Australians have just lived through the warmest September since records began, according to the rebadged Climate Council.

The latest record also makes the past 12 months the warmest documented, while 2013 is set to go down as the hottest calendar year in Australia, surpassing 2005.

Iceberger John Locco takes advantage of a sunny break to cool off at Brighton Beach. Credit:Wayne Taylor

''We've got high sea surface temperatures around Australia and that usually leads to warmer than average weather conditions, so if I was a betting man I would say that we are going to get the calendar record this year,'' climate scientist Will Steffen said. September temperatures were almost three degrees above the long-term average, according to a Climate Council report released on Thursday.