Eastern Victoria to dodge El Nino, but hot, dry summer looms elsewhere

As large parts of the country sweat on the prospect of a hot and dry summer, farmers and firefighters of eastern Victoria were given some welcome news on Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology's first weather outlook for December to February indicates much of the country can expect a drier than average summer.

However, large parts of south-eastern Australia can expect a wetter-than-average three months.

While much of that rain is tipped to fall in NSW, eastern Victoria can also expect more rain than normal.