AUSTRALIA'S newest world-record holders have an average age of 90.

In a swim that brought a crowd of about 200 screaming spectators to tears, the four Melbourne ''golden girls'' set a world masters record in the 4 x 50-metre relay, swimming the race in about five minutes, 45 seconds.

''It was great to hear the applause and think, we're not so old after all,'' said the team's fourth or ''anchor'' swimmer, Hazel Gillbee, 84, the ''baby'' of the team. ''It's pretty good to feel fit.''

The women, members of the North Lodge Neptune AUSSI Masters Swimming Club, recently discovered that no one had ever entered a world record for a relay swim in the ''360'' masters division (representing the total ages of team members).

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As members of the same swimming club, they were eligible to try to set the first record, and chose last night's swim meet at the Jubilee Park Aquatic Centre for their attempt.

While the four women swim at least weekly and were confident of succeeding, the event had all the drama and anticipation of an Olympic meet, with the bleachers packed and TV news crews and local media vying for position at the end of the 25-metre pool.

''We are a bit concerned about the changeovers,'' said Ms Gilbee before the race, ''I said to the girls, 'Make sure you do it right, it doesn't matter about the time - we don't want to get disqualified'.''

Eldest team member Clarise Artis, 97, started swimming competitively when she was 86 (four years after having a quadruple heart bypass) and swims 800 metres twice a week.

But she has recently recovered from pneumonia and said: ''I've not been swimming as well as I could.'' As the team's first swimmer, her nerves were rattled further after the starting gun failed three times.

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Life turns 360 for our oldest world champions