Giant two-metre-high tumbleweeds have inundated a small community in Victoria's north-east, creating havoc and blanketing homes, cars and driveways.
The weeds, known as hairy panic grass, have left residents in a Wangaratta street facing a "big task" but have also sparked ideas on how to capitalise on the grass — such as going into the scarecrow business.
"Walked out the front door this morning to find a good six-metre spread of tumbleweed across the front of the house — again," local Jason Perna told ABC Goulburn Murray.
"Two metres high by three metres in diameter that spreads right across the front of the house."
"It makes it difficult to get the car out in the morning — if you can find it."
Mr Perna said although the daily clean-up was daunting, he was trying not to lose his sense of humour.
"It's just another day in paradise," he joked.
Mr Perna suspects the grass is blowing in from a nearby paddock that has been neglected by its owner.
"We're on the border of a farm-zoned rural property and a couple of years ago they planted a crop of hay in there. They didn't plant anything last year and its just derived from the grass that's died," he said.
"It'd be great if the farmer actually farmed the land, or did some slashing or ploughing of it just to keep that tumbleweed from growing or spreading any further."
The local council held an emergency meeting about the problem this morning.
It is considering sending out street sweepers to help clean up the mess, and is also liaising with the Country Fire Authority.
Mr Perna said the community was "banding together and supporting each other" and taking a philosophical approach to the issue.
"It's a first-world problem. We don't put it on the scale of any of the famine or poverty going on in the world," he said.
"We are looking at ways to capitalise on this stuff. Whether we go into the production of scarecrows or raise some money and get some goats in to eat this stuff away.
"I'm sure farmers have dealt with this for years. It's just nice that people can know about it, understand it and sympathise with it."