“Although New South Wales is not subject to the periodical showers of the tropics, a large quantity of rain falls throughout the year; hitherto the colony has been visited by a drought about every twelve years; the last one continuing from 1826 to 1829, during which period, little or no rain fell”
p6 – 26 Oct 1837 – The Colonist (Sydney, NSW : 1835 – 1840) – Trove
08 May 1869 – AUSTRALIAN METEOROLOGY. – Trove
“1850 was all but rainless. Victoria and Tasmania were dried up, and on Black Thursday, 6th February,. 1851, the Barrabool Hills and great part of Victoria were swept by a fierce northern hurricane that “boxed” the scattered bush fires into one awful whole.”