English tourists Megan, Katie and Sammy enjoy the Christmas heat on St.Kilda Beach. Credit:Brook Mitchell Her friend Riccardo Lanzaroto said spending Christmas in Australia was very different from being in Italy. "It is 12 degrees in northern Italy," Mr Lanzaroto said. Lisa Samrb came down with her friends and her dog, Havana, to spend the evening at the foreshore. Ms Samrb said she had spent day with her family in Preston.

Heat feat: Cooling off at Half Moon Bay, Black Rock. Credit:Mathew Lynn "We don't have a plan," she said. "Just sit here and relax." Crowds flock to St Kilda Beach on Christmas morning. Credit:Brook Mitchell Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Beren Bradshaw said it was the warmest Christmas since 1998.

Sunday's temperature equalled 1998's record high of 36.3 degrees. The highest Christmas Day temperature on record for Melbourne is 40.7 degrees in 1907. Sunset on St Kilda Beach Christmas night. Credit:Wayne Hawkins There will only be slight relief on Sunday evening, with the minimum temperature predicted to be a warm 24 degrees overnight. But it promises be a cooler Boxing Day ... eventually. "We are still expecting a top of 31 degrees tomorrow in the morning before that southerly change comes through," Ms Bradshaw said.

"After the change during the afternoon, the temperatures will drop into the low to mid-20s." There is also rain expected in the afternoon on Monday, which could cause interruptions to the cricket. Across the state, the highest-recorded temperature was at Walpeup in the Mallee district with a top of 41.5 degrees at 4.48pm on Christmas Day, followed by 40.8 degrees at Hopetoun, about 400 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. Ms Bradshaw said there were northerly winds across most of the Melbourne area. However, nothing could top Adelaide which had the hottest Christmas in 75 years, with a top of 41.3 degrees. They reached 41.4 degrees in 1945.

Melburnians took advantage of the warm weather by heading to the beach to celebrate Christmas. Sonia Gorgievski celebrated the day at Elwood with her husband and two daughters. The family usually has a picnic in Geelong but this year decided to beat the heat in bayside Melbourne.

"It's better than being indoors stuck at home in the heat," Ms Gorgievski said. Despite the hot weather, Ms Gorgievski said the beach was pleasant. "It was good because there was a breeze. This was just perfect for the weather." Elwood Beach has been a long-time favourite spot for Ms Gorgievski and husband Louie. At St Kilda, the foreshore was packed with people, many wearing red Santa hats, bikinis or board shorts and reindeer antlers.

The soundtrack was a hubbub of music blaring from speakers and an array foreign accents. There were long queues for water fountains, exceeded only by the line at the ice cream van. Rory Hughes from Tyrone in Ireland was gripping a Crown lager about 4pm. He described his Christmas in Australia as "drinking, mostly". Turkey was on the menu for Christmas Eve dinner with other travellers but on Sunday it was a "liquid lunch".

For William Bloom from London, it was his third Christmas on St Kilda beach. "It's pumping. It's going off," he said. But he has yet to reconcile the heat and festive season. "We're used to sitting around wearing woollen jumpers with our families," he said. Meanwhile, Lindsay Walderman and her friend Bethany Budd, both from the US, sought respite from the sun on a shady patch of grass.

Ms Walderman has spent three-and-a-half years in Melbourne and Ms Budd had arrived just before Christmas. Together with a group of international friends, they had a barbecue before hitting the beach. "It was a little orphan Christmas," Ms Walderman said. Sophie Neckenich, from Cologne in Germany, described the hot Christmas in Melbourne as "super weird". "We're all not in a Christmas mood because at home it's freezing," she said. "We're not with our families but we love it anyway."

Elsewhere in the state, the hot weather brought fears of bushfire with a "watch and act" alert for Hopetoun, Banyan, Curyo, Marlbed, Watchupga, Willangie and Woomelang for a grassfire that crossed the Sunraysia Highway. The fire was later contained.. There were also sharks reported off three beaches along the Great Ocean Road and a surf beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, with three confirmed sightings in less than an hour. During the week, temperatures are expected to remain in the high 20s to low 30s around the Melbourne area, with a chance of isolated showers. In Victoria, especially around the northern half of the state, it will be warm to hot, with temperatures ranging from mid to high 30s. A CFA spokeswoman said there would be no total fire ban in Victoria on Boxing Day.

The Australian Medical Association vice-president Dr Tony Bartone said the hot conditions required special precautions, particularly for older people, young children and pregnant women. The City of Melbourne has engaged the Salvation Army to extend the opening hours of its cafe to provide respite to homeless people. More than 2000 pool passes and 240 movie tickets will also be available to help homeless people escape the heat. Loading

"We know that 374 people died across Melbourne in one heatwave in 2009. This is higher than the annual road toll for the state," Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said. With AAP