Up to 50mm of rain has fallen across parts of New South Wales and Victoria, dampening bushfires even as dozens more continue to burn.
Fire-hit regions of NSW’s Snowy Valley and south coast, and Victoria’s East Gippsland and north-east, received as much as 15mm of desperately needed rain on Wednesday and Thursday, while severe thunderstorms caused flooding in Melburne.
However, more than 80 fires in NSW and 18 in Victoria continued to burn on Thursday, and lightning started two new fires in Victoria’s Great Otway national park, on the state’s south coast.