The woman who hasn't been named publicly was taken to Canberra Hospital where she was treated.

The extent of her injuries isn't known. It's understood she is from Canberra and her family have been with her.

A person at the university familiar with the situation said she was expected to make a full recovery.

A spokeswoman for the ANU said the accident was very unfortunate but it was a "freak" event.

The tree was a eucalypt which had got dried out because of the weather so its branches were brittle and liable to snapping. In general, the ANU does not plant eucalypts for this reason but there are some in a few parts of the campus.

The injured woman was not in a forbidden area but she was in a part of the campus which wasn't very busy, and one with eucalypts.

According to people at the university, the accident victim was walking when she was struck by the sizeable branch.

It happened in the middle of the afternoon before the winds rose and the storm broke.

After the accident, questions were raised by some at the university about whether there should be an audit of dangerous trees so they could be identified and made safe.

The university spokeswoman said that an audit was frequently done and the ANU actually had one of the most extensive data-bases of the condition of its trees in the whole of Australia because a comprehensive survey was done in 2008.

Its statement said: "In 2008 all trees on campus were surveyed and assessed. The tree database is continually updated and informs the large amount of tree work that occurs on campus.

"This incident was an unpredictable, unfortunate accident that occurred in unprecedented heat conditions. The University’s grounds maintenance team have assessed the tree from the incident and undertaken any necessary action."

More to come.