For many centres it was a one day wonder – although record heat was felt at Mildura and in that region on the 29th. But how quickly we forget our history – just compare Mildura in 1894 and 1902 with 2012. 1894 saw 4 days strait over 40 while 1902 saw 12 days over 40 incl 4 strait. 2012 only had 1 day over 40 – 2 if you count the 39.8 near miss as a 40. So that is 2 in 2012 vs 12 in 1902 – no contest.

Find early daily data at this BoM site
Over enthusiasm for the prospect of some hotter days lead the BoM to exaggerate forecasts for a week or so as this “widespread, severe heatwave” decayed and cooled very rapidly. See my earlier posts re Canberra region — Sydney — and Brisbane.