Women to Bare It All for Rain

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of women from drought-ravaged southern Australia plan to bare it all to the heavens in a bid to make it rain.

Inspired by a Nepalese drought-breaking tradition, the women from Ouyen in the far northwest of Victoria state will carry out a naked rain dance in the barren outback in early March, just ahead of the planting season for the next crop.

"We'll invite all the families from all the communities around in the Mallee (region) who are suffering from the drought, we'll all get together and have food and entertainment all day," said organizer Lynne Healy of the Ouyen Inc community group.

"And the women will get on buses and discreetly go out to a secret location and we will do our dance or our whatever," Healy told Reuters on Wednesday.

Unexpected publicity means the rain dance will probably attract many more than the 200 women the organizers originally expected to take part -- but the media will not be invited.

"It'll be totally nude, hence no cameras," Healy said.