While the mercury did not reach the record 43.8 degrees we saw on Tuesday there was little relief for residents as temperatures reached a balmy 42.7 degrees at 4.03pm.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Michael Efron said the hottest place in Victoria was Walpeup which hit 44.4 degrees at 3.11pm.

Mr Efron said residents could expect another hot day on Friday with maximum temperatures in the mid-forties with a top in Bendigo of 43 degrees.

But there is good news.

A cool change is expected to sweep in late Friday evening and the next three days are going to be cooler with temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s.

It will come as a relief to many residents who have been struggling with the high temperatures.

The number of people affected by the heat continues to grow with 243 people treated for heat exhaustion across Victoria in the past three days.

The number of heat exhaustion cases increased eight-fold since Monday with Ambulance Victoria paramedics attending 80 cases of heat exhaustion or heatstroke across the state Thursday, as well as 28 cases of cardiac arrest and six cases of children locked in cars.

Ambulance Victoria is urging people with minor medical complaints to find other options, rather than calling triple-0 as the heatwave continues to take hold.

Emergency management manager Paul Holman said the community could play a part to help ease the pressure.

“People should only ever call triple-0 if they have a medical emergency,” he said.

“That’s even more important during the heatwave where the number of calls to ambulance increased 20 per cent over the last three days.

“Think about their situation before you call for an ambulance.

“One of the triple zero phone calls we received this week was from someone whose son had a sore throat.

“If you are suffering chest pain or any other serious medical condition, then certainly call triple-0. However if it is something less urgent then just think about whether a doctor, nurse on call, a relative or some other service is more appropriate."