Australia sizzles through a scorching heatwave as thousands flock to the beach

Swathes of Australia have sizzled through an extreme heatwave with the worst of the hot weather yet to come with temperatures set to soar again on Monday.

Sweltering temperatures in South Australia reached well into the 40s on Sunday as a large out-of-control bushfire threatened townships on Adelaide’s outskirts.

While South Australians will enjoy a slight reprieve on Monday, much of Australia’s east coast will be blasted with more searing heat.

Temperatures in Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and Sydney will soar into the mid to high 30s while many regional areas will record 40-plus temperatures.

Melburnians flocked to St Kilda (pictured) on Sunday as the mercury reached 34C. Monday will be even hotter where the mercury will edge closer to 40C

An Echunga resident in the Adelaide Hills took this photo of the out-of-control bushfire that threatened homes and lives on Sunday, just 34km from the South Australian capital

Authorities issued an emergency warning for a large bushfire that threatened lives and homes in the Adelaide Hills on Sunday.

A emergency warning was issued for Cherry Gardens, where residents were urged to evacuate on Sunday night – and then told it was too late to leave.

‘You are now in danger. Take shelter in a solid building. Do not leave or enter this area in a vehicle or on foot. It is too late to leave as the roads will not be safe,’ a police alert read.

‘Conditions are dangerous and firefighters are now unable to prevent the fire spreading. Shelter before the fire arrives as heat can kill you well before the flames reach you.’

A series of watch and act alerts also remain in place for surrounding areas from Stirling and Bridgewater in the north, to Hahndorf and the edge of Mount Barker in the east, Kangarilla to the south and Clarendon in the west.

This map shows just how hot NSW and Victoria will get on Monday at 1pm – bringing increasing risk of bushfires

As temperatures crept up into the mid-30s on Sunday, beachgoers packed out popular spots including Sydney’s Bondi Beach (pictured)

A man has been arrested over the Cherry Gardens bushfire as it continues to burn, with firefighters deploying water bombers in a desperate attempt to stop the flames. 

Police alleged a vehicle was spotted speeding away from a fire that had recently started just after 6pm on Sunday.

‘Detectives are investigating if there are any possible links between this fire and others in the area,’ a police statement read.

The Cherry Gardens was downgraded to watch and act late Sunday night as 300 firefighters battled the blaze in humid conditions and difficult terrain.

‘Currently the fire is travelling in a North Easterly direction but an early morning wind change will see the fire direction change and again head south westerly,’ the latest Country Fire Service alert states.

‘Aviation resources will be working over these fires tomorrow morning supporting crews on the ground and gathering aerial intelligence.’

Melburnians flocked to St Kilda on Sunday to escape the heatwave on Sunday (pictured) which will carry on until at least Tuesday

Tamarama Beach in Sydney’s east (pictured on Sunday) was another popular beach spot over the weekend – with locals making the most of the scorching weather

Fire authorities in Victoria and NSW are on high alert, where temperatures are set to soar across Australia’s south-east on Monday. 

The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued total fire bans for the northern, southern and eastern Riverina districts in the state 

‘Very hot, dry and windy conditions are forecast. If your are camping in these areas it’s important to ensure that your camp fire is extinguished before midnight,’ the RFS tweeted.

Victoria authorities have issued a total fire ban across the state with a severe fire danger in place for Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North East and North Central.

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‘The next 24 hours we’ll see the most significant fire risk posed to this state so far this season,’ Country Fire Authority chief officer Jason Heffernan said

‘Heatwave conditions will continue to build overnight and will peak tomorrow.’

The bushfire in the Adelaide Hills (pictured on Sunday) left residents scrambling to leave their homes as the sky turned an ominous orange

Swimmers were keen to take a dip into the ocean at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday (pictured) as the heatwave hung over the east coast

Sydney’s beaches were packed to capacity as the mercury peaked at 34C on Sunday and reached 40C in the city’s west.

It was the third consecutive day temperatures reached the mid-30s along the coast in the harbour city.

Sydney is forecast to reach a top of 32C on Monday and an even warmer 33C for Tuesday’s public holiday.   

The conditions are not expected to cool until at least Tuesday. 

Bega, on the state’s south coast, is expected to reach at least 39C on Monday and NSW-Victoria border towns could endure temperatures up to 44C. 

Health authorities urge everyone to keep cool by staying indoors, switching on air conditioning and keeping hydrated by drinking plenty of water.  

Dramatic images from Adelaide (pictured) showed the huge cloud of smoke as the bushfire raged out-of-control on Sunday

Sydney’s coast hit temperatures in the mid 30s for a third consecutive day on Sunday (pictured is a woman at Bondi)

Victoria will also see temperatures building to a peak on Monday, with most major centres in the state’s north surpassing 40C. 

Melbourne will peak at a scorching 41C on Monday.   

Adelaide reached 41C on Sunday and will taper off to 34C on Monday with a low intensity heatwave expected to persist in South Australia until next week. 

In Hobart, the temperatures will soar to 34C on Monday.  

It will be another hot day in the nation’s capital in Canberra, with temperatures of 30C and above from Sunday right through to Wednesday. 

The maximum will be 38C on Monday, 35C on Tuesday and 30C on Wednesday – with sunny skies persisting the whole time, although there is the chance of a possible shower on Wednesday. 

A swimmer at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach over the weekend. Australia’s southeast will sweat through temperatures as high as 45C for the next four days as an ‘extreme heatwave’ sweeps through

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse warned of humid and sleepless night over the coming days.

‘The important part with the heat we’re seeing is those overnight temperatures remaining particularly warm,’ Ms Woodhouse told reporters on Sunday.

‘Over parts of the southern inland in particular, we’re looking at (overnight) temperatures anywhere in the high 20s, even touching 30C … so very warm.’

Ms Woodhouse added that the heat – including overnight temperatures – was unlikely to subside in NSW until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. 

A graphic depiction of the heatwave battering parts of Australia over the Australia Day long weekend – with temperatures to continue for several days

Elsewhere across Australia, Brisbane will be much more mild in the high 20s with the pleasant weather to continue until Tuesday. 

Meanwhile on the west coast, Perth will reach a top of 26C on Monday, and back up to 28C for Tuesday. 

In the Top End, Darwin will reach a maximum of 31C on Sunday, which is expected to stay the same until Wednesday

Showers and storms are expected until Friday as the Northern Territory is currently going through its wet season.