Several trapped in cars at Victoria's Mount Hotham due to heavy snow
Several people remain trapped in their cars at Mount Hotham in Victoria after more than 50cm of snow fell in the area over the weekend.
More than 20 people were stuck in their cars which became bogged on the Blue Rag Range Track near Dargo High Plains Rd at about 10.30pm on Saturday.
Police and SES crews used snowmobiles to rescue 13 people, with a man in his 40s taken to hospital with minor injuries after his car rolled.
Several people remain stuck on the mountain. The rescue operation is ongoing.
As of Monday morning, 62cm of snow has fallen at Mount Hotham.
Dargo Highway Plains Rd is closed to all traffic due to the extreme weather conditions.
It's not expected to reopen until after the King's Birthday weekend.
Those heading to the snow have been warned to monitor extreme weather conditions and potential road closures.
'Reconsider your travel plans in areas affected by heavy snowfall if necessary. Stay safe out there,' VIC SES said.
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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Playing in the snow: a taste of winter wonderland for Aussie Ark animals
SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals. Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected. Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening. He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania. Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys. "A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said. "Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment." Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed. "Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said. The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier. National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals. Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected. Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening. He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania. Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys. "A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said. "Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment." Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed. "Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said. The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier. National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals. Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected. Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening. He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania. Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys. "A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said. "Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment." Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed. "Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said. The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier. National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals. Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected. Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening. He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania. Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys. "A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said. "Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment." Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed. "Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said. The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier. National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather.
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Wild and windy: 90 kilometre wind gusts lash the Hunter in cold snap
WILD and windy conditions have swept through the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. The gale-force winds brought down a large tree across Black Hill Road near Minmi, where emergency services were called to assist. The Bureau of Meteorology's Belinda House said a low-pressure system in southern parts of the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NSW caused the gusty environment. "The Hunter is on the northern side of that low-pressure system, so we're seeing those fairly fresh and gusty, west-northwesterly winds funnelling down through the Hunter Valley," she said. The Nobbys Head weather station recorded a wind gust of 91km/h on Monday morning, June 9, at about 11am. "Since then, it's been gusting between 70 and 90 kilometres all morning. It's likely we'll continue to see a fairly windy day right across the Hunter for the rest of the day and again tomorrow," she said. Temperatures on Monday saw Newcastle reach a top of 15 degrees with a feels-like temperature of six. Further up the Hunter, the mercury dropped with Scone and Muswellbrook forecast to reach just 12 degrees and 13 in Singleton and Cessnock. "They are really cold daytime temperatures. On Tuesday, we can expect temperatures to warm up a bit, pushing 18 or 19 degrees through parts of the coast," Ms House said. "But it will be a reasonably chilly night with parts of the Upper Hunter likely to get down to six or seven degrees." She said the combined conditions and cold temperatures were a recipe for snow to fall at Barrington Tops. "We don't specifically have a report for Barrington Tops, we have measured precipitation. So, it's cold enough, it's high enough. I think it's a safe assumption. Knowing that we've seen snow fall up through the tablelands, that there will have been some snow up there," she said. "There is no chance for snow after Monday." The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. WILD and windy conditions have swept through the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. The gale-force winds brought down a large tree across Black Hill Road near Minmi, where emergency services were called to assist. The Bureau of Meteorology's Belinda House said a low-pressure system in southern parts of the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NSW caused the gusty environment. "The Hunter is on the northern side of that low-pressure system, so we're seeing those fairly fresh and gusty, west-northwesterly winds funnelling down through the Hunter Valley," she said. The Nobbys Head weather station recorded a wind gust of 91km/h on Monday morning, June 9, at about 11am. "Since then, it's been gusting between 70 and 90 kilometres all morning. It's likely we'll continue to see a fairly windy day right across the Hunter for the rest of the day and again tomorrow," she said. Temperatures on Monday saw Newcastle reach a top of 15 degrees with a feels-like temperature of six. Further up the Hunter, the mercury dropped with Scone and Muswellbrook forecast to reach just 12 degrees and 13 in Singleton and Cessnock. "They are really cold daytime temperatures. On Tuesday, we can expect