29-07-2025
WA's Stirling Range National Park enjoys three days of snow in just over a week
For West Australians who love chasing snow, there have been three opportunities in eight days to frolic in the white stuff at Bluff Knoll in Stirling Range National Park.
Matilda Reddington made the challenging walk to the top of the peak with her sisters before school on Monday.
"We woke up at 3am and left Bremer [Bay] and probably started the walk about 5 [am]," she said.
It was her third hike to the top of Bluff Knoll in the snow.
The most snow flurries ever recorded in WA in a single year was six in 2016, all on Bluff Knoll.
There were five at the peak in 2021, and five in 1968 at different locations across the state.
There were also reports of snow on Bluff Knoll on Monday and Thursday of last week.
The chance to play in the snow at the top normally requires a pre-dawn hike before it melts, but last Thursday's conditions brought afternoon flurries.
It also led to snow at Mt Toolbrunup, which at about 1,050 metres is the second-highest peak in the Stirling Ranges.
Despite being only 50 metres lower than Bluff Knoll, snow is much less common on Mt Toolbrunup.
Justin Taylor and a friend had planned to do the hike to the Mt Toolbrunup peak on Thursday anyway, and the snow was bonus.
"It's fantastic."
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) does not have monitors at either site, but relies on reports from the hikers who make the trek.
The last report to the BOM of snow at Mt Toolbrunup was in September 2017.
No snow is forecast for Stirling Range National Park in the coming days, and warmer temperatures are expected.
Last Thursday Katanning, about 125 kilometres south-east of Mt Toolbrunup, had its coldest day since records began there 27 years ago, according to the BOM.
The temperature reached a maximum of just 8.5 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous record from 2017 of 8.6C.
There was also hail on Thursday in parts of the state's South West.
Some Margaret River locals took the opportunity to make hail men, a different take on the snowmen being attempted on Bluff Knoll.
Perth recorded its coldest minimum in 15 years last Friday, when temperatures plummeted to 0.3C at about 7am.
A new July minimum temperature record of 0.4C was also set in Windy Harbour that day, while Bridgetown recorded -1.5C and Collie -2.0C.
