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By Himanshi Akhand

Oct 15 (Reuters) -Australian shares closed at a fresh high on Tuesday, with heavyweights banking and mining stocks driving gains after a strong overnight finish on Wall Street.

The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO climbed 0.8% to an all-time closing high of 8,318.4 points. The benchmark had risen 0.5% on Monday.

Overnight, the S&P 500 and Dow logged record-high closes, as positive sentiment prevailed after major banks kicked off the corporate earnings season on a positive note. .N

"With recent headwinds settling in the back of investors' minds - including uncertainty around the Fed's next move, skepticism over China's bull run and rising tensions in the Middle East - the resurgence of optimism is helping Australian stocks shrug off these known unknowns and hit new records," Hebe Chen, market analyst at IG, said.

However, Chen added that the upcoming local job data might present a challenge to the ongoing rally, and the sustainability and effectiveness of China's economic rescue plan will remain key concerns.

Financial .AXFJ and mining .AXMM stocks - the two sectors with the most weightage on the local bourse - added 1.3% and 0.7% respectively, to lead gains.

The country's biggest lender, Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX, surged 1.8% to a three-week peak, with the remaining of the "Big Four" banks rising between 0.9% and 1.6%.

Top miners BHP Group BHP.AX, Rio Tinto RIO.AX and Fortescue FMG.AX gained between 0.7% and 2.3%, as stronger steel exports and hopes of further fiscal stimulus from Beijing continued to support iron ore prices. IRONORE/

Healthcare companies .AXHJ, which mainly depend on exports to the U.S., rose 0.8% as the dollar stood at a two-month high.

Bucking the trend, energy stocks .AXEJ slipped 1.3% as oil prices dropped 3% on the back of a weaker demand outlook. O/R

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.6% to end the session at 12,840.77.

Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy

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