**1. Introduction**

Instrumental records of Australia's rainfall are maintained by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and extend back over 150 years in some locations. Annual contour maps of the continent extending back to 1900 illustrate how annual rainfall has varied across the continent [1]. The continent has a long history of droughts and floods [2], extending into recent years [3, 4]. **Figure 1** shows a map of Australia with the individual states and various locations referred to in this chapter.

**Figure 1.** *Map of Australia showing states and locations referred to in this chapter.*
