Kiwi drowns in Australia as people swim to escape heat

A New Zealand man has drowned at a Victorian waterfall, the fifth drowning death in Australia in three days, with authorities urging people trying to escape the country's heatwave to stay safe.

Police were called to MacKenzie Falls near Stawell about 6pm on Wednesday.

It is believed the 27-year-old New Zealand national fell into the rock pool just after 5pm.

A witness entered the water in a rescue attempt but was unable to reach him.The man's body was recovered by police shortly before 1am on Thursday.

Four other people have died since Monday on Australian beaches and there were a total of 30 drownings in 26 days across Australia, most of which were in coastal waters, chief executive of Life Saving Victoria Nigel Taylor said.

A 20-year-old man and another in his 40s drowned while swimming at Phillip Island beach in Victoria on Monday, while a young boy with the group managed to swim to the shore.On Christmas Day, a diver died after getting into difficulties off the coast of Cape Schanck on the state's Mornington Peninsula.

A 46-year-old South Korean man also drowned on Tuesday afternoon while snorkelling at Lake Conjola on the NSW South Coast.

Mr Taylor urged beachgoers to swim in patrolled areas, check for dangerous conditions, get local knowledge if swimming inland and skip the dip if they feel at all uncomfortable.

Authorities are also warning people to remember to keep safe on boats.

Sea Rescue Tasmania had to rescue a crew on Wednesday when it had run out of fuel, while five adults and a child jumped overboard when their boat caught fire in WA.

Add a Comment