BHP Group BHP.AX, Rio Tinto RIO.AX and Fortescue Metals FMG.AX advanced between 1% and 2.7%. Oct 27 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose on Thursday to scale their highest levels since mid-September, buoyed by gold stocks and miners, although weak performances among financials limited gains as investors weighed the country's hotter-than-expected inflation print. O/R Financials .AXFJ dropped nearly 2%, a day after data signalled Australia's inflation raced to a 32-year high last quarter and stoked pressure for a return to more aggressive rate hikes by the central bank.