Melbourne's record low total for September and October is well below the previous record of 35.2mm set in 1914, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

It says Mildura and Sale in Victoria, and Whyalla in South Australia, have also had new low rainfall records for the first two months of spring,

Preliminary figures indicate that South Australia has had its driest September-October on record, with a state-wide average of a pitiful 7mm of rainfall.

This compares with the previous record of 7.5mm in 2006.

The dry spring start continues a very dry year in many parts of Australia.

Central Australia has received little or no rain in the past two months and 2008 is on track to be the driest year on record in many places, including Mount Isa and Alice Springs.

Rainfall for the year to date is also near or at record low levels in much of eastern Tasmania, including Hobart, and well below average in most of South Australia and Victoria.

However, rainfall has been near normal in areas such as the south-west of Western Australia, northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.

The Bureau says it has also been much hotter than usual in many parts of Australia with many record or near record high temperatures.

Darwin equalled its hottest month on record for any month, with preliminary data indicating that the average October maximum temperature of 34.4C has matched that previously set in October 1973, November 1976 and December 2002.

While south-eastern Australia temperatures for September-October 2008 have generally not been record-breaking, daytime maximum temperatures have been well above average for the third consecutive year.

For example, in South Australia 2008 is the third successive year in which maximums for the period have been more than 2°C above the long-term average (2.3C above average, and the 4th highest on record).

Victoria’s 2008 state-wide temperature anomaly of 2.1C above average ranks second behind that for 2006.

Further north in places such as Canberra and Wagga Wagga, the three warmest September-October periods on record have now occurred in the past three years.