Australia was home to all 15 of the world's hottest temperatures on Tuesday, a feat it may well repeat on Wednesday and beyond as a huge swath of the nation bakes in 45-degree-plus heat.

A slew of records have already fallen during the current heatwave and more are likely to be broken before a cool change breaks up the furnace later this week.

Most of inland south-eastern Australia is expected to reach 45 degrees or warmer on Wednesday. Credit:Bureau of Meteorology

According to the El Dorado Weather site, the warmest 15 places on the planet in the past 24 hours were all in Australia. These ranged from Tarcoola in inland South Australia, which reached 49.1 degrees, to Yulara in the Northern Territory at 46.1 degrees in 15th slot.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the 49.1 degrees at Tarcoola was a record reading for that site.