating exclusively with Washington, which in turn is communicating with Moscow.

If Russia does not agree to the peace plan drafted by Ukraine and the United States, Zelenskyy suggested that more should be done to force Moscow's hand.

"If Ukraine shows its position, it is constructive – and Russia, for example, does not agree, then the (existing) pressure is not enough," Zelenskyy said, adding that he wants to discuss this with Trump.

Russia's central demands are for Ukraine to abandon its ambition to join NATO – which was a distant prospect before Moscow launched its all-out invasion of the country in February 2022 – and for Kyiv's military to withdraw fully from Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a vast area known as the Donbas. It was here that the Kremlin started destabilising Ukraine in 2014, helping pro-Russian separatists gain control of most of the area. The Donbas was eventually illegally annexed by Russia in September 2022.

Zelenskyy has offered concessions on both issues. During a wide-ranging press conference on Tuesday to discuss the new 20-point peace plan, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was seeking security guarantees from its allies that would "mirror" NATO's Article 5 – which requires all members to defend any member that has come under attack – but would no longer pursue full membership of the military alliance.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine would be willing to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region not currently occupied by Russian forces. The Ukrainian leader said any withdrawal of troops would have to be reciprocal, with Moscow giving up as much Ukrainian territory as that ceded by Kyiv and those pockets of the Donbas becoming demilitarised as a result. Earlier this month, Zelenskyy noted that US negotiators wanted these territories to become "free economic zones" once all troops were withdrawn.

Ukraine's constitution requires any changes to the country's borders to be approved in a referendum.

Zelenskyy reiterated on Friday that "the fate of Ukraine should be decided by the people of Ukraine" and said Ukraine's allies "have enough power to force Russia or to negotiate with the Russians" to ensure that any such plebiscite could be carried out safely.

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