Sophie and Georgina Mitchell cool down with an ice cream at Safety Beach, Mornington Peninsula over the Christmas holiday. (0905657)

GUERNSEY expats in Australia are bracing themselves for more hot weather as temperatures smash records.

Melbourne peaked at 43C during the day and a minimum of 33C overnight – the hottest since records began more than 100 years ago.

The heatwave comes ahead of the first anniversary of Black Saturday on 7 February and as the country prepares for bush fire season.

Karena Mitchell lives with husband Andrew and children Sophie and Georgina in Surrey Hills, Melbourne. She said their home could become a retreat for friends if bushfires hit more densely wooded areas.

‘We live in a very low risk area as our home is only 12 kilometres east of the city centre,’ she said, but that was not the case for a number of family friends.

‘We have close friends in high risk areas 45 minutes to the east of us in the heavily forested eucalyptus, mountain ash and banksia covered hills of the Dandenong Ranges and also in the Yarra Valley/Murrindindi region, where hundreds lost their lives last year.’

Mrs Mitchell said a number of these friends had their address as part of their fire survival plans for ‘code red’ fire danger days.

Perth resident Maureen Kitchen said they had just gone through a heatwave – and there was another on the way.

Sunday saw the hottest temperature in the city for 19 years, peaking at 42.9C.

‘On Monday night the lowest overnight temperature was 26.8C, it was the hottest January night in 21 years.

‘A real toss and turn night – very uncomfortable and that was sleeping with the fan on,’ said Mrs Kitchen.

‘Air-conditioned cinemas also reported a 50% jump in moviegoers and ice rinks did a roaring trade,’ she said. People also flocked to the beaches.

Just before new year, 38 homes were lost in bushfires half an hour away from where they live in Toodyay.

‘Thankfully, no lives were lost, which was mainly due to last year’s bushfire disaster in Victoria. After seeing what happened there, people fled and didn’t try to save their properties,’ she said.

Dolores and Colin Blatchford live just two kilometres from Toodyay and the road they normally used to get home was closed.

‘When I reached the point where there was a roadblock, I was told I could get home by back-tracking and using the unsealed road.’

She called her husband to ask what to do.

‘He said if I could get home safely to do so, otherwise stay with the rest of the people,’ she said.

Mrs Blatchford got home and was inundated with calls from concerned friends and family.

‘There were voice messages and from then on the landline phone and the mobile did not stop ringing for five days,’ she said.

Mrs Blatchford said neighbours rallied to help each other and their church offered to help the victims.

‘The generosity of people from all over has been overwhelming.

‘It could have been a lot, lot worse.’