Ulladulla tornado damages properties, brings down trees

A tornado struck Ulladulla, an Australian town just over 226 kilometres south of Sydney, after midday on Saturday, damaging properties and knocking down trees, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said.

Videos shared on social media showed the twister moving through a suburban neighbourhood as wind and rain hit homes and gardens.

National broadcaster ABC said emergency crews received more than a dozen calls about the tornado and that trees fell on powerlines. Local cafe owner Julius Machado told ABC the storm hit in "a blink of an eye" and left broken glasses and plates at his business.

The Bureau of Meteorology said seeing a twister in such a built-up area was very uncommon. It said Australia records about 50 tornadoes a year.

The tornado came as eastern and southern Australia were hit by storms and rainfall. In Sydney, heavy rain turned streets into rivers on Saturday evening.