Rare snowfall blankets parts of Australia for first time in years

Icy conditions are sweeping across eastern Australia, bringing snow to areas as far north as subtropical Queensland in what is believed to be the heaviest snowfall in years.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology described the weather as “rare” adding that Queensland had not experienced significant snowfall since 2015.

June marks the beginning of winter in Australia but the extreme weather is highly unusual, especially so early on in some areas of Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

Many took to social media to express their amazement at finding snow in their hometowns as well as sharing photos of Kangaroos and Tasmanian devils playing in the cold conditions.

The Blue Mountains west of Sydney woke on Tuesday to a blanket of snow, while there have been falls in Queensland’s Granite Belt region, west of Brisbane, although snow was not expected to settle.

Travellers are also being warned to expect delays on roads, rail, waterways and in the skies amid a day of wild weather and icy winds.

Severe weather warnings have been issued for a 1,000km stretch of eastern coastline, including Sydney.

Some Sydney ferry services had to be cancelled on Tuesday after a huge swell hit the coast, while major airlines have warned passengers to check their flight status.

The arrival of a cold air mass about midnight caused temperatures to fall and icy winds made it seem much colder.

Meteorologist Lachlan Stone said the snowfall in Queensland, driven by colder air from the south, was an unusual occurrence in a state with a sub-tropical to tropical climate.

"But in the south of the state, particularly near the New South Wales border, it's quite mountainous and in the elevated areas it can get quite cold," he told the BBC.

Ski resorts across Victoria and New South Wales also reported some of the best pre-season snowfalls on record with Perisher Ski Resort seeing 90cm of snow in just 8 days.

Neighbouring Thredbo Resort in Kosciuszko National Park has announced it will open several pistes early on 8 June after 85cm of snow fell before the season.

The nation has just experienced its hottest summer on record and recent extreme weather events including drought, floods and bushfires.

Australians are more concerned about climate change than at any point in the past decade, a recent poll by the Lowy Institute found.