The west coast endured sweltering temperatures over the weekend, while the eastern states enjoyed cooler weather after an exceptionally hot Friday.
At 2pm on Sunday, Perth and Geraldton in Western Australia both hit 38 degrees.
At the same time, on the east coast, Sydney sat at a pleasant 24C and Brisbane a bearable 31C.
But the worst is yet to come, with temperatures expected to rise again as another heatwave makes its way across the country.
The west coast has endured sweltering temperatures over the weekend while the eastern states enjoyed a brief rest from the hot weather with cooler temperatures
Temperatures across the country on Sunday were warmer in the wetsern states and cooler on the eastern coast, however, by next Friday another heatwave will hit the east
Some parts of Western Australia cracked the 40C mark as the east coast saw temps in the mid 20s to early 30s
WA residents flocked to beaches and air-conditioned shopping centres in droves on Saturday as temperatures cracked 40C.
In the east, Brisbane sat at a warm but endurable 32C and Sydney hit a comfortable high of 26.
The southern states also saw cooler temperatures over the weekend, with Adelaide hitting 29 at 2pm on Sunday and Melbourne reaching 24C.
Further north, Alice Springs sizzled through 41C, however, Darwin reached a moderate 31C.
Despite scolding temperatures, Western Australians saw overnight temps in the mid 20s, allowing residents to get some sleep – unlike NSW, which set a new national record for the maxiumum overnight temperature late last week.
WA residents flocked to beaches and air-conditioned shopping centres in droves on Saturday as temperatures cracked 40C
That honour went to rural western NSW with a minimum overnight temperature of 35.9C at Noona, halfway between Cobar and Wilcannia.
Western Australia will see a cooler start to the week on Monday, however, the hot weather is certainly not over for the eastern and southern states.
Perth will sit around the high 20s early in the week, but will cool off as the weekend nears.
Sydney, however, will see temps in the mid 20s early on before rising well in the 30s by Friday.
The conditions for Western Australia should be cooler over the coming week, however, the hot weather is certainly not over for the eastern and southern states with temps set to rise
Victoria and South Australia may be the hardest hit by the oncoming heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C and above in Melbourne and Adelaide.
Brisbane will see the mercury sitting around 32C for most of the week.
Outback Queensland, however, has seen a consistent run of scorchingly hot weather.
The mercury topped 45C for a ninth day in a row at Birdsville.
While it’s nowhere near the highest maximum temperature of 49.5C recorded in 1972, the string of nine days at or above 45C is a new benchmark for the outback town.
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster David Wilke said on Friday the hot weather will return and ‘late next week we’re sort of almost back where we were today’
Birdsville Hotel assistant-manager Darren Collins says the heat has been relentless but it’s keeping the pub busy as locals come in for some relief.
‘It’s like a fan forced oven straight off the desert, I started work at 6am and it was already 36C – it’s something we’re used to out here but this is tough,’ he told AAP on Sunday.
‘There’s a breeze up at the moment and that just adds another level to it – part of the road is melting a little and you just know it’s going to do you damage if you spend too much time out there.’
At 2.25pm the tiny town was sweltering at 45.7C.
An exceptionally hot Friday in New South Wales saw residents heading to popular beach hangouts
And, there’s no end in sight to the current heatwave, which could roll on for the next week, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
‘Which is quite phenomenal,’ meteorologist Chris Joseph told AAP.
The previous record was set in 2013, when the mercury topped 45C for six-days in a row.
Before that, the longest spell above 45C was five-days recorded in 1972, 1981 and 2004.
The succession of hot days has been caused by a stagnant low-pressure trough, perched over parts of southwestern Queensland, Mr Joseph said.
By Friday, temps will be back up in the 30s in the eastern states, bringing with it good beach weather