Victoria and Tasmania are halfway through an icy spell that has seen some centres likely to record their coldest four days since the 90s.

There were some big tallies on NSW's South Coast and in East Gippsland, while western Queensland and northern NSW also had a drink.

Often thought of as one of the drier parts of Queensland, Thargomindah notched up an exciting rainfall record last week when 52.6mm was measured at the town's airport.

NSW is the headline act but many parts of eastern Australia can expect good rain in the next eight days with two fronts sweeping through.

Good crop growth in autumn and stored moisture reserves mean southern Australia could achieve average yields even with below average rain.

The surprising early consensus by climate models that we were in for a wet winter have disappeared with all possibilities now on the table.

There's the chance of solid rainfall in Queensland and WA over the next eight days which will be a big boost to national crop prospects.

There has been a small wind-back of last month's optimism, but the BOM is still forecasting a wet winter, especially in the MDB.

The dry spell is set to break and then it could remain wet for some time if long term forecasts are on the money.

There is good news in both the Indian and Pacific Oceans for farmers wanting to see a return to wet conditions.