Tracey Vernon and Monica Shepherd, both 8, found two large halves of the stone after a storm wrecked gardens, pools and sheds in Mooroolbark, Victoria.

According to residents, the storm struck without warning and covered their gardens with stones.

The biggest surprise was the monster stone found by the girls while they were returning home. "We just found it lying in the gutter, split in half", Tracey said.

The discovery has aroused the interest of the weather bureau, which has asked noted Western Australian physicist Dr Macklin to investigate the claim.

According to Dr Macklin the hailstone would be bigger than the largest recorded specimen which weighed 0.77 of a kilogram.

The halves of the stone were kept refrigerated until Dr Macklin could study photographs of the formation. Time was needed to arrange for them to be flown to Western Australia for further study.

However, the little girls' dreams were eventually dashed as the truth behind the stone was revealed. Malcolm Bruce, a neighbour of one of the two girls who found it, dumped it from his Esky to dash inside at the height of the storm. He had just returned from a fishing trip.

Mr Bruce came forward after reading about the "hailstone" in a Melbourne newspaper.

See: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110969544