Australia experiences approximately 30 to 80 tornadoes annually, as estimated by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The earliest recorded signs of tornado activity date back to 1785, during the country's early settlement period.
A tornado, also known as a twister or willy-willy in Australia, is a violently rotating column of air that descends to the ground and can be among the most destructive atmospheric phenomena. The earliest recorded tornado in Australia occurred in Sydney, 1795. Tornadoes in Australia are measured in intensity using the EF-Scale (Enhanced Fujita scale).
The following is a chart showing Australia tornadoes by month or by time period.