A deep low pressure system brought wild winds to southeastern Australia on Tuesday, with Bass Strait experiencing 'hurricane-strength' winds. The Hogan Island group which lies south of Wilsons Promontory had its highest wind gust in three years, reaching an incredible 169km/h. Average wind speeds peaked at 128km/h (69 knots), which is 'hurricane force' on the Beaufort wind scale. The Beaufort scale was created in 1805 by Sir Frances Beaufort and is used to categorise wind strengths at sea. This is the basis for our current marine warnings in Australia. 'Strong Wind Warnings' are issued by the Bureau of Meteorology when average wind speeds exceed 25 knots, 'Gale Warnings' are issued for winds above 33 knots and 'Storm Wind Warnings' are issued when average winds hit 48 knots. When average wind speeds exceed 64 knots they are considered 'hurricane force', with the sea turned completely white with foam and spray. These winds are rarely experienced in Australia, outside of severe tropical cyclone activity. Winds weren't quite as extreme through the southeastern capitals but still reached gale- force, with gusts of over 80km/h at Melbourne Airport and 80km/h around Sydney.