temperatures to warm up a bit, pushing 18 or 19 degrees through parts of the coast," Ms House said. "But it will be a reasonably chilly night with parts of the Upper Hunter likely to get down to six or seven degrees." She said the combined conditions and cold temperatures were a recipe for snow to fall at Barrington Tops. "We don't specifically have a report for Barrington Tops, we have measured precipitation. So, it's cold enough, it's high enough. I think it's a safe assumption. Knowing that we've seen snow fall up through the tablelands, that there will have been some snow up there," she said. "There is no chance for snow after Monday." The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. WILD and windy conditions have swept through the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. The gale-force winds brought down a large tree across Black Hill Road near Minmi, where emergency services were called to assist. The Bureau of Meteorology's Belinda House said a low-pressure system in southern parts of the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NSW caused the gusty environment. "The Hunter is on the northern side of that low-pressure system, so we're seeing those fairly fresh and gusty, west-northwesterly winds funnelling down through the Hunter Valley," she said. The Nobbys Head weather station recorded a wind gust of 91km/h on Monday morning, June 9, at about 11am. "Since then, it's been gusting between 70 and 90 kilometres all morning. It's likely we'll continue to see a fairly windy day right across the Hunter for the rest of the day and again tomorrow," she said. Temperatures on Monday saw Newcastle reach a top of 15 degrees with a feels-like temperature of six. Further up the Hunter, the mercury dropped with Scone and Muswellbrook forecast to reach just 12 degrees and 13 in Singleton and Cessnock. "They are really cold daytime temperatures. On Tuesday, we can expect temperatures to warm up a bit, pushing 18 or 19 degrees through parts of the coast," Ms House said. "But it will be a reasonably chilly night with parts of the Upper Hunter likely to get down to six or seven degrees." She said the combined conditions and cold temperatures were a recipe for snow to fall at Barrington Tops. "We don't specifically have a report for Barrington Tops, we have measured precipitation. So, it's cold enough, it's high enough. I think it's a safe assumption. Knowing that we've seen snow fall up through the tablelands, that there will have been some snow up there," she said. "There is no chance for snow after Monday." The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. WILD and windy conditions have swept through the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. The gale-force winds brought down a large tree across Black Hill Road near Minmi, where emergency services were called to assist. The Bureau of Meteorology's Belinda House said a low-pressure system in southern parts of the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NSW caused the gusty environment. "The Hunter is on the northern side of that low-pressure system, so we're seeing those fairly fresh and gusty, west-northwesterly winds funnelling down through the Hunter Valley," she said. The Nobbys Head weather station recorded a wind gust of 91km/h on Monday morning, June 9, at about 11am. "Since then, it's been gusting between 70 and 90 kilometres all morning. It's likely we'll continue to see a fairly windy day right across the Hunter for the rest of the day and again tomorrow," she said. Temperatures on Monday saw Newcastle reach a top of 15 degrees with a feels-like temperature of six. Further up the Hunter, the mercury dropped with Scone and Muswellbrook forecast to reach just 12 degrees and 13 in Singleton and Cessnock. "They are really cold daytime temperatures. On Tuesday, we can expect temperatures to warm up a bit, pushing 18 or 19 degrees through parts of the coast," Ms House said. "But it will be a reasonably chilly night with parts of the Upper Hunter likely to get down to six or seven degrees." She said the combined conditions and cold temperatures were a recipe for snow to fall at Barrington Tops. "We don't specifically have a report for Barrington Tops, we have measured precipitation. So, it's cold enough, it's high enough. I think it's a safe assumption. Knowing that we've seen snow fall up through the tablelands, that there will have been some snow up there," she said. "There is no chance for snow after Monday." The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas.
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
Orange experiences King's Birthday snowfall as ‘very cold' front sweeps over NSW bringing windy conditions
A cold and windy King's Birthday is expected for much of Australia's southeast with a Central Tablelands town picking up some early morning snow. Alpine resorts across the country weren't the only ones receiving some early winter snowfall as Orange woke up to snowy white yards off the back of a low-pressure system. Sky News Australia Meteorologist Rob Sharpe said it has been a 'very cold' past 24 hours for parts of New South Wales with snow continuing to bucket over the alpine regions. 'It's very cold indeed … a lot of snow across the alpine resorts; generally, there have been 30 to 65 centimetres of snow over the last few days,' Mr Sharpe said. 'It's even snowing in Orange this morning. 'The snow is falling right now in the Central Tablelands, most likely this morning for this low-level snow, as low as 900 metres in New South Wales today and a chance onto the Northern Tablelands but will ease into the afternoon.' The start of the snow season has been one to remember for skiers and snowboarders with the season tracking to be one of the best on record as ski resorts have received 30-70cm. This has been the best start to the ski season since snow engulfed Aussie slopes for the opening weekend of 2022. Victoria's Mt Hotham recorded its third-best opening weekend in its 33 years of snow data. Mr Sharpe said alpine resorts will probably receive another 10-20cm for the week ahead due to a low-pressure system which is bringing wet weather particularly for Victoria and eastern parts of Tasmania. 'Ballarat has seen 35mm in the last 24 hours. That's double any other day so far this year," he said. Sky News Weather has given a detailed forecast for Australia's 'turnaround' ski season. Meanwhile, windy conditions will dominate much of the coast of New South Wales for the King's Birthday on Monday. Winds look to sit at a north-westerly of 15km/h to 25km/h, before turning westerly at 30 to 45 km/h in the late morning before decreasing to 25km/h to 35 km/h later in the day. Strong wind blasts have led to the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a Hazardous Surf Warning for Illawarra, Batemans and Eden coasts on Monday before extending to Sydney and Hunter coasts on Tuesday.
