Dozens of flights from airports in Sydney and Melbourne were also cancelled on Friday as winds gusted up to 120km/h (75mph) in some areas. Authorities said part of the Frankston Pier in Melbourne had broken off as gales whipped up rough seas. Meteorologists called it the region's coldest weather system of the year.
"The last time south-eastern Australia saw a system of this intensity was in 2014," a spokesman from the Bureau of Meteorology told the BBC. The bureau said the icy conditions made it feel like the temperature was below 0C in areas of Victoria, the worst-affected state on Friday. In the Melbourne suburb of Frankston, locals shared images online of the section of pier drifting in Port Phillip Bay before washing up on the beach.The storm also affected parts of South Australia and New South Wales, bringing down power lines and trees.
More than 8,000 houses in South Australia were without power after thunderstorms swept through the state on Thursday. Emergency services in Victoria said they had fielded more than 400 calls for help.
