Heatwave too much for koala to bear

The citizens of an small country town hit hard by Victoria's record heatwave now know how intense the temperatures really are — even the native animals are seeking respite.

Images circulating via email reveal a family sheltering in their home in Maude, between Melbourne and Geelong, when a koala walked onto their back porch and into the laundry.

Assuming it was distressed by the heat, the girl in the photos filled a bucket with water and — after a prod and a quick drink — the marsupial climbed in for a refreshing dip.

Do you know this family? Do you have photos demonstrating the extreme impact of the heatwave? Please click here.

The episode was a rare bright spot in a nightmare summer for people on the land, with farmers in southeastern Australia appealing for shoppers not to ignore heat-damaged fruit and vegetables.

The blisteringly hot January in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, blemished a variety of produce that could turn off some consumers, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says.

VFF horticulture president Peter Cochrane said it was too early to know how much the heatwave would undermine prices.

"If there is still a reasonable amount of supply there and the consumers back-off buying because the product might have burnt leaves, the price won't go up," Mr Cochrane said.

"We have had up until now really good growing conditions and people have been able to buy perfect bunches of spring onions or radishes and lettuces, but with the heat, the quality just won't be there," he said.

"We are just asking people to be patient and not critical of us."

Besides the potentially ruinous temperatures, Victoria recorded a mere 0.8mm of rain in January.

Although leafy vegetables, stone fruit and apples were affected, Mr Cochrane said farmers needed people to buy local produce to help minimise their losses.

"A lot of us have taken a big hit on our income," he said.

He said grape growers had also been hard hit and the affect on wine production had yet toe be assessed.

"The grape growers have taken a very bad hit. The grapes are just withering on the vines and shrivelling up," he said.

"They were at one stage talking about another over-supply, but I have heard reports that they are actually going in now and harvesting the grapes to try and salvage what they can."