General News
11 February, 2026
Hopetoun sets new Victorian record
The residents of Hopetoun were not in a hurry to venture outdoors in the afternoon late last month, with the town of about 700 people enduring a blazing summer sun heating roofs, roads and car interiors on a date to recall in future local pub conversations – January 27, 2026.
Just an extra 0.1 degrees Celsius above the old state record was enough for Hopetoun to eclipse its prior highest temperature set in February 2009 on Black Saturday, with the mercury touching 48.9°C just after 3pm on Tuesday.
Sharing the new record with Walpeup, 80 kilometres to the north-west, the scorching heat came from a slow-moving upper-level high-pressure system that heats the air as it sinks to the surface.
From Mildura all the way down to the coast at Warrnambool, Victoria’s west copped the definition of extreme midsummer temperatures, with most people seeking refuge by either staying in their air-conditioned home or finding a similarly climate-controlled community location to spend time in.
Warracknabeal got to 47.7°C, Longerenong also recorded its highest temperature of 48.1°C, and Horsham’s population experienced what 47.8°C feels like for the first time at about 3.40pm.
Other weather stations in the broader region got to 46.6°C (Nhill) and 45.3°C (Edenhope).
Across the border into South Australia, Naracoorte, Keith, Loxton, and Renmark (topping the state at 49.6ºC) also sweltered. In NSW, the state’s second-hottest temperature on record was equalled when Pooncarie (about 120km north of Mildura) reported 49.7ºC.
Although a mild cool change mid-evening took the edge off temperatures and swung the winds from the north to the south over a few hours, the relief was only temporary, with the maximum on Wednesday still in the mid-30s and forecast to rise again before the weekend.
Hopetoun Swimming Pool president, Patti Thomas, said their policy to close the facility on afternoons with over-40°C days and reopen at their normal closing time was welcome for many in town.
Posting a simple, “It’s cool at the POOL, 6pm-8pm” at 5.56pm on Tuesday, Patti said nearly 30 people took advantage of the opportunity.
“Normally we're open in the afternoon, but when it was over 40, we've been opening from half-past 10 to half-past two, shutting and then reopening,” she said.
“When we went back and opened at six, I thought, I'll just let people know we're opened … we've had good numbers come when we've opened at nighttime.”
The community had also used the air-conditioned Hopetoun Senior Citizens Club on the corner of Dennys and Toole streets between 10am and 6pm.
Living in the just about worst possible location on Tuesday – about halfway between Hopetoun and Walpeup – Yarriambiack Shire mayor, Andrew McLean, said he couldn’t verify just how hot it got as his own weather station was showing a consistently inaccurate minus 40°C.
“The outside sensor, I think, is stuffed!” he laughed.
On a more serious note, he said he thought it was “sensible” that the decision many businesses and shops had made to close early, as the conditions made working intolerable and unreasonable, with some starting earlier in the morning to escape somewhere to beat the worst of the heat.
“There's a lot of people putting out heat warning announcements to make sure that people do what they need to do in the morning and rest up in the afternoon in that cool spot,” he said.
Mr McLean said he was aware there was still a considerable amount of summer left, with Friday again looking like heading over 40°C – “We haven’t got rid of the heat yet” – and was relieved Tuesday’s record wasn’t associated with the same outcomes as the previous one.
“It's not a record we want to hold, really,” he admitted.
“But, hopefully, it lasts a long time.
“(People) were talking about the matching new temperatures – I just remembered Black Saturday, and didn't want to finish the day in a similar manner here.
“We (should) begin to do that, which is (be) very grateful.”