Australia's last surviving World War II recipient of the Victoria Cross, who was awarded the elite medal for storming a Japanese machine gun post, has died aged 90, officials said yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Edward Kenna's death late on Wednesday at a nursing home in Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, was a sad day for Australia.

Ms Gillard said Mr Kenna displayed extraordinary bravery when he single-handedly stormed a Japanese machine-gun nest at Wewak in New Guinea in 1945, firing a Bren gun from his hip with enemy bullets passing under his arms as he advanced.

"Ted received that high accolade for standing in a hail of gunfire in order to take out an enemy position ... in typical Australian fashion, Ted responded to the award by giving credit to the men who served with him," she said.

The Victoria Cross is the highest honour for military valour awarded by Britain and some countries of its former empire.

Mr Kenna played down his actions in a 2005 interview, saying he simply did what needed to be done to clear the enemy position that was pinning down his comrades, receiving laconic praise from a fellow soldier.

"Someone, I think it was Snowy, said to me 'Did you do that?' and I said yeah, and he said 'good shooting.' And that was it, what else was there to say?" he said.

But Mr Kenna's Victoria Cross citation recognised his achievement, emphasising his "magnificent courage and complete disregard for his own safety."