Australia experienced its 15th hottest summer since records began in 1910, while the summer before was the hottest ever.
“It was a really extreme and variable summer, with a series of heatwave events with lots of records broken,” according to a Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) spokesman.
Moomba, in South Australia, recorded the hottest day on January 2 when the mercury reached 49.3C.
BOM says the weather was very mixed across the country, with some places recording record spells of dry, wet, hot or cool conditions.
Melbourne had a record six days over 41C, while Adelaide had five days in a row over 42C.
But inland Western Australia and the Northern Territory had cooler than average temperatures, while Far North Queensland had average to a little cooler than usual.
Most capital cities were very dry, but Adelaide had its wettest day since 1969 in mid-February. – AAP
IMAGE: Bathers try to cool off in the hot weather at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne, summer 2014. Australia has experienced its 15th hottest ever summer. (AAP Image/David Crosling)