As Sunraysia sweltered through the fourth consecutive day of above 35 degree temperatures, water-lovers made a splash in the newly re-opened outdoor pools at Wentworth, Mildura Waves, Irymple, Red Cliffs, Ouyen and Colignan.

Attracting crowds of more than 300 people at the weekend, Wentworth swimming pool manager Annita Hawkins said she was expecting a busy week.

And, with air-conditioning repair specialists booking-in hundreds of call-outs in the past few days, Mrs Hawkins is not the only one feeling the heat.

Nigel Alderton, Devilee’s Air Conditioning and Refrigeration service manager, said the weekend’s hot weather had taken many people by surprise.

“We’ve been very busy,” he said.

“We’ve been doing the whole lot -- installation, repairs, breakdowns -- it all hit at once.

“We haven’t had heat like this for a while so it’s caught a lot of people on the back foot.”

For more of this story, purchase your copy of Thursday’s Sunraysia Daily 3/11/2009.