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Last Updated: Thursday October 23 2008 07:58 GMT

Crazy weather hits Australia

Lighting in the sky

Australia's famous for its hot sun and sandy beaches, but it's been hit by freak storms which lit up the skies and caused HUGE hail stones to fall.

Over 11,000 lightning strikes were recorded during the storms, which created a spectacular display over the city of Brisbane.

Thousands of homes were left without power there, and cars were covered in snow in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.

Hail stones the size of golf balls also fell and winds reached up to 62 mph.